On July 4th, Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente attended the press conference before the game against Germany, expressing full confidence in the upcoming challenge.
The Spanish coach emphasized the importance of the match, “It’s almost a final,” and mentioned the balance of power between the two sides, “From a football perspective, they are equal in strength.”
Regarding the strategy for the opening stages, de la Fuente said: “Germany always starts strong, but we will try to counter them in the same way. The best way to defend is to attack in the same way.”
When asked about the possibility of a penalty shootout, de la Fuente confirmed that he was prepared: “We have practiced everything, including penalties, free kicks, corners… We are ready. You have to practice everything, including penalties.”
Regarding whether Dani Olmo would be in the starting lineup, he remained mysterious: “I won’t reveal the starting lineup as usual, but Dani is ready.”
Facing Spain’s poor record in away games against the host nation, de la Fuente appeared optimistic: “In tournaments of this level, home advantage is not that great. There are many experienced players, they will not be intimidated by a more hostile atmosphere.”
When asked what factors could be more decisive, de la Fuente replied: “I think a team’s strength lies in doing their job well. We cannot expect Germany to make mistakes, although we will try to limit their advantages.”
Regarding the key figure in the German team, Toni Kroos, de la Fuente praised him highly: “I think Kroos is a superstar, a player of exceptional quality, football will never forget him. He brings talent, skill, charm… He transmits confidence to the team.”
In assessing the opponent, Germany, de la Fuente mentioned: “Germany is excellent because they have a very solid and balanced team, but they also have players with outstanding individual abilities like Musiala, Wirtz, Gündogan… This is a European Championship or World Cup final-level opponent, but we also have a very strong team.”
Finally, de la Fuente’s message to the players was: “We are players, we play football. This is a very important game, but we are prepared for games like this. I will try to downplay the drama of this game.”
As for how to deal with the threat of Kroos, he humorously said: “We were going to tie up Kroos, but we don’t know if UEFA will agree. We will try to make it difficult for him to get the ball, limit their attacking options. I repeat, we will ask UEFA if we can tie him up.”
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