On July 8th, ahead of the European Championship semi-finals, Spanish national team coach Luis de la Fuente gave an interview to AS at the Donaueschingen training base, discussing the Spanish team’s transformation, the growth of young players and how to deal with France, particularly how to limit Kylian Mbappé.
Do you think the victory against Germany, just like the penalty shootout victory against Italy in 2008, will kickstart something great?
De la Fuente: The future is unpredictable, but it’s a good starting point. We are optimistic and we believe this can be the first step in building a foundation for the future.
Have you ever imagined, or dreamed, that Spain might lift the European Championship after beating Italy, Germany, France and England?
De la Fuente: We have to play one game at a time because it takes only a moment to go from a peak to a valley. Right now, my focus is only on France, I really don’t think too much about it. We can only look ahead to bigger things when we reach those higher levels, but first, we have a semi-final against France.
Aragones built a Spain of short players, Bosque played with two midfielders, your label is “winger”? Everyone is talking about Lamine (Yamal), and you boldly included him in the team when he was 16.
De la Fuente: The credit goes to the players, I can only be proud to say that I know each player on my team, and this knowledge gives me great security. I admit that I do have a certain superstition about youth products, because I’ve spent most of my time working with these young guys, and I have great trust in them. If I see a talented player, I don’t think too much about their age. As it turns out, if you give young players opportunities, they will not disappoint you.
You allow national team members to discuss their futures during the European Championships, could this lead to mistakes?
De la Fuente: Reality cannot be avoided, we have to accept that players are planning for their futures, and at the same time believe in their professionalism. We all know the top priority is the Spanish national team, and my players are honest professionals.
Lamine is lightning, Nico is thunder, will they bring a storm?
De la Fuente: I certainly hope so. When you have players with such incredible speed, who make so many attacks and defenses on the pitch, there is indeed a risk of being caught on the counterattack, but we can improve the way we play, not always going full speed all the time. Uncontrolled power and speed are useless, I need to control the speed, and in turn, control the game.
Do you have a plan to stop Mbappé?
De la Fuente: I will only answer this question briefly, for players with such incredible breakthrough ability, like Mbappé, Dembélé, collective defense is very important. This is the only way, apart from maintaining a balance between attack and defense.
You are the lowest-paid national team coach in the European Championship, is it time to improve your contract?
De la Fuente: I’ve been working for the federation for 13 years, and this is where I want to be, I enjoy it and I’m happy. As long as both parties feel this way, the partnership can continue. And if in the future either party doesn’t feel this happiness, there’s no problem with separating, it’s not just about salary, it’s based on an overall judgment and evaluation.
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