Luis de la Fuente is clear that Spain will have to raise their level against Croatia. After the impressive performance against England at Wembley, the national team manager warned on Sunday in the press room at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán that his side will have to give “a little more” against a Croatia team that arrives with a new manager and plenty of talented players.
“It is a new and difficult match. They have talented players who are eager to perform. On top of that, they have a new manager, which gives them fresh energy. Our players know that we have to give a little more than we did against England,” De la Fuente said, confirming that there will be changes to the starting XI.
The coach justified the rotations by pointing to the number of matches being played and the need to manage the workload. “It is tremendously demanding to play four matches of this level in 10 days. But we have always talked about the health of the players, and once again we have shown that we prioritize their well-being. We saw that with Eric,” he explained, referring to Eric García’s departure from the squad.
De la Fuente insisted that everyone is doing well, although some players need a rest. “There are players who we feel would benefit from some rest. We need to freshen up the team a little. Not only because of that, but also because those who have been waiting deserve their opportunity. It does not concern me at all. The players who come in will be the ones who are best prepared.”
He also defended the depth of his squad. “The rotations will happen because everyone deserves to play and everyone has tremendous talent. Every player could have a place in two starting XIs. We have the best players in the world,” the Riojan coach said.
One player who could take on a bigger role against Croatia is Fermín López, whom De la Fuente singled out for praise. “He is in fantastic form. Like other players in those positions, he gives us exactly what we need: energy, talent and class. He is very complete. He is top in Europe and top in our team,” he said of the Barcelona midfielder.
De la Fuente also spoke about his nomination for the Ballon d’Or award for the best coach and made no secret of his desire to win it. “The only thing I can say is that I am happy to be there. The others are there too. We all have the merits to win it. It would mean a lot to me. I would like to win it.”
The Spain manager also highlighted one of the defining characteristics of his team: their ability to play in different ways. “The strength of this team is that we can play in different ways. That is what we are going to maintain. We become stronger by sticking to our idea,” he said.
The press conference also had a personal dimension for De la Fuente, who has a special connection with Seville. “Coming to Seville brings out a special emotion in me. Stepping onto the pitch was even more emotional. I traveled back to 1987 when I was here.”
Looking back at his early years as a coach in Sevilla’s academy, in 2001, he admitted that he has changed considerably. “Sometimes I say that I don’t recognize myself from when I first started coaching. A lot has happened. You think you know a lot, but you don’t know as much as you think. You change many aspects of yourself over time.”
And what would he say to that younger Luis de la Fuente?
“Don’t give up, keep being consistent and don’t give up. Life has shown me that by doing that, at least you give yourself opportunities.”