During his Monday presentation as New Spain’s head coach, Luis de la Fuente responded to criticism that he lacked top-level experience. De La Fuente defends New Spain’s job. The 61-year-old has been coaching Spain’s youth teams since 2013, most recently the U23 side. His contract will run until after Euro 2024.
De La Fuente defends New Spain’s job.
After Spain’s shocking loss to Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinals, Luis Enrique, the former coach at Barcelona, was fired and replaced by de la Fuente. As a left-back for Athletic Bilbao in the 1980s and 1990s, he helped the Basque club win two La Liga championships and the Copa del Rey.
He started his coaching career after playing for Sevilla and Alaves. The national team led by the new Spain coach won silver at the 2020 Olympics. Losing to Brazil in the gold medal match after extra time. When asked if he would bring back veteran PSG defender Sergio Ramos. De la Fuente said he did not want to comment on specific players but left the door open for Ramos to be recalled.
Ramos earned 180 caps for Spain between 2005 and 2021, making him the country’s all-time leader. The coach admitted he accepted the position when offered and promised to remain true to Spain’s traditional playing style. It was without closing himself off to new ideas. Over 120 minutes, Spain dominated possession and attempted over 1,000 passes. But they could only get one shot on goal and were ultimately eliminated on penalties.
“I was a professional player for 15 years,” De la Fuente told a press conference.
“If there is anyone in Spain who knows the present and the future of Spanish football, it s me.”
“There is one thing that is not negotiable, one idea and one model,” added De la Fuente.
“It adapts to any system; it s not incompatible. I will try to incorporate nuances to improve.
“We will try to grow and keep improving, interpreting the changes in the game.
“Also, we are not closed off to anything. We are open to change things when it is necessary.”
