Image via RFEF. Mr. de la Fuente speaks to the press.
On Monday night, Spain and Portugal will face off in an Iberian derby for a place in the World Cup quarter-finals, but if La Roja wins, it could be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last game in international football. Spain national team coach Luis de la Fuente admitted before the match that he is a fan of the former Real Madrid player.
De la Fuente declared he had absolute faith in Pau Kvarsi and Aymeric Laporte to win against Ronaldo, but de la Fuente praised the 41-year-old forward.
“I call myself an admirer of Cristiano and of people like him. He has character, he is tireless, he is an example of values. My hat is off to him. It is not only the legacy that he leaves behind, but also the legacy that he will continue to build. We must keep our eyes on him under all circumstances. It’s not like I’m going to man-mark him, but I have to be aware of him wherever I am on the pitch. I hope he doesn’t play, but he will play. We’re going to have fun. We’re watching one of the greatest players in history take to the pitch,” he said. told AS.
De la Fuente: “Spain has the best midfield”
De la Fuente, who has a reputation for supporting his players both publicly and privately, reiterated that Spain have the best midfield in the world, with Bruno Fernandes, Vicinha and Joao Neves to play against.
“I allow myself the luxury of thinking that my players are the best in the world, but we are playing a team with very similar characteristics. We are very comfortable defensively and in possession, and we play a combination-based game. We will see who gets the advantage. It will be a close game. We will pay close attention to those details.”
Lamine Yamal vs. Nuno Mendes fight
Portugal left-back Nuno Mendes, one of the few players to have a good record against Lamine Yamal, will be tasked with keeping the Barcelona man quiet.
“Nuno Mendes definitely gives a lot of players a hard time. He’s very good. Just like Lamine gives a lot of defenders sleepless nights. You have to calm him down, but he’s very calm so you don’t have to reassure him too much. Above all, he shouldn’t be worried. He needs to focus on himself and the team as always. Every game is different. Just because the opponent won once doesn’t mean they will always win. Let’s hope he wins against us. ”
The Spanish coach was also asked if Lamine Yamal intends to make an extra defensive effort to silence Mendes in the opposite direction.
“Lamine always tries to do more, but we shouldn’t ask him for more than that. We’re all happy with what he gave us, because the goal is to make it difficult for the opposition defenders and we know that if they take the initiative, everyone will suffer.”
Nico Williams and Folarin Balogun suspended
Spain have three main injury concerns, all centered around the left wing spot. Alex Baena is likely to start again, but Nico Williams is training ahead of the match and Yeremy Pino is also expected to be available. That would also apply to Victor Munoz, who admitted he was 100% but able to play.
“We’ll see how the game goes. That’ll decide whether he gets minutes or not. We’ll think about what’s best for both the team and him. He could play with the limitations of injury and coming back from layoff in mind, but playing a game that’s going well… And it’s different from going into a game where you’re struggling. You know, there may be a plan, but football has ways to take you in a different direction. We’ll see more about him and him tomorrow. ”
Before De La Fuente’s press, the headline news was FIFA’s decision to revoke Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension and allow him to play against Belgium. He was asked for his thoughts on this unprecedented decision.
“I don’t know for what reasons FIFA made such a decision. I can’t give an opinion on the matter,” he commented, revealing little.
