Luis de la Fuente: ‘Sometimes it’s very difficult to make things simple’

Luis de la Fuente appears enthusiastic after leading a national team training session, during which he shouted until he was hoarse: “Instructions, instructions...” he says. Spain is preparing to play France in the UEFA Nations League semifinal this Thursday. The national team coach is approaching what could be his third consecutive European title in very different conditions than those that preceded his first. He worked through the run-up to the 2023 Nations League Finals amid voices announcing his imminent dismissal after a defeat against Scotland three months earlier. But Spain won that tournament, and then the 2024 European Championship.

Question. How do you remember those days in 2023?

Answer. I see it in a positive light. It was a very good learning experience. It taught me how to handle extreme situations. And that allows me now, when the situation is quite the opposite, to relax. Although I know everything can change again at any moment.

Q. How did you handle it?

A. Now that stoicism is so fashionable... I’ve always applied it. I’ve made sure to control what I can control. I’m not one for excuses. I don’t like the “buts” and “what ifs.” What do I have to do to make sure this doesn’t get to me? That was the approach. To reaffirm and reinforce what we had said. In a press conference at the time, I said: “We’re not moving one millimeter from our roadmap.” We were sure that what we were looking for was the right way to go.

Q. And the players?

A. Most of them were calm, convinced. It’s true that we weren’t used to losing, because we had almost always won. And those who were coming into the squad didn’t have much time to let doubts set in either, because after that match [the defeat against Scotland], we started winning again, and we’re still winning today.

Q. Looking back on the 2024 European Championship final a few days ago, you said: “What satisfies me most is having remained true to an idea.” A similar phrase to the one you used after that defeat to Scotland. Why is the “idea” so important to you?

A. If you set a course to achieve a goal and remain convinced that it’s the right one, you’ll surely be close to achieving it in the next challenge you face. How can you tell fast players not to run? How can you tell those with an inside game to only play long balls?

Q. Is everything simpler than it seems?

A. Sometimes it’s very difficult to make things simple.

Q. Does the footballer have less ability to make decisions and look more to the coach for guidance?

A. No. I think we assign greater importance from the outside to the influence a coach has, compared to what he actually has. While [the work of a coach] is important, it’s not definitive. The protagonists are the players. On a whiteboard, you win every game, but your opponents don’t usually agree with what you have in mind and respond with other strategies. I think our success lies in conveying an idea and getting them convinced by that idea. And then, making them feel comfortable with the development you propose. You can’t ask a player to do something they’re not comfortable with. You’re making a mistake.

Q. Should we be less interventionist than managerial?

A. Perhaps the difference, more than the actual intervention, is the style of intervention. Do you want me to be charismatic or polite? There are different ways of saying the same things. In the past, I was more interventionist. As I’ve grown and evolved, I no longer see myself in that phase of such direct — I’d even say aggressive — intervention. I don’t recognize myself as the coach I was 30 years ago.

Q. How do you coach this team?

A. You have to speak to their intelligence and their heart. That never fails. That’s the best stimulus. Nothing moves [players] more.

Q. And how do you manage Lamine Yamal?

A. These footballers, as brilliant as Lamine, are very intelligent. Very mature for their age. He’s 17. He even plays jokes on the older players. Always, of course, within the framework of respect, which is how we understand relationships. It’s not like before, when the youngster had respect for the veteran and didn’t speak until he’d been in the locker room for three months. Now, a youngster comes in, sits down in the veteran’s seat, and says, “Let him find another spot.”

Q. How does this intelligence manifest itself?

A. In the speed with which he resolves all the difficulties that arise on the pitch. And then, his ability to handle media attention. He rarely puts his foot in it in interviews. All footballers, all of them, have a high IQ. We’re not talking about math or philosophy. There are many types of intelligence. But for their profession, for solving their problems, they’re top-notch. It’s often said of athletes, to discredit them: “Because they don’t study...” You don’t have to study to be intelligent. Then you have to develop that intelligence in your profession. Intelligence alone isn’t enough. We’re talking about a sport that takes place outdoors. Interpreting space is something that’s very difficult to do.

Q. Do you see Leo Messi in him?

A. They’re different. It would be a mistake to compare them. They’re similar in that they stood out so early. They’re both geniuses.

Q. Do you feel you can help these players improve?

A. Here, everything is trained. Everything is improved. I was lucky enough to meet Messi when he was 15, and I don’t know at what age he reached his peak. 25? 28? While we were all surprised by his level at 25, he was better at 28. And at 30, surely too. You have to convey to them that it’s a constant learning process. At this age, you don’t have to teach them how to hit this or that. They already know that.

Q. So?

A. You have to teach them when the right moments are. Instead of telling them they have to hit it with the inside [of the boot], you have to tell them the pass was meant to go somewhere else. Know how to choose what’s best for the team.

Q. Is choosing the hardest part?

A. That’s the key: choosing well. Choosing everything well: the pass, the shot, the control, when to put your foot on the ball. It’s a constant choice. There are times when you just have to say: “Stop.” Like Rodri in the match against Albania in the European Championship.

Q. You insist that the idea is always the same. Do you feel that your rivals are more familiar with it and that you need alternatives?

A. We’re a team with different characteristics. We can run a lot, we retreat quickly, we know how to defend in a low block like we did against the Netherlands [in the Nations League quarterfinals].

Q. Is that one of your greatest strengths as a coach: the versatility of your teams?

A. Yes, but do you know why? Because I have a vast knowledge of Spanish youth football. I’d said that, and now it seems like I’m paying the price, which isn’t my intention. It was simply my job; I was paid for it. I knew there were fast players who could play with wingers. I knew there were players inside who were the most creative: Fabián, Merino, Rodri, Pedri, Martín [Zubimendi]. I’d seen them when they were 17. I knew what they could give. I know what I shouldn’t tell them so as not to limit them and what I should tell them to empower them. We’re lucky that we have many players who can play in many positions.

Q. Is the feeling of tension and being on the edge you felt two years ago better for competing, or is it the peace you felt after winning?

A. Today we had a very focused training session. It was a training session without an opponent. The difficulty was within ourselves. And that’s the message. The difficulty isn’t the opponent, we don’t know how difficult they’re going to be for us. Nor do they know how difficult we’re going to be for them. The difficulty is within us. How far do we want to go? What are the limits we set for ourselves to do what we want? There’s no relaxation.

This is a group of players who are used to winning. But you don’t just win when you win titles. If not, they’d all be champions. It’s the attitude of wanting to win in every game, in every training session. And these players don’t stop. Our responsibility is to educate them on that: there are no excuses.

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