De la Fuente: Victory over Croatia was a football incident, and this is a situation for Yamal

Luis de la Fuente, the head coach of Spain, spoke about the upcoming clash against Croatia on Tuesday evening at the Poljud Stadium in Split, as part of the UEFA Nations League. He confirmed that his team is expecting a tough match against a strong opponent looking to present themselves differently.

De la Fuente spoke about the Croatian national team: "They are as we expected, a wonderful team with wonderful players. What happened in the last match (the 4-1 victory) was an incident in football, like Brazil losing 1-7 to Germany in the FIFA World Cup 2014, or Spain winning 6-0 against Germany."

He added: "We want to continue the path we have followed throughout this period. We will face a very motivated national team, and so are we. We love playing in such atmospheres, and it will definitely be great. I love the feeling of the fans' warmth, whether they are with us or against us, because it always motivates the player."

Spain coach has addressed the situation of Lamine Yamal, who has started in the last three matches, confirming that the coaching staff is taking fatigue into account, especially with the pressure of matches.

He explained: "I have previously said that this series of four matches will be difficult. We need to field a team in the best physical condition. There is an important point I want to emphasize, which is that no one will play more than 270 minutes. Lamine has played two out of three matches when counting the minutes, as has Laporte. No one will play more than that, because we are playing for qualification."

Regarding Lamine's desire to participate, De La Fuente said: "Lamine is always ready to play, and everyone wants to participate, but we assess and analyze whether it is appropriate or not. He is going through a great phase, he is a reference player and a strong competitor, and in excellent condition to play tomorrow's match, like the rest of his teammates."

The head coach dismissed the idea that winning the FIFA World Cup has alleviated the pressure on Lamine Yamal, emphasizing that the player possesses great ambition that always drives him to deliver more. He stated: "Lamine has this desire because he always wants to do more. We have a team with exceptional ambition, and Lamine is part of this competitive mentality."

De la Fuente also spoke about the length of the current camp, confirming that the atmosphere within the national team has not been affected. He joked, "They will complain, they even got two days off," before adding, "Coexisting among them is easy, they are friends. We didn't have to change anything. We always want to provide them with better conditions. They train well, take care of themselves, and make the atmosphere enjoyable, making everything easier."

De la Fuente expressed his opinion on the current Nations League system, stating that playing four matches in ten days is a significant strain. He said: "I love competition, but my opinion hasn't changed since the beginning. Four matches in ten days is excessive. I preferred the previous system, but we are not the type to complain; we adapt, and as long as the system is in place like this, we will deal with the difficulties."

Regarding the possibility of Spain losing, the coach confirmed that he does not fear that moment, explaining: "We are prepared for everything, and I know that football takes you in different directions. I do not exaggerate defeats, because in football you lose more than you win. Everything will come, and the time for defeat will come, and we must deal with it normally, and when that moment arrives, we will try to achieve new accomplishments."

He also spoke about Mikel Merino, emphasizing that the importance of the player does not stop at being a starter. He said: "I have known him for a long time, I respect his desire and I know he wants to play, but for me, the starting player is no less important than the player who comes on in the 60th minute."

He added: "All the players present in this camp are important, and those who join later as well. When we look at the performance he gives us in the final minutes, it would be unreasonable not to believe that he can solve some issues. He can play from the start, but he gives us a lot in this type of match situation, and the important thing is that he is ready to give his best when he participates."

He concluded his remarks about Dani Olmo: "We talked earlier about motivation and results, and these circumstances are motivating. But Dani also adapts to any stage of the match. I appreciate those moments specifically."