'De la Fuente knew Spain were special - a nation now agrees'

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was precocious asked why he crossed himself earlier a crippled if he isn't superstitious.

"When group inquire maine if I'm superstitious, I opportunity nary - I person faith," he replied.

"I americium belief because I person decided to be. I travel from a belief family, but passim my life I person had galore doubts and I person been acold from religious.

"But astatine 1 constituent successful my life, I decided to get person to it and trust connected God for everything I do. Without God, thing successful life makes sense."

His religion is not constricted to his belief successful a higher power, but besides defines his narration pinch his Spain squad, a batch of whom he has known for galore years and a group he trusts implicitly.

Throughout Euro 2024 he has enjoyed an fantabulous narration pinch nan media. A calm, softly spoken, scrupulously polite, seemingly ego-free individual, he refers to each journalist by their forename.

The only clip he has veered somewhat disconnected nan book he has controlled passim nan tourney was aft nan France crippled erstwhile he mildly chided journalists for ever having doubted them.

He did truthful because he has ever been convinced his group is typical and immoderate of nan champion players successful nan world, and he has ne'er understood why immoderate could not spot it.

Since his assignment successful December 2022 aft nan Qatar World Cup, this is nan first squad to beryllium selected exclusively by him and his backroom team.

When Spain won nan Nations League successful 2023 they did truthful efficaciously pinch erstwhile coach Luis Enrique's side.

This is simply a squad built connected nan foundations of those players De la Fuente has worked pinch complete nan past 11 years he has been pinch nan Spanish shot federation (RFEF), nan guidelines of which comes from nan U19s and U21s victories successful erstwhile European Championships.

In 2015 he won nan European Under-19 Championship pinch a squad that included nan likes of Rodri and Mikel Merino successful cardinal midfield.

Then successful 2019 nan broadside that won nan European Under-21 title included successful its ranks Dani Olmo, Mikel Oyarzabal and Fabian Ruiz.

He besides won nan metallic badge astatine nan Tokyo Olympics pinch a squad that included Marc Cucurella, Pedri, Unai Simon and erstwhile again Merino, Oyarzabal and Dani Olmo.

Players he has been successful touch pinch passim their careers, done bully times and bad.

Add to that nan sparkle of nan likes of day boys Lamine Yamal (13 July) and Nico Williams (12 July), whose mixed property of 39 is now greater - conscionable - than that of nan seasoned of nan squad, 38-year-old Jesus Navas, nan past remaining nexus to nan awesome Spain sides from 2008 to 2012.

One of De la Fuente's qualities is his adaptability. He was chosen because he could adhd different layers to a broadside that became obsessed pinch possession.

But it wasn’t ever a soft ride. Along nan measurement he has had to make difficult and not ever celebrated decisions, and besides past 1 correction of judgement.

When he, and others, gave erstwhile RFEF president Luis Rubiales a opinionated ovation erstwhile he announced astatine a quickly convened gathering that he would not resign complete kissing subordinate Jenni Hermoso aft Spain won nan Women's World Cup, it could person costs him his job.

De la Fuente was caught very overmuch betwixt a stone and a difficult place, entering nan room not being judge of what was being displayed successful beforehand of him, and now recognises he took nan incorrect decision.

He is very overmuch a 'company man' - a civilian servant of nan RFEF if you for illustration - and behaved arsenic he was expected to.

But he survived.

The first awesome determination he had to make concerned nan imaginable reintroduction of Sergio Ramos that was being hyped by overmuch of nan Madrid-based pro-Ramos media.

De la Fuente is good alert of nan request for captains connected nan transportation - but he quickly made it clear Ramos was not going to beryllium 1 of them, nary matter really he performed astatine nine level. He put his religion successful 3 others.

Alvaro Morata is not peculiarly warrior-like, nor overly charismatic, but alternatively much introverted, delicate and concerned astir dedicating himself to nan team's welfare. A cleanable frontman to thief pinch squad unity.

His wide connected nan transportation is Rodri, almost surely nan champion holding midfielder successful nan world. In defence, nan captain's domiciled is taken by incessantly talking motivator Aymeric Laporte.

Three captains, 3 leaders pinch wholly different personalities pinch possibly 1 awesome point successful common, namely, that erstwhile available, they are nan first names connected De la Fuente's teamsheet.

Inside De la Fuente's calm and quiet demeanour lies a winning gene. It is worthy noting that successful each tourney he has been astatine nan helm Spain person astatine slightest reached nan semi-finals.

More importantly he recognises those among him who are besides winners and what makes a squad winners.

Much of it is successful nan detail.

After each crippled he ever insists connected a squad picture, by which he intends a image of everyone.

He believes nan full staff, physios, adjunct coaches and kit managers play their part. This is not conscionable astir nan superstars connected nan pitch, but nan full team.

De la Fuente's main adjunct is Pablo Amo, a erstwhile Sporting Gijon and Deportivo centre-back, and nan personification who speaks astir to nan players connected nan pitch.

He has besides added much information arsenic a greater study of his rivals' style of play, though alternatively than over-concentrating connected their rivals, De la Fuente and Pablo Amo hole nan games connected what they judge to beryllium their strengths.

The awesome triumph against Italy successful nan group shape caused galore to yet commencement believing successful De la Fuente.

Against Germany successful nan quarter-finals, aft making substitutions that looked for power alternatively of a 2nd extremity and encouraged nan hosts to push connected until they forced other time, nan manager's reside earlier nan pursuing half hr was decisive.

"The crippled starts from scratch," he said. "We hide everything that has happened successful nan 90 minutes before. We want nan shot and we are better. And supra all, we are going to thief our team-mates”.

After nan Germany crippled nan group sewage together, had a fewer drinks, chilled out, did immoderate karaoke, wherever he gave by each accounts a passable rendition of a Julio Iglesias hit.

The principle of his accuracy is that this is not conscionable a nationalist side, but fundamentally a agreed squad of players who cognize and spot 1 another, and ever conflict each other’s corner.

And nan starting norm for that is that he prefers a bully personification alternatively than a bully subordinate successful his squad, for nan elemental logic that a bully personification will spell nan other mile for their team-mate, judge being near connected nan chair and springiness his very champion erstwhile called upon to do so.

He congratulated Yamal for his extremity against France but really praised him arsenic highly for his actions successful 'taking 1 for nan team' erstwhile he stopped Theo Hernandez precocious successful nan game, getting a yellowish paper successful return.

Conversely erstwhile Dani Olmo was scolded by nan youngster for failing to way backmost during a France attack, he was speedy to punctual Yamal that what was needed successful specified situations was encouragement and positivity.

He is besides overmuch much insistent than erstwhile Spanish coaches successful his request for his midfielders and forwards to return much shots.

He believes nan much you shoot, nan much chances you person to people for a broadside that is not free-scoring aliases does not person a awesome finisher.

It feels arsenic though England request to triumph connected Sunday, while Spain desire it.

England will person a heavy study of a defeat, verging connected a crisis, while Spain will move connected to Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe position connected Tuesday, obsessed arsenic we are astir shot clubs much than nan nationalist side.

There is an anticipation successful England, having been fixed this chance, that they will triumph Euro 2024. Spain feels their broadside person each it takes to win.

There will beryllium large screens successful towns and villages passim Spain arsenic they watch De la Fuente's broadside effort to bring nan European Championship trophy backmost to nan state for nan first clip successful 12 years.

Win aliases suffer against England successful Berlin tonight, nan early bodes good for Spanish football.

Victory this clip for a squad that has been humble, engaging, brave and charismatic passim nan tourney will beryllium different successful nan streets.

It will beryllium a caller dawn to a procreation of shot fans, until now continually fed a Spanish footballing fare centred connected Real Madrid and Barcelona, who had grown tired of nan controversies, aliases disinterested successful nan game.

Now you spot galore shirts of Yamal and Williams successful state capitals and villages.

Meanwhile, each now and then, De la Fuente will punctual everyone that nan existent prima of his squad is conscionable that - nan team.