Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has urged his players to focus on their footballing identity and avoid being drawn into provocations ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final against Argentina.
De la Fuente expressed confidence in the refereeing while stressing the need for discipline.
“There’s a lot that can be said about refereeing. A referee must not be too lenient or allow the rules and the boundaries of the game to be crossed. I have complete trust in referees,” he said.
He warned against heated situations. “We don’t feel comfortable in heated situations — we feel comfortable playing football, sticking to our identity, and not getting dragged into provocations,” the coach added. “I’m not saying Argentina will do that. Argentina will play football in their own way.”
De la Fuente emphasised consistency as key to success. “If we stay close to our idea and the approach that brought us here, we’ll have a much better chance of winning. If we move away from it, we’ll suffer,” he stated.
On squad selection, he defended leaving Pedri on the bench. “I’ve made much tougher decisions than leaving Pedri on the bench… We’re a team. Every one of the 26 players is important,” De la Fuente noted. He described Julian Alvarez as “an incredible footballer” and cautioned against comparing Lamine Yamal to Lionel Messi at this stage.
