De la Fuente: If the referee really was as bad as Deschamps said, then both sides suffered

After leading his team to a 2-0 victory over France in the World Cup semifinal and securing a place in the final, Spain head coach Luis De la Fuente attended the press conference. 

Hello, Luis, please allow me to start with a question. My colleagues told me that after the match they saw a player limping toward the stands. I would like to know whether he is okay, and also what the situation is with Pedro Porro. Then, to follow on from that: this team has been in a closed training camp for a month and a half, and I think everyone’s conduct has been exemplary. There are several players here who have only just changed clubs, and they are used to living with their families almost every day. Could you tell me about the thinking behind all of this? How has the behind-the-scenes work with this training group been arranged so that everything has gone so smoothly?

Well, I think the most important thing first of all is knowing how to choose your travel companions. If you make a mistake in choosing your travel companions, then you may run into trouble along the way, and this is something we have always taken great care with. We know that this working group includes not only the footballers, but also everyone who makes up this expedition, and we are all working toward a common goal. We share the same vision, and as I have emphasized, we are a group of generous, ordinary people who want to put the collective interest above individual interests, which makes a journey like this much smoother.

I have never seen behavior on the pitch as exemplary as this team's; I had never seen anything like it before. And off the pitch as well, as you astutely pointed out, if we have been together for 47 days -- if I remember correctly -- there has not been a single problem. But I want to emphasize again that the important thing, the most important thing, is knowing who you are traveling with, and we have the best companions. Oh, no, there is no issue with Yamal, as far as I know; I have just spoken with the doctor. And Pedro Porro seems to have a bit of muscular overload, but we will assess him again tomorrow.

Hello, Luis. Deschamps has admitted that Spain were the better side in this match and played better, but he seemed to be making a veiled criticism. He brought up the issue of the refereeing, questioning whether the referee's decisions were worthy of a World Cup semifinal. Did that surprise you?

Well... whenever the result is not what people hoped for, everyone can always look for some excuses. Of course, we ourselves have also been through difficult moments with refereeing decisions, and sometimes that reminds us of the match against Uruguay. And in that kind of situation, I think it really does have to do with the referee's level of tolerance. I believe the match must always be kept under control and not allowed to get out of hand.

But if it really is as Deschamps said, then both sides suffered from it. I absolutely do not think there was any favoritism; quite the opposite. In fact, they even ruled out one of our goals, and there were some very marginal situations, especially with certain offside decisions. But anyway, I am not in the mood to think about the refereeing right now. I do hope everyone can improve, whether it is the refereeing team, VAR, ourselves, or everyone who makes up this football spectacle. Hopefully we can all get a little better every day, that is all.

Hello, Luis. Obviously, this was a very emotional night, but I hope you can tell me what the tactical football message was to the lads before they went out onto the pitch. Because we all take it for granted that against France you have to be very secure in possession and avoid any mistakes, but Spain not only did not sit back defensively, they actively pushed forward, played penetrating passes, turned and beat players. In other words, it caused France a lot of damage. In a match like tonight's, what exactly were the tactical instructions you can reveal?

Look, we have no doubt that if we play our own game, we can do a lot of damage to France. Find the spaces, break through the first line of pressure, and look for the players making the perfect runs in behind those who step out to press. We know France very well and are fully aware of their enormous potential. But at the same time, we also know how to unsettle them and how to counterattack against them.

And the players interpreted the entire tactical plan in a brilliant way. A great deal of credit goes to them, because once they are out on the pitch, no matter how much you tell them, if they do not have the ability to identify those spaces, create those spaces, and exploit those spaces, and if, beyond that, they do not have the exceptional technical quality on the ball that they possess, then the tactics on paper and the arrows drawn on a board are not really worth much. What matters is that this team interpreted every sequence of play perfectly, and I think that is the most important and most decisive point.

But there is one detail I think I have repeated before: the message being conveyed is very clear, this team is extremely focused and has a real sense of purpose. We have said it, and I have commented on it as well, that the impact of this sentence is certainly far greater than it may sound on the surface. However often I repeat it, I believe you will give it even more thought. The message is this: we are facing one of the best national teams in the world, but standing in front of them is the best team in the world, and that is the key. This is a team, and when you have a true team, it is unstoppable. That is also how we feel right now.

Hello, congratulations on reaching the final. I’d like to ask you, as the head coach of such a special team, how much does this mean to you? Depending on the result of tomorrow’s match, which opponent would you like to face on Sunday? How important is it whether Argentina win or England win? Could you briefly summarize which one you would prefer, or talk about what the differences would be whoever it is?

No, it is like this... Yesterday we were talking about how Spain against France could be a final played ahead of schedule. But I also said that Argentina against England is another final played ahead of schedule. There is a reason for that, and you know the detail: we have the top four national teams in the FIFA rankings all reaching this stage. That has never happened before in history, and it shows the enormous footballing quality in this tournament.

Believe me, at this point we are not talking about preferences at all. For us, everyone is the same; every team has its own characteristics. Clearly, Argentine football is different from English football, and European football is different from South American football as well. Because of my friendship with Lionel Scaloni, I am full of anticipation and excitement about facing Argentina. But I also have great respect for England's footballing potential. Before I came to this tournament, I think I mentioned that I regarded England as one of the genuine contenders to win the title. It will also be a very intense match between two outstanding national teams. But whoever ultimately stands before us, we will be waiting for them with open arms. That's all.