Spain manager Luis de la Fuente was understandably glowing in the embers of La Roja’s dismantling of Turkiye on Sunday night, following a 6-0 win in their second group game. Despite their performance in Konya, de la Fuente did warn his side against the euphoria.
It took all of five minutes for Spain to open the scoring against Turkiye, in what in theory was their toughest game in their World Cup qualifying group. Despite Unai Simon making a couple of saves in the first half, de la Fuente’s side always looked superior to their opponents.
“You’re talking to a coach, a national team coach, proud of his players, proud of his national team, proud of representing our country the way we are, and happy to see us grow and grow,” he told Diario AS.
He noted that his side were not content with a lacklustre second half against Bulgaria on Thursday night, and responded with three goals in the opening 20 minutes of the second half.
“The reality is that it’s a team that you don’t need to say much to, they quickly get the message. We weren’t happy with Thursday’s game and didn’t want to make the same mistakes. We needed this: a showcase of players who don’t tire, who don’t tire of working, of improving. We weren’t happy, but now it’s time to be a little better every day and start thinking about the next games.”
As may be expected following such a bombastic performance, de la Fuente did warn against over-confidence going forward.
“There’s a lot to improve because it’s a team that can still grow beyond my imagination. They’re insatiable, and now we’re thinking about what we need to do to go even further. I’m proud of this team.”
“We have to be cautious because one of the keys is that this team keeps its feet on the ground. We have the best players in the world, but they’re also good people, and success won’t escape them because of vanity or arrogance.”
The game saw a number of brilliant performances, not least from Mikel Merino, who scored a hat-trick from midfield, and Pedri, who scored a brace.
“Unfortunately, throughout history, football hasn’t been fair to Spaniards, as in the cases of Iniesta, Xavi, or Xabi Alonso. Now we have Lamine and Fabian nominated [nominated for the Ballon d’Or], but Pedri, Merino, Zubimendi… as many as you can think of, should also be there. But Pedri is the best in the world in his position, that’s true.”
Pedri scored his two goals from three shots, and gave three key passes during the game, one of which was unfortunate not to result in a goal for Lamine Yamal. The 22-year-old completed 91% of his passes, and was impressive throughout, before being withdrawn for Fermin Lopez. The one sour note was an injury to Nico Williams the one sour note. De la Fuente confirmed a muscle injury to his adductor, but could give no further details.