De la Fuente sees “the anxiety of genius” in Lamine Yamal

“Lamine Yamal has the anxiety of genius, of special talent,” Luis de la Fuente said. The Spain coach was speaking at a press conference at Hajduk Split’s stadium ahead of the match against Croatia. He also described the young player as being “in a fantastic moment” and “a born competitor”, without confirming whether he would play: “All players want to play. Then we assess whether it is advisable or not.”

Croatia will carry the weight of its heavy defeat to England into the match, but also has the chance to respond against a side unbeaten in 41 matches. De la Fuente put Croatia’s loss in perspective: “For me, it is a fantastic team. […] What happened the other day was an accident. […] It can serve as motivation.” He also said he wanted his team to produce a strong performance and seal qualification.

Managing playing time was among the issues discussed, with rotations under consideration. De la Fuente said his side had always selected “the best team for the match we had to face” and added that no player would exceed 270 minutes, or three of the four matches. He also called the schedule excessive in terms of rest, while refusing to use it as an excuse: “This is the format we have, and there is no room here for excuses or complaints.”

On the younger players, he highlighted their quality and ability to meet the demands, as well as the welcome they receive. He described Spain as a solid, close-knit group with footballing talent, built around a generation he had known since youth levels. Other strong generations will follow in time, he added.

De la Fuente is also expecting a passionate atmosphere. Croatia will be highly motivated, he said, but so will Spain: “It will be a very fine spectacle, in a fantastic atmosphere.”