After leading Spain to an early exit from the Europa League group stage with two consecutive victories, head coach De La Fuente spoke to the media, praising his team's performance and expressing cautious optimism for the games ahead.
De La Fuente began by expressing his joy at the early exit: "I'm happy, satisfied and even more proud of the whole team. The players proved once again that they never tire of playing and winning." He particularly mentioned that despite the small score against Italy, the team dominated in all phases and created many chances.
Speaking about the upcoming knockout matches, De La Fuente emphasized the importance of humility and continuous improvement, "The cup competitions are very different and we have to continue to work hard, stay humble and understand that we still have room for improvement. The later matches will demand more from us, but I believe the players can still do better."
When asked if Spain were the favorites to win the title, he cautiously said, "We still have to work as hard as we have been, there is no team better than us, we respect all the teams but have to keep working with that belief. If we keep playing the way we are, we will have a good future."
In the post-match conference, de la Fuente further commented on the team's performance and praised individual players such as Laporte and Cucurelia. He specifically mentioned that despite the team's performance, they need to remain cautious and humble because "winning the title is not easy."
Looking ahead, De La Fuente revealed plans for a possible rotation against Albania to give other good players a chance. However, he emphasized that the team is always the priority and the starting lineup will be decided based on the players' form.
