In a small town to the west of the Netherlands, on the border with Germany, Spain awaits its opportunity to make its laurels green again. But in Enschede the future of the national coach, Luis de la Fuente, could also be at stake.
It escapes no one that, despite being no more than a neophyte on the absolute bench, with just two games to his credit, his figure is already crooked after the Scottish slap. From the Federation they have tried to close ranks around De la Fuente, convey all the confidence in the world to him, with Rubiales at the head of the mission, but doubts exist about the choice of Luis Enrique's replacement and the Nations League has disguised itself as jury.
The line between success and failure in sport is so fine that De la Fuente can go from being practically doomed if he loses tonight against Italy to staying one step away from winning the first title for Spain in more than 11 years in the end of sunday. With the red's golden era expired with the 2012 Euro Cup, precisely with an exhibition against Italy, the team is experiencing a lean period with which it will seek to end this week, in which only two games separate it from a title that has never been won. gotten up. "It's a unique opportunity and things are being done well, I see a lot of desire and a lot of unity in the dressing room", certified a smiling Jordi Alba, called up again and who will play the role of captain of the national team.
The first step to recover the lost prestige must be taken against Italy, in the second semifinal of this final four of Nations with a Dutch flavor. The duel is already one of the great classics of continental football and will be played for the fortieth time. Like this Thursday, the last two matches between the Mediterranean colossi have taken place in semifinals. The transalpines took the cat to water in the last Euro Cup, ultimately champions, and Spain, with two goals from Ferran Torres, emerged victorious in the last Nations, although it would later fall controversially in the final against France.
Although fleeing from drama, De la Fuente hinted in the preview that he is aware of what is at stake in this match. “I see it as if it were my last game, as I have always done. I don't know what will happen but I know that our sporting life depends on it and we are going to go all out, I don't think any further”, the coach proclaimed without losing his affable smile. After a somewhat hasty debut, with little time to work, De la Fuente has been able to bring together his footballers these days for the Nations and, as he usually does, he takes a most positive reading of all this. "I think that now we will be a little closer to what we want to convey," he corroborated showing off muscle.
De la Fuente completely mutated his eleven in his first two games, opening up a huge range of possibilities for the semifinal against Italy. Beginning with the goal debate, which he did not want to close yesterday, with Kepa and Unai Simón as candidates. The other big question will be the presence or not of Rodri, the only footballer who played the 180 minutes in March, in the eleven after arriving later for the celebration of the Champions League with City. "It is impossible for him to have more motivation," settled the coach.
