They say from Las Rozas that they are delighted with Luis de la Fuente. There is no criticism of Luis Enrique, far from it, but the illusion of a new job expressed by the new coach has permeated all those who work at the Ciudad del Fútbol. The man from La Rioja, for example, does not put a half a hit to support the Federation in acts that do not have to do strictly with the senior team and he is happy. Another clear difference from his predecessor is his closeness to the media, with whom he has no problem stopping and chatting even after training.
His first four days of work with the footballers already give clues about the direction he wants to take. The dynamics of work and coexistence are, for the moment, quite similar to the previous stage for what counts in the dressing room but there are very different objectives. There are some aspects that clearly mark the differences.
If Luis Enrique was always associated with his famous scaffolding, a structure that is still set up on the training ground but that the current coaching staff does not use, Luis de la Fuente must always be described as attached to a blackboard. In his first work sessions, the technician has not separated from her. He always carries it in his hand, as if he were a basketball coach, and uses it to correct his players. Here is a clear difference. Luis Enrique stopped the sessions and through a giant screen showed the errors to his players. De la Fuente, on the other hand, is more interventionist during training, he doesn’t stop talking and yelling at his men, and he has no qualms about correcting them with his whiteboard during exercises.
One of the things that stands out the most from Las Rozas is the intense work that the coaching staff, De la Fuente and his six assistants, have completed since they were named at the World Cup in Qatar. It has been three months in which they have witnessed dozens of matches live, more than usual, to keep track of the footballers. Pablo Amo, Molina’s trusted man, sports director of the RFEF, who had already worked with De la Fuente in the sub-21, works as assistant coach. Miguel Ángel España, who they say uses innovative methods that the players like very much, is the goalkeeper coach. Another exporter, Javier López-Vallejo, replaces Joaquín Valdés as team psychologist. And there are three members of the staff who continue from the previous stage: Juanjo González (analyst), Carlos Cruz (physical trainer) and Pablo Peña (analyst).
Shortly before the World Cup in Qatar, Luis Enrique confessed that he did not prepare set pieces because “he did not have time”. That will change in the red. Strategy is one of the most important points in Luis de la Fuente’s methodology, an aspect that he has already begun to work on these days in Las Rozas, especially in closed-door sessions, so as not to reveal his secrets. Pablo Amo and Juanjo González are the ones who carry the weight in this section.
De la Fuente’s debut, this Saturday against Norway, will reveal Spain’s new game system, with many tweaks compared to recent years. One of the most important will come when the ball is released, an aspect in which the goalkeepers will no longer risk as much with the ball at their feet. They will have no qualms about sending long balls.
Morata, Rodri and Carvajal are the new captains of the team as they have played the most games. Further down that list is Mikel Oyarzábal, whom De la Fuente knows well from his different stages in the youth ranks and to whom he has also given captain status. It is the “personal touch” that he had announced.
