De la Fuente’s old formula for Spain | Germany’s Eurocup 2024

When Luis de la Fuente is asked about his best memory of the 2019 European Under-21 Championship, he doesn’t think about the title, his third for La Roja after winning the 2015 European Under-19 Championship and the 2018 Mediterranean Games. Nor does he remember a specific goal or tactic that worked for him during the match. The coach talks about the dinner. A dinner he didn’t even take part in. For De la Fuente, however, the spirit of that match still lives on in the current senior team, now as much about knocking Germany out of their own European Cup in 2024.

De la Fuente took over the Rojita U21 team when the team had all but secured a place in the Italian Championship. It went through the last leg of the classification without any problems until the alarm went off in Bologna. Spain lost to Italy (3-1). “The hosts started attacking us from all sides,” recalls a former Federation employee. La Rojita beat Belgium well enough in the second game (2-1) to reach the semi-finals after beating Poland (5-0). That night, to help his young sons forget the pressure, De la Fuente released them. “I remember it fondly. Their families and their partners were there, but they all decided to go to dinner. I knew something big was about to happen,” the current coach of the absolute team said at the time.

Spain have established themselves in Italy against Germany. Dani Olmo and Fabian Ruiz scored in the final, the Catalan was named man of the match and the Andalusian was named player of the tournament. Oyarzabal, Merino and Unai Simon were also in this Rojita. The five-member team defeated Germany again last Friday at Euro 2024 to book a place in the semi-finals. This time, Olmo and Merino scored in Stuttgart. “I want to appreciate this group of players. I have known them for many years. They have heart and ambition. It is a source of pride for me to lead this group of players. They come from winning everything in the lower categories. And they will always fight because they have race, pride and quality. This team is an undeniable value,” De la Fuente praised his players after the agonizing victory over Germany.

It’s funny how groups work in tournaments. Most of the time, alliances are talked about as a way to success. That wasn’t the case with the women’s world champions from Australia and New Zealand: internal problems between the players, between the players and the coaching staff, and, as if that weren’t enough, between the coaching staff. But Spain rose to the top of the podium in Sydney. They also say that players need to be clear about the problems in order to be their best selves on the pitch. Maradona came to Mexico in ’86 knowing that he had an illegitimate child waiting for him in Italy. It’s hard to remember a better individual performance in a team sport than Pelusa’s in the land of the Aztecs.

“There are problems in all groups, even in the idealized lineups of Luis (Aragones) and Vicente (Del Bosque) there were tensions,” recalls a federation official. However, the same source says he is looking for a common thread: “That team had the same thing as this one, a group of players who knew each other from the lower categories. That helps in difficult times.”

Louis’ Philosophy

This is the philosophy that De la Fuente upholds. “He is a special person for all of us. He is close and knows how to create a good atmosphere among the players. He creates a good atmosphere. It has always been like this. It has not changed,” explains one of the La Roja players. According to the coach, a disunited and problematic group can win; however, as soon as something goes wrong, everything falls apart. On the other hand, when a team is twinned, it is difficult to break. “Look at what we have been through. And here we are,” reflect the representatives of the red delegation in Donaueschingen. While the problems of the Federation are piling up, the boys (now former boys) of De la Fuente are getting closer. “We have been involved in many sports that are not related to sports for a long time and have become experts in solving such situations. This team does not make excuses for anything,” explains Rodri.

The City player is restoring football and order. Morata, for his part, is setting an example. This Saturday, when only the players who did not play against Germany had to work, the captain went to training with the substitutes. “It’s a way of keeping everyone in touch. If Alvaro trains and works hard in every game, how can those who did not play not do it,” says a member of the federation.

Rodri and Morata are joined by the old guard of De la Fuente, the European champion at U19 and U21 level, always with the Basque coach on the bench. Now they want the title with an absolute team. They are sticking to the same formula they worked out at a dinner in Italy in 2019.

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