De la Fuente praises Spain’s depth after Czech Republic victory

Luis de la Fuente said Spain’s 3-1 win over Czech Republic showed the strength of his squad, despite a second-half drop in performance and a number of significant changes to the starting line-up.

Spain produced an impressive first-half display, but lost some of their fluency after the interval as substitutions disrupted the rhythm of the match.

“This highlights what we talk about time and time again: the level of football among all the teams we face,” De la Fuente said after the game. “If they have their best day, any opponent can hurt you. All teams have quality.”

The Spain manager acknowledged that his side were less fluid after half-time and partly attributed that to the changes he made during the match.

“In the second half we lacked fluency,” he said. “The changes broke up the game, and we missed the spark we had shown in the first half. The team became slightly unbalanced in that respect.”

However, the loss of momentum did not affect De la Fuente’s satisfaction with the result.

“We are very happy. Another victory, and the numbers are impressive,” he said, referring to Spain’s continued unbeaten run.

De la Fuente highlights Spain’s squad depth

De la Fuente also stressed Spain’s ability to remain competitive despite substantial alterations to the team and the absence of several established players. Among those unavailable were Grimaldo, Ferran Torres, Nico Williams and Fabian Ruiz.

“I wanted to highlight that,” he said. “The team does not stop growing and is providing players for the future. We ended with only one player who had played in a World Cup final, and it is still a team that generates a great deal of ambition.”

The manager said Spain would continue to broaden their pool of options and give opportunities to emerging players.

“We will continue to commit to this idea and this model,” De la Fuente said, while also expressing his hope that all of the absent players recover quickly.

“We need everyone to be in excellent condition,” he added.

The match also had a personal significance for De la Fuente, who was reunited with Santi Denia and Pablo Amo, members of his former coaching staff.

“We have wonderful memories together. They are excellent professionals,” he said.

De la Fuente ended by praising Czech Republic for the level they showed against Spain. He pointed to the team’s development, pressing and quality, and predicted a positive future for the project led by Denia, despite the defeat.