Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has described his side’s FIFA World Cup semi-final against France as “a final before the final”, backing his players to rise to the occasion against one of the tournament favourites.
Spain booked their place in the last four with a 2-1 victory over Belgium, setting up a blockbuster meeting with Didier Deschamps’ side.
“It’s not an exaggeration to describe this match as a final before the final.
“We’re one of the teams capable of reaching the final. From now on, we are fully focused on France,” De la Fuente said after the quarter-final victory as reported by The Guardian UK on Saturday.
While acknowledging the quality of the 2018 world champions, the Spain coach insisted his team has every reason to believe it can progress.
“We’re aware of their immense potential, but we also know that we’re the only team to have beaten them in two semi-finals,” he said.
“The match will be more open than ever. We will have to raise our level of play, and we’re going to give everything.”
De la Fuente added that Spain’s belief stems from the quality throughout his squad.
“The French are in great form, and we have different playing styles. We have the greatest respect for our opponents, but we feel capable of beating any team.”
Spain take confidence from its previous knockout success against France and will be looking to repeat that feat when the two European heavyweights meet for a place in the World Cup final.
Merino hailed after a decisive impact
De la Fuente reserved special praise for match-winner Mikel Merino, whose late goal against Belgium sent Spain into the semi-finals.
The Spain coach described the midfielder as “tailor-made” for his tactical system and highlighted the versatility that makes him such an important member of the squad despite not always starting.
“Merino has many virtues, he could play in any national team and any club, and for us, he is tailor-made for this team, for this model. We know that whenever we need him, he’s always there,” De la Fuente said.
“It’s unfair that Mikel isn’t playing, but it would be just as unfair if someone else were left out. Only 11 can play at a time, and they understand that role, the part they have to play at any given moment.”
He added that Merino’s ability to perform in multiple positions gives Spain another valuable option.
“He’s a very complete, versatile footballer; he’s played as a defensive midfielder, a number 6, a number 8, a number 10, and a number 9, and he does everything well,” De la Fuente said.
“There was a moment in the match when we were thinking of bringing him on as a centre forward. We saw that the game could go differently, and it worked out well.”
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