Luis de la Fuente (Haro, 59 years old) faces his second Eurocup Under-21 with the security that the triumph gives him two years ago in Italy. The coach has had more days this time than in March to prepare for the tournament. AS was with him in Slovenia on the day before the premiere in this decisive phase.
How does the National Team arrive at the tournament?
They are in good physical condition. This week we recovered those who had more fatigue and within the special conditions that we have had, the recovery aspect has been of vital importance. I see the team well, prepared to compete with all guarantees.
In March they arrived with various headdresses. Are you now more prepared than in March?
It is a very heterogeneous group, some have played more and others less. But I do see them more prepared, especially their mentality, because four or five months have not passed as they did from November to March. This time it has been only two months and with the experience of the first phase. Motivationally, we are better than two months ago.
There are seven new players. How have they adapted to the group?
They are fully integrated from the first moment, it is a very easy group. They are good players and good people. They all knew each other in one way or another. The new ones have been welcomed by giving them all kinds of facilities, they are as if they have been together much longer. Very united and with the feeling of a group that I like so much and how important it is.
The poster is unbeatable: France, Portugal … Is Spain at that level of the best?
I see the team very well, we have grown a lot and we have not yet reached the ceiling. I have seen all the rivals and I believe that none is superior to us, nor we to them. That is what I transmit to the group, that we are at the level of the best. Then you have to know how to compete and interpret the matches in a final phase. I see the team prepared, with enough level to fight with the maximum.
It comes from being a champion. Does that help to prepare for these games?
Yes, definitely. Experience is vital in everything in life and in football it is key. It gives you another vision and another perspective. I want to transmit that tranquility to the rest, to the players. Because you know the keys to these championships, in which you cannot fail: safety, playing easy, being a team … They are those details that lead you to achieve a great result. This is how I convey it.
The public returns. Does it motivate?
It will never be, at the moment, what we lived in other years. But it is always a joy to see fans, to feel that everything returns to normal. It is very important that the players regain that feeling. That murmur motivates and sometimes makes you perform beyond your means.
Do you feel the expectation that this tournament always creates in Spain?
We feel the breath. These players are the future of Spanish football, the immediate future. We are proud to have the following in all the media of this competition.
Zubimendi: “We are not going to walk around”
Martín Zubimendi, midfielder for Real Sociedad and the Spanish Under-21 team, wanted to highlight in the previous press conference that the coach, Luis de la Fuente, has insisted during the week that They will not go “left over” or go for a walk.
“One of the things Luis is telling us is to remove ourselves from the favorite role. In Croatia, although it does not have well-known names, we have seen that there are individualities that can make a difference. He has tried to make us see that we are not going to go too much or go for a walk. It is true that in previous years we have proven to be up to the task and we have that illusion too and we will go for it, “he said at a press conference.
A Zubimendi who regretted arriving with physical problems in the first phase played in March, but who claims to be already at 100%: “It was a thorn in the tooth, having reached that phase a little diminished. In the end I was able to play quite a few minutes in that phase, but not 100%. Now with a lot of desire, I am very well physically and now I can give my 100%” , stated.
The midfielder is a fundamental piece for Luis de la Fuente, who holds him in high esteem: “I have always felt important, I have noticed that confidence of Luis. The position of '6' is more or less what they ask of me in Real, which is to give balance and especially here in which because of our possession game it is very important “, He commented when asked by EFE about the coach's confidence in him.
Adrià Pedrosa He also appeared before the media and regretted, when questioned by EFE, that the second phase of the European Under-21 coincides with the end of LaLiga SmartBank where his team, Espanyol, with the promotion already in their pocket, will fight tonight to get the title.
“For us it has been a difficult year and we achieved the goal, but it is a shame that we are here because the team is playing the title, but we will support them because we trust that we will achieve it”, He said.
A Pedrosa who regretted, like Luis de la Fuente, the difficulties encountered after Jon Moncayola's coronavirus positive, to whom he sent all his “support.”
“It has been a very atypical week. It has been different because we found this positive, but from the first moment we have kept the protocol that they have sent us and waiting for the test results, hoping that they were negative because the more pineapple we do, the better it will be on the field “, he commented.
Pedrosa also came to the previous phase with some annoyances, but highlighted his season that is going to close in the U21 European Championship: “Thanks to the confidence of the coaching staff of both Espanyol and the U21, this year I feel very confident. I was able to play many games at a good level. I just want to be at a good level, show that I can play and that I can do it well”, concluded.