Francis: “We are working to make players for the Absolute”

Francis Hernandez (Granada, 43 years old) took end of 2018 the reins as coordinator of the lower categories of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). Face your second U21 Eurocup since taking office and can boast of having won two trophies (U21 and U19).

How is this championship being so atypical?

It is a special championship, the circumstances are not the best because we have always had more time to prepare for it. But the team hit the table despite the short set-up time. We have managed to reflect Luis's idea on the pitch and we are happy. A mature and solid team has been seen.

The team always responds when the decisive moments arrive …

The first matches are always difficult, against Slovenia it was a litmus test and the second match measured us. We have achieved a good mark, it has been shown that we have the ability to compete with the best, which is always the goal. The image has been of a solid, compact team and of being reflected the work that Luis has done in a few days.

Six have gone with the Absolute and the U-21 continues to shine. Is it one of the best moments of the quarry of Spain?

This makes us happy and proud of the generations to come. It shows that Spanish football has a good present and future. It is the goal, to work to make players for the Absolute, which is the one we all live on. The results are important but above all that the players grow in their clubs and in the National Team so that they can compete at the highest level.

Is it a plus for the players that Luis Enrique has so much with the youngsters?

Having a coach like Luis Enrique, who does not look at the DNI but at the performance, is essential. It is a very important weapon for Luis de la Fuente when it comes to transmitting the message that if you do things well and show your level, you can get that award that any Spanish player fights for, that of being an absolute international and representing our country.

How has the pandemic affected the rest of the categories?

We have not been able to do a concentration for more than a year. We tried to do something with the U-19 recently but when the European Championship was suspended, we did not have that option of being able to compete with another than the Absolute or the U-21. It is difficult because you work with future objectives that go through making a number of concentrations to work with the players, that they grow… All this time it is hurting it enormously. Hopefully the quality of the players and the coaches can make up for that.

The good part is that in this Under-21 there are very young players …

We have a very young U21, one of the youngest. It is a pride that players continue to come from behind who make it difficult for those who could be here. De la Fuente doesn't look at age either, just the performance it can deliver. We have been working for a long time on a model that we created, on a player profile that was created as a result of the model and we try to find players who reflect on the field what we want in our model and our idea.