ROME (ITALPRESS) – “Yamal? Lamine’s best performance is still to come at this World Cup. He is incredibly motivated—you only have to look at his face. He can’t wait to play. We just need to keep his eagerness under control because he must not be overwhelmed by his emotions. He is going through a process of gaining experience and maturity, something that Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland went through a few years ago. He is at that stage now, and we talk about it a lot. He will be a player who leaves his mark from now until the end of the World Cup.” Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente made the remarks to Cadena SER on the eve of his side’s World Cup semi-final against France.
“We have been fully focused on this tournament for 45 days. They have been 45 fantastic days—an extraordinary experience. I want to emphasize that we have spent 45 days together, and that has been wonderful,” De la Fuente added.
“At this stage of any international competition, France, like the other remaining teams, is one of the favourites to win. Reaching the semi-finals of a World Cup is extremely difficult. Every opponent is strong. We, too, are a highly competitive team. A place in the final is very much up for grabs,” the Spain coach continued.
“Compared with the European Championship match two years ago—also a semi-final, which Spain won 2-1—these are two completely different teams. It’s a different challenge, even though many of the players who were in Germany are still here. There will be new playing characteristics and different aspects to consider, both from a footballing and tactical point of view. I believe both teams have improved over the past two years,” the Spain manager concluded.
– Photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
