Amidst an atmosphere of tension and anticipation, the Spanish national team is preparing to face Georgia tomorrow, Saturday, in the European qualifiers for the World Cup, a match described by the Spanish media as “decisive,” especially after the outstanding performance of the team during its qualifying campaign.
In this context, Luis de la Fuente, coach of “La Roja,” appeared in Tbilisi with a message of reassurance and clarity, calling on his players and fans to focus on achieving victory and alleviating the pressure before this important match.
De la Fuente, who sought to calm the situation after some recent disagreements with Barcelona regarding the participation of 18-year-old Lamine Yamal, said that the current time calls for thinking about the present and the future with balance: “The best news is that we still have 15 years with this young player. We have to think about the present, which is to have the players we have, and to win to bring the qualification step closer to the World Cup.”
The Spanish coach affirmed that the relationship with the Spanish clubs is still strong, despite the occasional disagreements: “The relationship with all the clubs is good, however, everything can be improved. We have to improve to be a stronger team and be able to fight strongly for the World Cup.”
Concerns about injuries and the impact of match congestion
In the context of his talk about the congested match schedule before the start of the World Cup, De la Fuente expressed his concern about the possibility of injuries in the ranks of his players, saying: “Unfortunately, injuries are part of football, but the current match congestion and the great demand on players means that all teams are facing injuries.”
The Spanish coach added that facing Georgia will be more difficult than it was two years ago in Tbilisi: “It is a complex match and will not be like what happened two and a half years ago. They have midfielders and attackers at a high level in the European leagues, especially within Spain, so we need to give our best to be able to win.”
Spain enters this match without conceding any goal in the current qualifiers, an ideal record that reflects the team’s defensive strength, but De la Fuente refused to think about the numbers, stressing that the most important goal is to ensure qualification: “What matters to us is to qualify for the World Cup regardless of the statistics, we want to win tomorrow almost to ensure the decisive step.”
His team’s unbeaten streak is approaching 30 consecutive matches, a figure that has revived the enthusiasm of the Spanish fans, but the coach was keen to send a warning message to everyone: “It’s great to see the enthusiasm of the fans, but we have to keep our feet on the ground. Winning is not easy, and no one offers anything for free. As we have seen recently, things are always complicated, and we have to take each match separately.”
Zubimendi: Caution first
For his part, Martin Zubimendi, the Arsenal midfielder, expressed a cautious stance regarding his chance to participate in the upcoming World Cup, saying: “At the moment I do not see myself playing in the World Cup, because we still need to qualify.”
Zubimendi pointed out that the team, despite its individual strength, remains linked to the results of other teams: “Even if we give our best performance, we remain at the mercy of other results. Our goal now is only to qualify, nothing more.”
The Spanish midfielder explained that the real strength of the team lies in collective cohesion: “One of our main strengths is the cohesive mass that we have. We have a similar base for two or three years, and this helps in organizing the game and the technical flow, and makes us stronger against the rivals.”
Regarding his personal ambition in the future, Zubimendi summed up his vision simply: “The World Cup is the tournament that proves that you are the best in the world. First, we have to qualify, and then we have to succeed in the decisive moment.”
The journalistic presence did not miss the humorous side of the conference, when he was asked about the possibility of seeing Mikel Merino playing as a centre-forward, he smiled and said: “We joked about this, I know he has been training on it for a long time.”
Focusing on details to avoid surprises
Zubimendi concluded his speech by stressing the importance of dealing cautiously with Georgia, especially after the Georgian team had previously posed a real threat to Spain in previous encounters: “It is clear that Georgia plays quickly after losing the ball, and there are moments when we may lose control in our stadium. We have to be very careful and precise to ensure control of the match.”
At the end of the conference, it was clear that the cautious messages from both the coach and the players aimed to maintain everyone’s focus, while maintaining confidence in individual and collective capabilities, in preparation for tomorrow’s decisive match, which may determine Spain’s future on its way to the World Cup.
