As tension over the World Cup draw continues at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Luis de la Fuente appears before the press to analyze the wealth the hype has brought to Spain. The national coach made an effort not to show the minimum … Confidence in the face of a draw has clearly put his team in a comfortable group: they will face Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde.
He said about the scenario of that group stage: “They are complex and difficult matches, each with its own peculiarity, and in the world championship.” Spain’s chances in the draw are the misfortune of its rivals. Hervé Renard, the coach of the Saudi national team, spoke after the draw about the “exceptional talent” of Lamin Yamal, “but above all the team, which is impressive,” as he put it about Spain. His Cape Verdean counterpart, Pedro Leitao Brito, said that La Roja is the best team in the world.
De la Fuente, who has a ready answer when asked about Spain’s favoritism, responded to these praises: “We thank you for your words, but it is an acknowledgment of Spanish football.”
He added, “Favouritism means nothing, and does not guarantee anything. But it will not weaken us either. Quite the opposite. It is a great responsibility. We want to do something important in this World Cup.”
To achieve this, the first goal is not to fail in the group stage. Here anything other than finishing first in the group would be a major setback. Not because that would jeopardize qualification – where the top two teams in each group, plus the eight best third-placed teams, advance to the final rounds – but because it would put Spain on a collision course with another top favourite, Argentina.
The draw was conditional, such that Spain and Argentina would not meet until the final match. But this is on the condition that they are in first place in the group. If Argentina takes second place and Spain takes first place, or vice versa, they will meet in the round of 32.
De la Fuente responded to this newspaper regarding the possibility of meeting Argentina at the first opportunity: “It is always important for us to be in first place in the group, because of what may happen later.” “I met with Lionel Scaloni (the Argentine coach) and we talked about the matter. The only thing we can control is our command, which is to be first in the group. “Then, in the qualifying rounds, win, win, win,” he said in a phrase reminiscent of his legendary predecessor, Luis Aragones.