Spain manager Luis de la Fuente puffed out his chest on Tuesday night after La Roja sealed a 3-0 win over Serbia in a dominant Nations League display. His side are already through to the quarter-finals of the competition in the spring, with three wins and a draw, as they try to retain the competition.
De la Fuente’s press appearances have been tense of late, and this was no exception. The 63-year-old has received plenty of criticism for his usage of players, and is reportedly unhappy with his contract situation with the Spanish Football Federation.
After being asked what he thought of accusations that he was becoming conceited or big-headed after his success with Spain, he had the following to say.
“You can’t go against certain things, so I’m very calm, believe me, I’m not changing, I’m not becoming conceited. But if I were, I would have earned it too,” de la Fuente told Cadena SER. He continued on, with what many interpreted to be a shot at former coach Luis Enrique.
“Another in these circumstances, I don’t even want to say, I would use charisma and be done, and then be off. I am humble, I am polite and I am not going to change.”
The current Spain manager’s record is beyond question, having won all of the tournaments he has been involved in, and finished top in every group they’ve been in. If indeed it was directed at Luis Enrique, then he would no doubt point to his large trophy cabinet, and note that his work with Spain might not have been perfect, but did provide a platform for de la Fuente.
Without taking any credit from the significant changes de la Fuente made himself, Luis Enrique brought in the likes of Dani Olmo, Nico Williams, Mikel Merino, Aymeric Laporte and Unai Simon, while he took them to their first knockout stages wins since 2012 in a major tournament.
