MADRID, 23 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The national soccer coach, Luis de la Fuente, acknowledged that they were “accustomed to competing and winning,” which is why he regretted the defeat (0-1) against Colombia this Friday, but stressed that “the conclusions are positive” for the future. the Eurocup.
“It is not pleasant to lose, we had lost that habit. We were used to competing well and winning, but we had a very powerful rival in front of us. It has served us well. We had 35 very good minutes and in the second half we lost control. They are situations that we have to try not to repeat,” he said at a press conference.
What seemed like a step back from Spain, three months before the continental event, the ‘La Roja’ coach saw it as a good lesson against a powerful rival who, in the second half, took the Spanish team out of the game. “The debuts have not been capricious, it was important to see these players in this scenario, with such strong rivals, it is our future and we need them to have experienced recognizable situations when we require them. We do not like to lose, but the internal reading is quite positive,” he said.
“Good footballers are not incompatible, as long as we maintain our idea, which is more recognizable in the first half. We made a plan to win, in the first half we did very well, but in the second they took us out of the game. On Tuesday We will try to correct all the problems we have had today,” he added.
On the other hand, De la Fuente pointed out that it is important to measure up against quality rivals, like Tuesday against Brazil. “We have established this type of rivals because we wanted to gauge the moment of form of the players. We cannot judge it based on the result. We need to compete and counter our forces against this type of rivals,” he explained.
“I think the first half was good, we were in control. In the second half we were not capable, we were much more separated, something that is not usual for us. We had an opponent whose changes were good for him, with very dangerous players. Surely Tuesday will be another game,” he added.
The Rioja coach insisted on making a positive reading of the conclusions of the defeat in London. “What makes us strong is the feeling of a team. Well-constructed and well-organized. We must give calm to young people, value their work but let their development be natural,” he confessed.
“We don’t like to lose. The conclusions, after four months, having met today, are very positive. The idea, the players have it, what we need is time. We don’t have much but today it has helped us to see players subjected to the maximum level. All the conclusions we have drawn are positive,” he added.
In addition, De la Fuente highlighted the entry of James Rodríguez in the second half as key for Colombia. “James’ contribution has been decisive, he has hurt us, and the people who have come in have had a hard time getting into the rhythm of the game, because Colombia already had a playing option that was very favorable to their conditions,” he concluded.
2024-03-22 23:34:59
#conclusions #drawn #positive
