Madrid, Oct 16 (UNI) Spain coach Luis de la Fuente had good reason to be happy after watching his side win 3-0 against Serbia on Tuesday night.
A first half header from Aymeric Laporte following by a second half strike from Alvaro Morata and a stunning Alex Baena free kick gave Spain a win that leaves them with 10 points from a possible 12 in their UEFA Nations League group – three more than second place Denmark.
What made Spain’s win all the more impressive is that only four players (Fabian Ruiz, Laporte, Marc Cucurella and Morata) who started in the European Championship final against England in July, were in De la Fuente’s team on Tuesday.
Spain was without players such as Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal, Unai Simon, Rodri Hernandez and Dani Carvajal, with Baena, Mikel Merino, David Raya and Pedro Porro all starting. Tuesday’s side was also different in that nobody from either Real Madrid, FC Barcelona or Atletico Madrid were in
the team, with the coach highlighting you don’t have to play for one of the biggest clubs to get the chance to play for your country.
“It seems that if you aren’t in a certain team, you aren’t as important,” he commented. “I know the players very well: what surprises me is that you are surprised (at the performance). I know the performances they can give, even though they may not be as well know,” commented De la Fuente to the press afterward when asked about the lack of Madrid and Barca players and the depth of talent at his disposal.
The former Under-21 coach has used his experience with young players well and insisted “We have a present and a future and we have given the players that idea, with the newest arrivals getting the message very quickly.”
De la Fuente’s faith in the future will be strengthened by the Under-21’s 6-0 win over Malta on Monday night which saw striker Samu Omodorion score four times. The forward, who impressed with Alaves last season, joined Porto in the summer and now has 11 goals in his last eight games in all competitions and looks certain to add to the full team’s firepower when they play Denmark and Switzerland in November.
