Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has described criticism of captain Rodri as “insulting” after their shock draw with Cape Verde, while insisting that the team will improve in their second World Cup game with Saudi Arabia.
European champions Spain were held 0-0 by World Cup debutants Cape Verde, and will now go into Sunday’s matches with all four teams in Group H level on one point each.
The Spanish media have questioned de la Fuente’s team selection and substitutions — picking Gavi and Ferran Torres as wingers, and only making his first changes in the 71st minute while chasing a goal — and criticised the performances of key players including Ballon d’Or winner and Manchester City midfielder Rodri, suggesting he slows down the team’s play.
“It seems incredibly insulting to me that people would say that about the best player in the world,” de la Fuente told Cadena COPE radio. “Would people say that about others who are considered the best in the world? I think they wouldn’t dare.
“But because they’re Spanish, we say things about our own that we wouldn’t about others… Rodri is the best player in the world. Even at 50%, he is better than most other midfielders in the world. He brings clarity, vision, balance. Rodri is an inspiration for us.”
De la Fuente had insisted pre-match that Lamine Yamal was in “perfect condition” but then waited until the 71st minute to introduce him, with the Barcelona star making an immediate impact.
There have also been fitness doubts over Nico Williams, Víctor Muñoz — who signed for Liverpool on Thursday — and Mikel Merino, but de la Fuente said the players will come good when the time comes.
“We don’t have to worry,” he said. “They’ll arrive in the moment we need them. On Sunday, they’ll get more minutes, and in the third game against Uruguay, they’ll be even better.
“In the last Euros [which Spain won in 2024] Dani Olmo came in with an injury. He could have stayed at home. We decided to risk him. Olmo came, he recovered, and he was top scorer. Nobody remembers that now, but I do.”
Yamal came into the tournament racing to recover from a muscular injury suffered with Barcelona in April, and de la Fuente wouldn’t confirm if he’ll start against Saudi Arabia or again feature as a substitute.
“We’ll evaluate it,” he said. “Games are decided in the second half. You don’t win many games in the first 45 minutes. We’ll assess it, whether it’s best for us for him to start, or whether to take advantage of the opponent’s tiredness in the final minutes, when Lamine is decisive. It will depend on the state of the game.”
