De la Fuente: If I Had to Choose the Best Coach, I'd Pick a Spanish Coach

After extending his contract with the Royal Spanish Football Federation until 2032, Spain's national team coach Luis de la Fuente gave an exclusive interview to Juanma Castaño, host of COPE radio. This is the third part of that interview.

Do you meet with referees at the federation? Do you see them from time to time?

Yes, I do meet with them.

How are the referees doing?

I have a very good relationship with them.They're just normal people, like you and me, and very professional. I also want to say something: refereeing a match is extremely difficult.

Referees really can't hear anything, and if they could... I just think, if you don't get the news, then referees...

We have to understand that refereeing is extremely difficult, and VAR is very positive nowadays, but it's not flawless and can make mistakes. We all make mistakes, and we just need to accept that with a completely normal mindset. If I make a mistake, I'll acknowledge it. In terms of the overall work in this field, I believe we're under very professional and reliable management. I travel around the world constantly and have met coaches from many countries. I've coached nearly 200 international matches at all levels of the national team, so I know the standard of referees out there. Based on my personal experience, I believe we have the best referees.

What's your view on what happened in yesterday's Madrid derby?

Refereeing is extremely difficult; many decisions must be made in a split second. I think perhaps on the Lee Kang-in penalty decision, the VAR or assistant referee should have provided more support to the main referee.

Are you bothered when fellow coaches like Mourinho are so harsh on referees in press conferences?

No, I can't judge him. I can only say that everyone has their own personality. Juanma, as long as everyone respects my views and I respect theirs, that's what matters. But in his situation, he felt he could speak out, and he was affected by what happened on the pitch. He experienced what he experienced, just like Simeone. I can't say anything against that, and I also know how it feels to be in that position and sometimes say certain things. But I think it's fine for everyone to say what they feel needs to be said.

Did you see images of Yamal with the fans at Pizjuán stadium? It's as if Yamal enjoys winding people up—he told me in an interview, he said to me "No, no, I'm not like Pedri"...

I'm not sure what you mean, what images?

No, just that he waved slightly to the stands when he was celebrating a goal, and the crowd was booing him, and he made a gesture to them like "louder, louder" or something like that...

Ah, well, I didn't know about that. Some players do get more motivation that way, but...

We shouldn't worry too much about it?

Not at all. I believe that in life, we all—players, fans, management, coaches—must follow one fundamental principle: "respect." We shouldn't be disrespectful to each other. If we all hold to this basic principle, things will go better. Sometimes we just forget this point.

When you hear Yamal say, "The best players are Mbappé and me, but the Ballon d'Or this year should be mine"...

I don't know; it depends on how he says it. I think he also respects Mbappé very much, knowing that Mbappé is another very great player...

But I think people like Luis Enrique, Unai Emery, Mikel Arteta, and Vincent Kompany have also had very impressive seasons. Now, who do you think deserves it (Best Coach)?

Everyone has the same opportunity and standing. It's up to each person to make the decision they need to make.

But tell me, who would you choose?

Ah, of course, a Spanish coach.

Really? Among the five nominees for Best Coach?

Yes, it has to be a Spanish coach, without question.

Poor Kompany!

I feel for him; he also led his team to a great season, but I prefer a Spanish coach, and I also recommend that.

In a tournament year though, right? Shouldn't tournament success carry more weight? If a national team coach can't win in a year with a major tournament, when can they?

True, we have fewer opportunities because we only have one major tournament a year. In club football, you might win major titles—which is also very difficult—whether it's the Champions League, the league, the Super Cup, Copa del Rey, and you can win three, four, five, or even six titles a year at a club. But with the national team, we only have one tournament a year.

And by the way, this year is the most important event, isn't it?

Look, there's a very clear situation here. When a team like ours has won so much, hasn't lost in over three years, has gone 38 consecutive unbeaten matches, broken various records, etc., you're getting closer to losing. That's just how it is, because it can't go on indefinitely. So sooner or later, we will experience a defeat.

Now, winning is very difficult, and it's inevitable, right? This means when it happens, people will reassess, but what's really hard is playing four finals and winning three, and maintaining the winning streak we've been talking about—that's genuinely difficult. The normal situation is a mix of wins and losses, and that's the hard part. So when losses come, everyone will objectively evaluate everything and all the circumstances. But after experiencing how difficult it is to win, we also have to understand that we might lose.

And anyway, seeing so many of you constantly going on about a 65-year-old topic is very annoying. Didn't someone say that being 60 now is equivalent to being 50 before? So I'm 50, no, 40, which means I'm only 40 years old now! So I'm in the best moment of my life.

Happy for you. When I reach your age, I'll also subtract more than ten years...

To subtract years, you have to go to the gym in the morning and take care of your body, which not everyone can do.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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