Spain and Portugal face off in an Iberian derby for a place in the World Cup quarter-finals on Monday night, a game which could well be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last in international football should La Roja win. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has admitted that he is a fan of the former Real Madrid player before they face him.
Although he declared absolute faith in Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte to win the battle with Ronaldo in their clash, de la Fuente was full of praise for the 41-year-old forward.
“I am a self-declared admirer of Cristiano, of people like him. He has character and is tireless; a model of values. I take my hat off to him. It is not just the legacy he is leaving behind, but the one he is yet to create. You have to keep a close eye on him in any situation. It is not necessarily about man-marking him, but you must be aware of him wherever he is on the pitch. I would prefer he didn’t play, but he will. We will enjoy watching one of the greatest players in history out on the pitch,” he told Diario AS.
Cristiano Ronaldo applauds the Portugal fans (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)De la Fuente: Spain has the best midfield
De la Fuente has a reputation for backing his players in public and in private, and once again reiterated that for him, Spain has the best midfield in the world, as they come up against Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha and Joao Neves.
“I allow myself the luxury of thinking that my players are the best in the world, but we are facing a team with very similar characteristics. We are very comfortable defensively and also in possession, playing a combination-based game. We shall see who tips the scales in their favour. It will be a match decided by fine margins. We will try to stay very attentive to those details.”
The Lamine Yamal-Nuno Mendes battle
One of the few players that has a positive record against Lamine Yamal, Portugal left-back Nuno Mendes will be tasked with keeping the Barcelona man quiet.
“Nuno Mendes has no doubt given many players a hard time; he is very good. Just as Lamine has likely caused many defenders to have sleepless nights. We need to keep him calm, though he doesn’t need much reassurance, as he is very composed. Above all, he shouldn’t feel anxious. He needs to focus on himself and the team, just as he always does. Every match is different. Just because an opponent gets the better of you once doesn’t mean they always will. Let’s hope he gives us a glorious afternoon.”
The Spain manager was also asked if Lamine Yamal was willing to put in an extra defensive effort to keep Mendes quiet going the other way.
“Lamine is always willing to do more, but we shouldn’t ask more of him. We are all delighted with what he gives us. The goal is to make the opposing defender suffer, knowing that if they take the initiative, everyone will have to suffer.”
Nico Williams and Folarin Balogun’s suspension
Spain have three main injury concerns, all centred around the left-wing spot. Alex Baena is likely to start there again, but Nico Williams did train ahead of the game, and Yeremy Pino is set to be available. That is also set to be the case for Victor Munoz, who admitted he was 100%, but was able to play.
“We’ll see how the match goes; that will determine whether he gets minutes or not. We’ll consider what’s best for both the team and him. He could play, bearing in mind the limitations of coming back from an injury and a layoff, but coming on in a match that’s going smoothly is different from one that’s an uphill battle. We’ll see. You might have a plan, but football has a way of taking you in different directions, it’s like the sea. We’ll see about both him and Víctor; we’ll know more tomorrow.”
Before de la Fuente’s presser, the headline news was the decision of FIFA to suspend Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension, allowing him to play against Belgium. He was asked for his thoughts on an unprecedented decision.
“I do not know what reasons led FIFA to make that decision. I cannot offer an opinion on the matter,” he commented, giving little away.
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