Spain thrash Italy with high-level football and dream of everything

There are coaches who are good enough to be national coaches and others who are only good enough to be in teams. Luis de la Fuente's arrival in Spain was surrounded by the usual trincherismo of the Spanish press. Those who were all for Luis Enrique were shouting about a "rookie" who was going to be eaten up by the big names and the "haters" of the Asturian made De la Fuente their captain general for whom they would die on the journalistic front line if they had to.  

In the midst of this, Luis dressed as El Pulpo. A guy who only slipped up when he misjudged an applause and worse an excuse. But, as that happened in the middle of the Rubiales bubble, we won't hold it against him. "I know the players very well, I know what makes them happy," he told the press after the match against Italy. De la Fuente is on a first-name basis with journalists and that won't end well when things go wrong, but the phrase is lapidary for football.  

De la Fuente has nurtured many of the players who have taken Spain to the last 16 of Euro 2024. He won the U19 European Championship in 2015 and the U21 in 2019 as well as winning Olympic silver in Tokyo. These are minor merits because they have no showcase, but they show a coach who is good enough for a national team. Others like the day-to-day running of a team and have shown that they are better than sitting on a bench every three months.  

Luis de la Fuente's Spain does not have the media pressure that Luis Enrique's had. Nor is it called upon to play the football imposed by the coach's style because, according to the coach himself, the way they play is determined by the players and their technical profiles.  

With few stars and some names not very popular among Spaniards, Spain danced against Italy and never looked in danger of winning the game. The only goal was an own goal because Morata has a strange relationship with the goal and prefers to live in eternal regret about himself and his circumstances. But there were the daggers of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams to put in crosses time and time again. Fabian put the football close to the box, where it hurts the most, and Rodrigo has his back and plays smart to be clean through to the last 16 after forcing a second yellow.  

At the back, Le Normand is already a permanent fixture and Nacho should always be by his side. Laporte doesn't have the level to occupy that position and, although he didn't fail against Italy, it's not advisable to risk giving minutes to an undemanding player and leave a European champion on the bench.  

Spain is convincing. The euphoria of the golden years has disappeared, but neither is it that of Clemente's time, when we lifted World Cups before the tournaments began. A middle ground where you can enjoy watching Spain play while the level of the opponents and the play-offs add fuel to the fire. Then it will be time to measure this Spain of ours.