De la Fuente once again justifies himself for the 'Lamine Yamal case'

If there is a name that has been notably highlighted in recent days, it is that of Luis de la Fuente, the national team coach of Spain, who has been widely criticized for his recent statements regarding a possible 'approval' of excessive violence in the marking of the Danes on Lamine Yamal, as well as for his management of the minutes of the Spanish-Moroccan forward. In addition, it is considered that, as he did previously with players from FC Barcelona like Pedri González or Pablo Gavi, he is 'squeezing out' the talented right winger of the Barça team.

At his young age, apparently this is directly affecting his physical condition. At this point, it has been observed that Lamine Yamal is facing an overload in the hamstring of his left thigh due to the high workload of commitments both with the Culés team and 'La Roja', which has led the player to take a necessary rest.

Now, the issue of Lamine Yamal has become the main focus of the press conference before the match between Spain and Serbia in Córdoba, corresponding to matchday 4 of the UEFA Nations League, where Luis de la Fuente was subjected to numerous questions about the management of the playing minutes with the Barcelona player. The coach from La Rioja had to justify on more than one occasion why he decided to field the right-winger, making it clear that his main objective is always to prioritize the players' health. "The best players have to play. That's what is asked of them. If they are not put in, you would criticize me. Did their coaches not always play Cruyff, Maradona, Messi, or Cristiano? Of course, we take care of the players. We are not kamikazes," explained the coach from Haro.

Luis de la Fuente detailed the 'Lamine Yamal case'

Regarding the discomfort shown by Lamine Yamal after the match against the Danes and his subsequent exclusion from the squad for the duel against Serbia, Luis de la Fuente shared his version of the events. "Lamine had some discomfort, he told us after the match. I asked him how he was feeling and I saw hesitations, and faced with those hesitations, I decided he should return. We have done the same with others," he warned.

Likewise, the coach from La Rioja explained the reasons behind allowing Lamine Yamal to return to Barcelona to rest, considering the muscular overload he is currently facing. "We must understand that Lamine is 17 years old and has to experience this situation in his environment. He feels very comfortable here, but he will be much better, calmer, and supported at home. Quite the opposite: Lamine has always shown a commitment to us to the limit," he asserted.

Similarly, Luis de la Fuente also clarified that FC Barcelona did not exert any pressure for Lamine Yamal to return to the Catalan city after the discomfort he suffered in the match against Denmark. "Zero pressure. I have not spoken with anyone from Barça. Lamine was honest before an important match. He was an example of maturity and commitment," he emphasized.

The Riojan coach once again justified the playing minutes that Lamine Yamal faces with Spain

Moreover, De la Fuente emphasized that Lamine Yamal is not being 'exploited' by the national team, referring to the numbers. "It's tremendous that there are people who buy into these comments. Last year we played 17 games because we arrived and won the Eurocup. This year we will play 10. It's an average of one per month. Let's stop beating around the bush," he affirmed, despite the fact that, in percentage terms, the Rocafonda native played around 23% of possible minutes with Spain in the 2023-24 season.

And the roughness in the marking of the Danes against the '19' from Barça...

Finally, Luis de la Fuente addressed again the issue of the harshness with which the Danes faced Lamine Yamal, clarifying his statements after the match where he seemed to justify the use of rough play against the talented Barça forward. "I don't know if there are people upset by what I said. I'm just explaining what football is, which seems that some people don't understand. Protection is the job of the referees. Football is football, that's it. Am I also responsible for Lamine getting kicked? Of course not," he concluded.