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Coach Luis de la Fuente celebrates winning the EURO 2024 championship with Lamine Yamal. (Photo: Reuters)
“It is difficult to go through such a journey, but I want my players to continue to grow and improve,” said the 63-year-old coach after guiding Spain to a historic fourth European Championship title with a 2-1 win over England in Berlin. “They are not tired, they will continue to improve and try to win. They all need to feel proud... I hope the fans also feel proud of this generation of players who can make history and have a long future ahead of them.” Spain’s bright future was perfectly illustrated by the pair of youngsters who scored the opening goal in the final – 17-year-old Lamine Yamal set up 22-year-old team-mate Nico Williams to score against England. It was a sweet moment for De la Fuente, who has been with most of the current Spain squad for more than a decade, having started coaching Spain's youth teams in 2013. When he was appointed to the national team hot seat 18 months ago, De la Fuente was met with scepticism. But he has brought an overwhelming attacking style of play, elevating Spain's famous possession-based "tiki-taka" style of football that won them the World Cup and European Championships. “Of course, I tried to apply my own philosophy, ideas that I know my players can implement well on the pitch,” said De La Fuente. “We tried to be unpredictable… We wanted to control the game with more dynamic situations and faster transitions thanks to players with good speed. I am sure that the players trust me because they have proven that, not just now but throughout this journey. They have not made mistakes, in fact we have done everything right… These players are an example for society because of the values they represent.” |
Spanish football set a record by winning the European Championship for the fourth time. (Photo: Reuters)
Asked about his future, De la Fuente said he would extend his contract as coach at the right time. “I am not worried about that now, today is a day to celebrate and be happy,” he added, recalling the big teams Spain defeated en route to the title, including heavyweights Italy, Germany and France as well as England. “They (the Spanish players) won this tournament with great certainty and confidence in a style that we have not seen much,” De la Fuente was full of praise for his players. Meanwhile, opener Nico Williams said: “We deserved this victory after going through a lot of difficulties in the game. England are a good team. They have players who can make the difference but we overcame them and won the European Championship. We are very happy.” Mikel Oyarzaba - who scored the decisive goal to bring Spain a 2-1 victory, modestly said: "I did my job. I did what I had to do at the time the team needed me the most. I was lucky to bring this victory." Expressing his confidence in the future of Spanish football, captain striker Alvaro Morata said: "Positive messages lead to positive things, and we have seen how much the Spanish fans believe in us. I hope they are proud of this team, of everything that is coming in the future, because they have seen the results like this."Nhandan.vn
Source: https://nhandan.vn/tuong-lai-tuoi-sang-dang-mo-ra-voi-bong-da-tay-ban-nha-post819138.html
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