IvanRejon

This man delivered a masterclass in coaching today in every sense of the word. From the opening whistle, Luis de la Fuente had one clear objective: take Argentina’s biggest weapon away. He wasn’t going to let them win because of Messi. He instructed Dani Olmo to press Lisandro Martínez on a diagonal angle, forcing Argentina to play out wide. Rodri shifted toward Mac Allister, while Fabián Ruiz covered the central space behind him, leaving Lisandro with little choice but to play long balls that carried very little threat. Then came the next decision. Spain weren’t creating enough chances, but instead of sitting back like Tuchel would, De la Fuente knew the worst thing you can do is let Messi keep seeing the ball. He brought on Ferran Torres, Pedri, Nico Williams, and Mikel Merino, switched to a two-striker system, and relied on Pedri alongside Rodri to dominate possession. The result? A win with complete control of the game. This was arguably the coach who outplayed Argentina more convincingly than anyone else. Austria, Portugal, Belgium, France, and Argentina—they all lost not only on the scoreboard, but in the performance as well. Spain outclassed every one of them with attractive football and a clear Spanish identity. After spending a decade coaching Spain’s youth national teams before taking charge of the senior side, Luis de la Fuente has built something extraordinary. He has now won the European Championship, the UEFA Nations League, and Spain’s first World Cup since 2010. Spain may have made one of the greatest coaching investments football has ever seen. 🇪🇸❤️