When a World Cup-winning team is discussed, the talk is usually of tactics, formations or the performances of star footballers. But Spain’s coach, Luis de la Fuente, has another important formula for winning the World Cup. In his words, it is not enough to have only good footballers in a squad; you must have good people too.
In a long interview with the Spanish outlet AS after the World Cup win, the 65-year-old coach set out the philosophy behind Spain’s success. He explained how holding firm to the same footballing philosophy year after year, choosing the right players and preserving the atmosphere of the dressing room made Spain world champions.
Explaining why good people are needed alongside good footballers, De la Fuente said: “We spent 52 days together at the World Cup, 45 days at the Olympics and 43 days with the under-21 team. It is only natural to want to work with people of good character. It makes managing the team much easier.”
De la Fuente said there was not a single problem in Spain’s long World Cup camp. Even those who did not play a minute expressed no discontent. “Because of many years working in age-group football, we know most of those players very well. They are our raw material. We know who is mentally strong, or who will not sit around with a long face even if they do not get a minute on the pitch in the 52 days of the camp.”
De la Fuente was asked what similarities he sees between this squad and Spain’s 2010 World Cup-winning side, and whether this Spain too carries the “tiki-taka” tradition. Saying the basic model remains the same, the Spain coach said: “I do not like an over-used term like tiki-taka. I prefer to call it ‘combination football.’ At times the word ‘tiki-taka’ was even used somewhat negatively. Even so, this footballing philosophy is woven into every pore of Spanish football, and it begins at club level. The national team has only taken it to a wider stage and given it international recognition.”
In De la Fuente’s view, success in today’s football is not possible through possession alone. A team can keep 30 percent of the ball and still win 3-1. Europe’s other major powers come to learn about the model Spain currently uses, De la Fuente said: “England, France, Germany — everyone has come. At one time Italy came very often. Germany too once had a very strong foundation like ours. But it is not at all easy; it is quite complex. First, it requires years of work. Second, it depends heavily on the clubs, because it is club coaches who develop the young. It is because of this education received from a very early age that Spanish players are the best in the world at reading the situation in a match.”
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