’People Were Crazy to Question Us’ - De la Fuente After Spain Thrash Saudi Arabia

De la Fuente slams critics after Saudi Arabia rout

Luis de la Fuente called Spain’s doubters “crazy” after a 4-0 World Cup win over Saudi Arabia. Lamine Yamal’s return and Mikel Oyarzabal’s 2 goals helped Spain rebound from a 0-0 draw with Cape Verde.

Yamal return sparks Spain’s 4-0 World Cup win, De la Fuente hits back at doubters...

Spain came under heavy criticism after a shaky start to their World Cup run. But after Sunday’s dominant win over Saudi Arabia, manager Luis de la Fuente hit back, calling anyone who doubted the team “crazy.”

A dull 0-0 draw with Cape Verde sparked questions about Spain’s title chances. Those doubts eased after a 4-0 thrashing of Saudi Arabia, with Lamine Yamal’s return to the XI helping spark the turnaround.

“I ‌think it's crazy to question this team,” the manager said.

“We have been ‌unbeaten for 33 consecutive games. You can have better days, worse days, normal days, but questioning, doubting this generation of very young footballers with a bright future, I think ‌it's unfair.”

De la Fuente said Saturday that criticism had motivated his players, and he repeated that message again after the Saudi Arabia win.

“Nobody enjoys receiving criticism,” he said.

“Their pride was hurt, of course, because this is not a reality. We can do even better than this, as we've shown on other occasions.

“Those remarks that they hear, of course, sometimes make them react. And that's good because it's a very committed, dedicated team with amazing quality.

“You ⁠are great professionals. But there are things I wouldn't like to listen to. And that's why I don't listen to any programme, for example, and that's why I try to stay positive and to isolate myself from all that noise.”

Mikel Oyarzabal was criticized after failing to touch the ball in the first 30 minutes vs Cape Verde. He silenced the noise against Saudi Arabia with an assist and two first-half goals.

With three goal contributions inside the first 25 minutes, Oyarzabal became only the second player since 1966 to do it in a World Cup match. Hungary’s Laszlo Fazekas was the first, against El Salvador in 1982.

“People who know about football value him greatly,” De la Fuente said.

“Unfortunately, there are people who think that he doesn't have such a ‌big impact. The impact Mikel has on the team is massive, probably bigger than any other player could have in the world.

“I'm convinced that ‌he's a footballer that can really make history in Spanish football. His numbers are crazy. So I just celebrate his performance and hopefully we will be able to value him properly.”

Spain sit on four points in Group H after two matches, while Saudi Arabia have one. Cape Verde and Uruguay also have one point each and play later Sunday. Spain wrap up their group stage vs Uruguay on Friday.