Spain manager talks Lamine, Flick, Cubarsi, Ansu Fati – ‘Very happy with what he is doing’ | OneFootball

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente addressed the media earlier today ahead of their World Cup qualifying fixture against Georgia on Saturday.

The press conference was largely dominated by the news surrounding Barcelona star Dani Olmo’s injury earlier today and his condition.

De la Fuente confirmed that the playmaker was undergoing tests and updates were awaited. Meanwhile, he also touched on other topics, including the recent feud between Barcelona and the Spain camp over the injury of Lamine Yamal.

On Lamine, Cubarsi, Flick

When asked about the ongoing tension between Barcelona and La Roja over the mishandling of Lamine during the international break in September, De la Fuente chose to side-step the topic.

“Good day everyone. Let’s talk about Georgia. As for the other topic, everything has already been said. You’ve pretty much said everything, and I also said what I had to say at the time, and I won’t change anything now,” he said.

“I’m glad we’re talking about Georgia, because all week we’ve been talking about other things, and I had said earlier, in the previous press conference, that we’re playing to qualify for the World Cup, and we have to win these matches, and it’s never easy to face any opponent,” he added, changing the topic instantly.

When asked who would take the responsibility of leading Spain’s attack in the absence of Yamal and Nico Williams, De la Fuente said:

“We are very fortunate to have a national team in a wonderful stage of maturity. There are players who naturally shoulder this responsibility, like Oyarzabal, Mikel Merino, Dani Olmo, and Ferran Torres.”

No Lamine Yamal for Spain this month. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

“These players carry significant weight within the team, and everyone accepts the roles without selfishness or arrogance, and this is one of our greatest strengths,” he added.

He also denied any talk of a rocky relationship with Barcelona and Hansi Flick despite the recent clash between the two parties.

“Absolutely, never. There is no conflict with Barcelona or Flick, absolutely not – my relationship with everyone is excellent, and there is mutual respect and space for each party. There is no problem whatsoever.”

Finally, the NT manager spoke out about his preference to have two well-defined centre-backs – one RCB and one LCB – in his setup and relayed how Pau Cubarsi was a versatile option he could count on in that sense.

“I like to have players specialised in each position, although we have versatile players – for example, Pau Cubarsi can play on both sides, and so can Le Normand, who started as a left-back at Real Sociedad, and Zubeldia as well.”

“I like having specialisation, but it’s also good to have tactical flexibility that allows us to make changes during matches,” he added.

On Barcelona loanee Ansu Fati

Ansu Fati has been excelling away on loan at AS Monaco from Barcelona this season, scoring goals for fun for the Ligue 1 outfit.

Excelling at AS Monaco. (Photo courtesy: X/AS_Monaco_EN)

As such, De la Fuente was asked if the Barça loanee was on his radar, especially now that Olmo had picked up an injury. In response, the Spain coach said:

“Ansu Fati was already on the list of players being monitored even before this latest call-up. We are monitoring all players who could be selected, whether in Europe or anywhere in the world. Ansu has now scored five or six goals, and we know him well.

“He has played for us before, and of course we have taken him into consideration. But I cannot confirm now if we will call up a substitute before the second match.”

The manager insisted that a replacement for Olmo will not be called immediately and will evaluate his situation over the next few days.

“We will evaluate the situation over the weekend based on the condition of the rest of the players. But certainly, Ansu Fati is a very important player for the future, and we are very happy with what he is doing now, both for himself and for Spanish football.”

Source: X/SEFutbol