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Sharp attack on De La Fuente
Criticism has not stopped in Spain since yesterday’s disappointing 0-0 draw against Cape Verde in La Roja’s 2026 World Cup opener, and has been directed mainly at coach Luis de la Fuente, who Catalan newspaper Sport cited as one of the most prominent reasons for the game’s failure.
Spain settled for a goalless draw against Cape Verde, dropping two valuable points in the race for top spot in the group, amid anger over technical choices by the coaching staff.
And he saw“Sport” newspaper Pedri was the biggest casualty of the match, after he was employed in a different position than his usual one, which clearly affected his performance on the pitch.
The paper explains that De La Fuente has taken the Barcelona star back from his primary tasks of building play and orchestrating attacks and placing him in an advanced position behind the strikers, which has caused the team to lose one of the most important elements in controlling the rhythm of the game.
The report added that Pedri looked lost for many periods of the game and had to make moves away from his usual areas of influence, finding himself on the goal line numerous times without making his usual mark.
Pedri wasn’t the only one to criticize the coach, as the paper stated that bringing on Xavi on the left wing was a poor decision, especially as the player didn’t provide the necessary complement and appeared to be far from his level.
Sport also criticized the reliance on Ferran Torres in a position that does not suit his characteristics, stressing that the Barcelona man is better at using spaces than his ability to penetrate tight defenses with individual dribbles.
The paper also pointed its fingers at De La Fuente’s match when he delayed substitutions until the 71st minute, despite the team clearly struggling to create chances and break down the Cape Verdean defensive organisation.
The Spanish coach was seen as repeating the mistakes seen in the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, where the team dominated possession and passed it around without real attacking efficiency or the ability to reach the net.
The paper concluded its report by confirming that Spain lacked depth and speed in their attacking transformation, leaving the match with just one point, while Pedri went from being one of the team’s most important weapons to the obvious victim of his coach’s technical selection.
