In an interview with AS, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has given his thoughts on Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso, who is going through a difficult period at the club.Meanwhile, the La Roja head coac...
In an interview with AS, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has given his thoughts on Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso, who is going through a difficult period at the club.
Meanwhile, the La Roja head coach also commented on the chances of Real Madrid full-back duo Dani Carvajal and Alvaro Carreras making it to the squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
De la Fuente on Xabi Alonso
Talking about Alonso and the criticism he had been receiving for Real Madrid’s recent results, De la Fuente admitted that he was not surprised, and that it is always the manager who gets blamed if things do not go according to plan.
“It doesn’t surprise me because it’s a fact of life. Whenever the results aren’t coming, the coach is the one who gets questioned; he’s the first one to be criticized,” said the Spain manager.
“But it’s also nice when things are going well and people are talking about you, the praise comes in, and so on. That’s why it’s important to maintain balance. Don’t get carried away with victories, nor sink to the deepest pit with defeats.”
Continuing, De la Fuente added that it was important for the manager to maintain mental balance.
“The key is to maintain equilibrium. You have to know that if things are going well, they’ll want to praise you to the skies, and if they’re going badly, they’ll throw you in the mud.”
On Dani Carvajal
Carvajal has struggled with fitness problems this season. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, De la Fuente stated that he was very hopeful that Carvajal can arrive at the World Cup in the summer without any problems.
After all, the Real Madrid and Spain captain has been struggling with injuries this season and has not played since late October.
“God willing, Dani Carvajal will be at the World Cup. I spoke with him, and he told me his recovery is going well,” said De la Fuente.
“There are still many months to go, but Carvajal being at the World Cup would be the best news for him and for the national team. We’ll see how he progresses because he’s a very important player for us.”
Regarding Alvaro Carreras’ chances
Real Madrid star Alvaro Carreras has been one of the top-performing left-backs in La Liga this season, but has so far been overlooked by De la Fuente, along with Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde.
Instead, the manager has continued to put his trust in Marc Cucurella and Alejandro Grimaldo for the left-back position. So, when quizzed about the chances of Carreras making it to the World Cup squad, the Spain coach replied:
“Our decisions are ours, and I bring in those I believe are the best. Balde has already been with me, and Carreras hasn’t yet, but he’s played for the youth national teams.
“Both are on our preliminary list and are doing very well, but as long as I believe there are others who are performing well, they’ll continue to be called up.”
Category: General Sports
