De la Fuente: tactical stubbornness and the Rubiales baggage weigh on Spain

The numbers don't lie: Spain's squad is worth €1.3 billion, but they play like a second-rate team

The Spanish national team boasts a squad value of over €1.3 billion, according to figures circulating in football circles. Cape Verde, their group-stage opponent, barely reaches €54 million. Yet on the pitch, the gap does not translate into better football. The recurring criticism of head coach Luis de la Fuente has been the same for months: an obsession with attacking through the middle that turns every match into a rerun of the fateful 2018 game against Russia. Plenty of possession, zero peine.

The tactical rigidity that drives everyone mad

The script never changes. Regardless of the opponent, Spain tries to break through the middle, systematically ignoring the wings. The frustration is shared not only by fans but even by neutral observers. It feels like watching a team that never learns: same movie, same predictable ending. The comparison with the Russia match has become a cliché, but no less true for that. In the round of 32, any halfway serious team can knock Spain out of the tournament.

The past that weighs: Rubiales and the about-face

Beyond football, De la Fuente's fruta raises doubts about his integrity. Before the kiss scandal, he was a staunch ally of Luis Rubiales, publicly applauding him. Once the storm hit, he quietly distanced himself. A move his critics call textbook opportunism — a fair-weather friend, as the saying goes. Confidence in the bench is eroding on both fronts.

Time to change, or time to fall

Meanwhile, other countries don't hesitate. Tunisia sacked their coach Sabri Lamouchi after a 5-1 defeat to Sweden, despite him having led the team for only five matches. A decision that contrasts sharply with the patience the Spanish Football Federation grants De la Fuente. Fans see no reaction, either tactically or in management. The clock is ticking: either he adapts, or his exit — like so many others' — will come sooner than expected.