‘We are ready to go to war,’ says Spain coach De La Fuente ahead France clash
The coach of the Spanish national team, Luis De La Fuente has declared that his team is ready to go to war ahead of their FIFA 2026 World Cup semifinal match against France.
De La Fuente who was channeling his inner Julius Caesar, said that he told his squad that “you can’t win without suffering” and emphasized the necessary sacrifices to win.
According to him, he frequently repeats the Julius Caesar philosophy every now and then to his players to keep them grounded and hungry ahead of every game.
He said; “We are READY TO GO TO WAR. If you want to win something important, you have to sacrifice something along the way”.
The coach promised Spain would be on the “front foot” against France and take the initiative to counter France’s dangerous attacking quartet of Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, and Ousmane Dembélé.
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Speaking ahead of the encounter, France head coach Didier Deschamps named Spain as the clear favorites ahead of their semi-final matchup at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Deschamps cited Spain’s outstanding attacking form and incredibly tight defense, noting they have conceded only one goal in six tournament matches.
“Forget about their match against Cabo Verde,” Deschamps told a pre-match news conference, referring to Spain’s goalless draw in its opening group game. “Since then, they have shown they are the favorites to win the World Cup.
“Spain is capable of playing outstanding attacking football while remaining very solid defensively. They have conceded just one goal in their last six matches,” he added.
A victory for France in semifinals would make them only the third nation in football history to reach three consecutive World Cup finals, after West Germany and Brazil while Spain holds recent psychological advantages, having knocked France out of the Euro 2024 semifinals and defeating them in the UEFA Nations League.
