Yamal was criticised following his minimal impact in the final against Tottenham; Alvaro Morata also defended by De La Fuente
Spain manager Luis de La Fuente has defended Lamine Yamal after considerable criticism was directed towards the teenager following Spain’s penalty shootout defeat to Portugal in the Nations League final.
Yamal had a subdued performance, by his standards, having been closely marked by Portugal’s Nuno Mendes. He helped create Spain’s first goal but none of the magic that has been associated with him over the past year was on display at the Allianz Area.
His marker Mendes, the Paris Saint-Germain left-back, earned high praise for both his defensive and offensive display, eventually winning the player of the match.
Yamal has come under heavy fire since, including for wearing his hat backwards at a press conference.
De La Fuente wants the public and media to show restraint because such criticism only ends up hurting the nation’s young stars.
“Lamine Yamal? In Spain, we’re very self-destructive,” said De La Fuente. “We go from praising someone to the heavens to rejecting them over a single mistake. Life’s about balance, not getting carried away in success or sinking in failure. We have to be cautious.”
The coach also had a word in defence of the team captain, Alvaro Morata, who has equally faced serious criticism. Morata missed the defining penalty during the final, allowing Portugal’s Ruben Neves to seal the victory for his side, and De La Fuente warned that the public in the country need “to understand and accept the mistakes of others”.
“In any case, Alvaro Morata is a great captain, a great player, an example for all of us, and he should be recognised as he deserves for his merits in football throughout his career,” said the manager. “I hope that as time goes by, we’ll be able to appreciate that.”
