“They’ve been stung” – Spain manager on reaction of players to Cape Verde draw

“We don’t see it that way. It was a match where, if we’re honest, if it had ended two or three-nil, it would have been different. We need to correct things. It’s not a disaster, but we have to win tomorrow, that’s all. There’s no sense of urgency, no pressure. We’re lucky that the team has a tremendous competitive spirit. The players follow everything, and it could affect them. But they’re used to it. Although I will say one thing. They’re stung… They’re really hurting, and you’ll see them with a different attitude.”

De la Fuente himself was not feeling the pressure either.

“I feel the same as I did six days ago. Responsible, motivated, excited, and eager to compete tomorrow. We have a clear plan, and I hope we all rise to the occasion.”

‘World Cup is an unfair competition’ – de la Fuente

The Spain coach also pointed to the fact that they were not the only contenders that had suffered in the opening round of fixtures.

“Let’s not forget Portugal, one of my favorites. In such a short competition… In a league, you can afford any mistake. Not here; that’s the difference in international competition. One mistake on a bad day knocks you out. That’s what makes this competition, in a way, unfair. We know how it works. If you have an off day, don’t let it show. We’ll try to build on that, having already had our average day, and now we need to be at our best. There are no easy opponents here.”

The general feeling is that the Spain players are not only frustrated with their performance, but looking to address the media narrative following the Cape Verde game. They kick off against Saudi Arabia at 17:00 BST in Atlanta.