Spain ready to test Luis de la Fuente’s project against Scotland

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente’s project will be tested again against Scotland when they face them in the Euro qualifiers on Friday.

De la Fuente suffered a defeat against Scotland in March, which put his fledgling project on the ropes no sooner than it had begun. However, with time, De la Fuente was able to deliver and led Spain to their first piece of silverware since their Euro 2012 triumph.

Nevertheless, the Luis Rubiales forced kiss scandal took a u-turn against him, as he was criticised for his response. Even after his support to Rubiales the Spanish football federation decided not to sack him.

Despite Spain’s off-the-pitch issues, De la Fuente has managed to get the best out of the team. La Roja will face Scotland in Seville in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.

In the six games that he has managed in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, he has managed to win five of them, suffering a defeat against Scotland.

Luis de la Fuente’s Spain face a big test against Scotland in the Euro 2024 qualifiers

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay struck twice for Scotland as La Roja lost the game 2-0. Scotland now boasts a perfect record of five wins from five, leading Group A. Furthermore, they can qualify with a win in Seville or if Norway fails to beat Cyprus.

Since being appointed as Luis Enrique’s successor, De la Fuente has made several other changes to the squad. He removed former Man United goalkeeper David de Gea and gave striker Joselu his first call up. Furthermore, only 11 members of the World Cup 26-man group survived.

The 62-year-old also handed Barca youngster Lamine Yamal his debut, with him becoming Spain’s youngest-ever player and scorer in the 7-1 rout of Georgia.

De la Fuente has been working with the federation since 2013, and this means that he has a good relationship with many of the current squad players.