Spain coach backs fringe players to step up in absence of main starters

Spain coach Luis De la Fuente remains calm and confident about his side’s ability to be on the front foot in their home clash against Serbia in the Nations League on Tuesday despite the growing list of absentees.
Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal was the latest to withdraw on Sunday with a left hamstring strain. Atletico Madrid’s Rodrigo Riquelme has been called up to replace the 17-year-old.
“(Yamal) is irreplaceable,” De la Fuente told a press conference on Monday. “(But) we have to play eleven and whoever replaces him will want to make a statement.
“Lamine is fantastic, but… you have to understand that, in this life, nobody gives anything away for free. Whoever has to replace him, I’m sure they will do it very well.”
The European champions will be without seven key players, who featured in the Euro 2024 final against England.
Injured forward Nico Williams withdrew from the squad last week while goalkeeper Unai Simon, defenders Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand, midfielders Rodri and Dani Olmo were not called up due to injuries.
“They are (too) irreplaceable, each one brings different things to the table. But we are lucky that this is a national team and the best players come here,” De la Fuente said.
“I never miss anyone, because those who are playing are (also) very good.
“Obviously, we don’t work with closed blocks as it happens at club level, but we also have players who have been here for a long time and internalise the messages. In a club you have much more time to do many more things than we do.”
The Serbs have already challenged the League A4 leaders this campaign as Spain were held to a 0-0 draw in Serbia in September. De la Fuente’s side have since grabbed wins against Switzerland and Denmark to top the group on seven points.
“It will be a very difficult match because Serbia need to get a good result tomorrow,” De la Fuente said.
“All their players play in big European leagues and we can see how they perform there. They are a team that runs a lot, counter-attacking. It’s a game that will require a lot of maturity and hard work.
“Physically they are very powerful and tactically they are very balanced. We have to work hard, be inspired and give our best. There are no small opponents here, they are all games that demand excellence from you.”
Serbia, third in the standings with four points, beat Switzerland 2-0 on Saturday with goals by Aleksandar Mitrovic and an own goal by Swiss defender Nico Elvedi.