Luis de la Fuente criticizes the press for criticizing Unai Simón: "I celebrate his performance; he was a player you mistreated."

Following Spain's 5-4 win over France in the Nations League semi-final, national team coach Luis de la Fuente took aim at the press over the treatment of Unai Simón , a goalkeeper who he believes has been "mistreated" due to the numerous criticisms he has received.

"They could all be starters. Simón is a goalkeeper who has always given us a guarantee. I celebrate his performance. He's a player you've mistreated . Unai Simón has had a spectacular career; he's a great goalkeeper and a great teammate," said the Riojan.

De la Fuente was also asked about Mikel Oyarzabal, the starting striker against the French: " He's a player who always gives us a great performance . He was the striker we were most interested in, the one who fit in the most, he had an immense performance."

Dean Huijsen was another notable figure at the match. "He's one of those players who has a maturity that's beyond his years, but those are the great players . Until you give him the opportunity to compete at this level, you don't know how far he'll go," he said of him.

Regarding the match, which saw France's surge in the final minutes, he said: "I'm happy. You know I like the pace. I enjoy suffering. I don't understand sport, football, without suffering. When two great teams face each other, it's normal for each team to take advantage of their moments."

"We have to take a positive view. I'm aiming to win 5-4 in every game I have left in my career," added Luis de la Fuente.

On the other hand, he praised the current Nations League and European Championship champions' run. " This team is hungry, sharp, and wants to keep winning. There were ten players from the last Nations League, and they all had the same vision. I'm excited by players who want to keep making history," he said.

"A great final. I have a great relationship with Roberto Martínez, I have a childhood friend in Iñaki Vergara, the goalkeeping coach, and we're going to play against friends . Just mentioning Cristiano Ronaldo's name is enough to show boundless admiration. A very tough opponent," he confessed.

Furthermore, the 'Roja' coach was asked about Pedri's positional change during the first half. " That change was made because at that point we were struggling to keep possession and to get out of the high press smoothly. It worked out so well that Mikel scored and Pedri came in as a second-row midfielder. We achieved what we were looking for, which was to have a little more possession," he concluded.