Luis de la Fuente’s Decisions Under Fire After Spain’s Collapse Against Portugal

Last night, Spain faced Portugal. Or at least, that’s what we thought. Because what we actually witnessed was a tactical conference. Not a press conference—no, no. A live, public demonstration of what not to do when managing a football team. A masterclass by Luis de la Fuente… in reverse.

We thought he had learned. That he would finally field the best. That logic would prevail.
But no. Luis chose to be Luis.

💥 Balde and Eric García? Too logical.

Imagine the audacity—starting Balde, one of the most explosive left-backs in world football, and Eric García, who’s been consistently solid. Too simple. Too rational.
Luis went with Cucurucho (sorry, Cucurella) and Mingueza instead. Solid players? Maybe. But we’re not talking about a friendly against Andorra. This was a quarter-final.

🤯 Cubarsí benched, replaced by someone dragged out of a Ligue 2 highlight reel.

Cubarsí, Barça’s defensive prodigy, sat watching from the bench while a player seemingly selected by lottery struggled on the pitch. A tactical choice? No. A delusion. A bold, head-scratching act of rebellion against common sense.

🌀 Pedri as a no.10… before being subbed off.

Pedri as a holding midfielder? That’s art. As a box-to-box? That’s gold.
As a No.10? Nonsense. And to top it off, he was subbed off in the 60th minute—as if he were the issue in a midfield that couldn’t string together two passes. Intelligence replaced by improvisation.

❌ Nico and Lamine OUT. Baena and Pino IN.

The only two capable of unlocking Portugal’s defense? Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal. But Luis didn’t see that.
Instead, he brought on Baena, a midfielder now trying cosplay as a winger, and Yeremi Pino, who’s scored more Instagram stories than goals in the last 18 months.

🪑 Grimaldo, Gavi, Fermín, Dani Olmo… all benched.

It felt like a joke. Grimaldo, one of Europe’s top attacking full-backs? Gavi, the heartbeat of this Spain squad? Fermín, on fire all season? Dani Olmo, who always shows up in big games? All benched.
Because Luis knows better. Because Luis has a vision.
A blurry, confused, and outdated vision.

🎯 The final stroke of genius: subbing off Oyarzabal before penalties.

The cherry on top. Oyarzabal—Spain’s most reliable penalty taker—didn’t even get the chance. Why? He was already in the locker room.
Meanwhile, Morata—with the composure of a microwave in a thunderstorm—stepped up.
And the ending? Predictable. Eliminated. As always—with flair, grandeur, and a glorious lack of self-awareness.