Luis de la Fuente insists he has no specific plan to stop France striker Kylian Mbappe on Tuesday. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has told Cadena Cope. He has a specific plan in place to stop France captain Kylian Mbappe when they meet in Tuesday’s Euro 2024 semi-finals football.
Mbappe suffered an injury in the tournament’s opening game against Austria after a collision with Kevin Danso left him with a broken nose. He missed the following game against the Netherlands before returning for the final group game wearing a protective mask. He converted a penalty in a 1-1 draw with Poland. The 25-year-old’s only goal of the tournament. UFABET
During an interview with Cadena Cope, when asked if he had a specific plan to stop Mbappe. The 63-year-old replied: ‘I’ve never done it before and I believe in specific positions that each player knows how to do expertly, except in specific situations. But generally, I like all my players to play in the position where I think they are easiest to play. ‘
De La Fuente also explained that
Robin Le Normand, who once wore a mask on the pitch had similar limitations, which Mbappe would face.
‘People have to know that this type of mask has quite a few limitations. We had a similar experience with Le Normand. He had difficulty breathing, felt very tired and had muscle problems as well. It limits you. But in any case, Mbappé at 80 per cent is a lot of Mbappé. Although it is true that nobody has seen his best version yet and he has huge potential. ‘
Of course, the first plan to stop Mbappe, Dani Carvajal, is out due to suspension. But De La Fuente still has Jesus Navas and Nacho Fernandez available at right-back. With Marc Cucurella also able to play in that position.
Asked if he would feel comfortable pitting the 38-year-old Navas against one of the best forwards in the world right now, Mbappe,
‘It’s not that I trust Navas, it’s because Jesus Navas is the best, he has the strength to go on for a while, he’s a fantastic player and I have full confidence in him. I don’t know if he’ll play yet, but he’s very well prepared and Mbappe is a player who has the ability to win, like Dembele or Barcola. ‘
‘And that’s been solved with the help and protection from my teammates. It’s the way it works for me now to try to stop those players when they have the ball and when we have it we try to exploit their weaknesses, which could be a defensive phase.’