Spain’s De la Fuente Done Talking About Lamine Yamal Drama – Here’s What Actually Matters for 2026 World Cup

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente shut down questions about Lamine Yamal pretty quickly before the Georgia World Cup qualifier, but if you read between the lines there’s actually a lot more going on with how he’s managing this team heading into 2026.

The press conference was supposed to be about Georgia but everyone wanted to talk about why Barcelona’s teenage star wasn’t there and whether there’s beef between the club and national team. De la Fuente basically said “no conflict, move on” and tried to get reporters focused on the actual game.

But here’s the thing – the way Spain’s handling these October qualifiers tells you everything about their World Cup planning.

Why Spain Can Afford to Rest Key Players Right Now

Spain’s sitting pretty in World Cup qualifying. They’ve won every game so far and honestly Georgia isn’t going to change that. So De la Fuente is using these matches to rotate players and keep everyone fresh instead of grinding out results with his best XI every single time.

It’s not just Yamal either. Dani Olmo showed up to camp with some issues, trained for like 15 minutes and had to go get tests done. The schedule right now is brutal for players and De la Fuente clearly isn’t interested in breaking his key guys just to beat Georgia 4-0 instead of 2-0.

Compare this to how things went in 2014 when Spain showed up to the World Cup with basically the same team that won everything in 2008-2012. They were exhausted, everyone knew how they played, and it was a disaster. De la Fuente watched that happen and he’s not making the same mistake.

The smart play is keeping your core healthy for tournaments that actually matter. Regular qualifying against weaker teams? That’s where you figure out who else can contribute.

The Defense Has Crazy Depth Now

One thing that jumped out was De la Fuente talking about his center backs. He mentioned Pau Cubarsi and Robin Le Normand can both play either side which seems small but it’s actually huge for flexibility.

Spain used to be pretty rigid with their defensive setup. Now they’ve got options everywhere and that makes rotating players way easier. You can rest someone without completely changing how the team plays.

De la Fuente also talked about the leadership group – guys like Mikel Oyarzabal, Mikel Merino, Ferran Torres and Olmo. What’s interesting is none of these guys are the superstars everyone talks about but they’re the ones actually running things in the locker room. These are players in their mid-twenties who’ve been around, won stuff, but haven’t peaked yet.

That’s the kind of core you want heading into a World Cup. Not teenagers who might be overwhelmed and not 32-year-olds who might be cooked.

Laporte Coming Back to Spain Could Be Big

De la Fuente seemed genuinely happy that Aymeric Laporte returned to La Liga with Athletic Club after his time in Saudi Arabia. He said something about wanting more Spanish players in Spain because it’s the best league and now Laporte’s going to hit another level.

There’s a bigger picture thing here though. Spain’s national team has always been strongest when La Liga was keeping it’s best players instead of losing them to the Premier League or wherever. The generation that won everything grew up competing in La Liga week after week against other world class players.

When La Liga started losing talent a few years back there was real concern about whether Spain could keep producing elite players. Laporte coming back, plus young Spanish guys choosing to stay instead of leaving right away, that’s a good sign for the pipeline.

Don’t Sleep on the Ansu Fati Situation

The most interesting thing De la Fuente said might’ve been about Ansu Fati. He’s following him at Brighton, said he’s scoring goals, and might call him up if they need someone for the second qualifier.

Ansu Fati was supposed to be the next big thing at Barcelona. Everyone thought he’d be world class but injuries completely destroyed his development. He’s only 22 though and if he’s actually finding form at Brighton that changes things for Spain’s attack.

De la Fuente being open to bringing him back shows they haven’t given up on him. For a player with Fati’s talent ceiling that’s worth paying attention to because if he gets back to even 80% of what people thought he’d become, Spain’s forward options get a lot better.

What This Actually Means Going Forward

De la Fuente’s whole vibe in this press conference was basically “I’m not worried, we’re good, stop trying to create drama.” And honestly he’s got reason to feel that way.

Spain won the Euros this summer. They’re cruising through World Cup qualifying. The team chemistry seems solid – he made a point of saying there’s no egos and everyone accepts their role. That stuff matters way more than people think.

The club versus country thing has always been tricky for Spain because Barcelona and Real Madrid players had to coexist. If De la Fuente’s actually built an environment where that’s not an issue anymore it’s maybe his biggest accomplishment.

For 2026 the pieces are there. You’ve got young talent like Yamal and Cubarsi mixed with experienced leaders in their prime mixed with veterans like Laporte who’ve seen everything. The depth is real across the roster. And they’ve got a manager who seems to understand that staying healthy and keeping the vibe right matters more than winning every qualifier 5-0.

The Bottom Line

Spain didn’t bring Yamal or some other starters for these October qualifiers and people freaked out. But it’s pretty clearly part of a bigger plan to manage workload and avoid injuries before the World Cup matters.

De la Fuente’s done talking about the controversy stuff. He wants to focus on building a team that peaks at the right time in 2026, not one that burns out trying to destroy Georgia and whoever else in meaningless qualifying games they’re going to win anyway.

The next year and a half is going to show whether this approach works but right now Spain looks like they’re in better shape for a World Cup cycle than any time since 2010. They’ve got talent, they’ve got depth, they’ve got a coach who learned from past mistakes, and they’re not letting outside noise mess with their preparation.