{"id":144861,"date":"2025-06-09T03:04:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T01:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/weisetech.dev\/fc-barcelona-noticias\/en\/fuente-and-his-changes-condemned-spain-against-portugal_312993_102\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T09:36:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T07:36:12","slug":"fuente-and-his-changes-condemned-spain-against-portugal_312993_102","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fcbarcelonanoticias.com\/en\/uefa-nations-league\/fuente-and-his-changes-condemned-spain-against-portugal_312993_102.html","title":{"rendered":"De la Fuente ‘forgot’ about the Bar\u00e7a internationals against Portugal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Strategic Error? The key Bar\u00e7a players that Luis de la Fuente left on the bench against Portugal in the Nations League final (2-2, 5-3 on penalties)<\/h2> \r\n
\r\n \r\n \r\n Calendar of FC Barcelona <\/a>\r\n<\/div>

The UEFA Nations League<\/a> final between Spain and Portugal (2-2, 5-3 on penalties) was particularly bitter for the FC Barcelona internationals. Again, Luis de la Fuente opted for Pedri Gonz\u00e1lez and Lamine Yamal in his starting XI<\/strong>, but forgot about the rest of the cul\u00e9s internationals<\/a> in the final stretch of the match, when La Roja needed solutions from the bench the most.<\/p>

Pau Cubars\u00ed, inexplicably, was left on the bench again<\/strong>. Dean Huijsen, with a very poor performance against France (5-4)<\/a> accompanied Robin Le Normand in the center of the defense. The only defensive adjustment compared to the semi-finals was the entry of \u00d3scar Mingueza for Pedro Porro on the right side.<\/p>

From midfield forward, the match looked ideal for players like Gavi, Ferm\u00edn L\u00f3pez or Dani Olmo<\/strong> against a Portugal that proposed a give-and-take match that, logically, took its toll in the final minutes. However, the cul\u00e9s did not even enter in extra time.<\/p>

Luis de la Fuente’s changes did not work against Portugal<\/h2>
\"Bruno
Bruno Fernandes greets the Spain players after the final<\/div> <\/div> <\/div>

Although La Roja had a very bad time in the first 20 minutes of the second half, the coach waited until the 75th minute to make his first double change. Pedri and Fabi\u00e1n Ruiz came off for Isco and Mikel Merino<\/strong>, respectively, although the departure of the Canary Islander took the team by surprise.<\/p>

The ‘8’ gave an assist in the first half and was the compass of a midfield surpassed in the physical aspect by the Portuguese. In his place, if anything, logic pointed to the entry of Dani Olmo<\/strong>.<\/p>

But De la Fuente preferred to bet on an Isco who only contributed a distant shot<\/strong> that Diogo Costa sent to the corner during the 45 minutes he was on the field. The Betis player, however, did his job by scoring his penalty.<\/p>

In extra time, the first changes were Mingueza for Pedro Porro (a change that was expected, as the former cul\u00e9 player had a rather poor match) and Nico Williams for \u00c1lex Baena<\/strong>. The latter was one of the most discussed changes, as the player from La Rioja had Ferm\u00edn L\u00f3pez<\/strong> available to give greater depth to the Spanish attack.<\/p>

Afterwards, Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal would come on for Yeremy Pino and \u00c1lvaro Morata<\/strong>. The ‘7’ missed the decisive penalty in the shootout, while Gavi, a more sensible bet for the midfield, remained on the bench alongside Olmo. A real outrage that cost very dearly.<\/p>