Success has not made Luis de la Fuente sentimental, and that is exactly why Spain remain so dangerous. Two months on from beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the 2026 World Cup final, the Spain coach is not talking like a man trying to protect a finished product. He is talking like someone who believes the best version of this team is still ahead of it.
That is a bracing thought for England, because Spain arrive in England for the first day of Group 3 in League A of the Nations League at 20:45 on Saturday, September 26, 2026 as reigning world champions and with a recent record that already includes the 2023 Nations League, the 2024 Euro and the 2025 Nations League final. Most teams would be tempted to lean back and admire that list. De la Fuente is doing the opposite.
Spain are winning, but not standing still
Speaking to L'Equipe on Friday, September 25, 2026, the 65-year-old made the point bluntly: even after two months, it is still difficult to take in everything Spain lived through over those 52 days. But the real message was more forceful than nostalgia. In his view, what Spain have already done will not be enough to carry them forward now.
“Dans la vie comme au foot, on perd plus souvent qu'on ne gagne,” he said, a reminder that he is not interested in treating success as a shield. “Nous vivons des années fantastiques mais ce qu'on a fait jusqu'ici ne va pas nous faire gagner par la suite.” That is the whole challenge in one line. The medals and the memories count, but they do not buy another result on their own.
And De la Fuente did not stop there. His most revealing line was also his sharpest: “On peut faire mieux, ce qui est la meilleure des nouvelles, les joueurs n'ont pas encore atteint leur plafond, il y a une grande marge de progression.” In other words, Spain are not merely defending a status. They are still building.
That is a problem for everyone else
For England, that is the uncomfortable part. Spain are not arriving in this match as a team clinging to past glory or hoping reputation will do the work. They are arriving with a coach openly saying there is still a great deal more to come. That is not the language of a side in decline. It is the language of a side that thinks it can keep stacking records, even if De la Fuente admitted that each day makes that task a little harder.
Spain's immediate path after England only adds to the sense of momentum and expectation. They are scheduled to face Croatia and Tchéquie at home, then play another away match in Croatia during the same international break. This is not a one-night occasion. It is the beginning of a campaign, and De la Fuente clearly wants it treated that way.
So the headline before England Vs Spain is not just that Spain have been successful. It is that Spain are still not satisfied, still not finished, and still convinced the ceiling has not been reached. For the rest of League A in the Nations League, that should be a warning sign. For England, it is a test of whether they can interrupt a team that believes its best football is still waiting to be played.
