De la Fuente discusses strict time limits for Yamal's playing load.

At the press conference ahead of Spain's UEFA Nations League match against Croatia, Spain's head coach Luis de la Fuente addressed concerns about Lamin Yamal's playing load and elaborated on the national team's rotation strategy and management principles.

Facing a packed schedule of international matches, De la Fuente emphasized that the coaching staff has set clear playing time limits for all players: "I have repeatedly mentioned before how difficult this round of 'four consecutive matches' will be."

"An important principle I want to emphasize here is that no player will play more than 270 minutes, which is a maximum of three out of four games. Based on the cumulative playing time so far, Lamin's playing time is only equivalent to playing two out of three games, and we have been strictly monitoring and calculating it."

Speaking about the Barcelona starlet who has scored four goals in the last three games, De la Fuente spoke highly of his desire to play and his competitive form. He said, "Lamin is always ready to play. In fact, every player is eager to fight, and the coaching staff's job is to carefully assess when it is the right choice to put him on the field."

"He is in excellent form right now, is the core pillar of the team, and is an impeccable competitor. Like his other teammates, he is fully in good physical condition to play in tomorrow's game."

De la Fuente further analyzed Yamal's mental qualities both on and off the field: "Ramin always carries a sense of urgency, and I don't mean that in a derogatory way at all, because deep down he always wants to contribute more to the team and go further. This is the distinctive characteristic of Ramin Yamal, which stems entirely from his innate and strong competitive spirit."

Image source: Internet