Luis de la Fuente admits there is a “long way to go” for Spain after Scotland defeat

Luis de la Fuente tasted defeat for the first time as Spain head coach on Tuesday, as La Roja were soundly beaten by Scotland in their Euro 2024 qualifying match at Hampden Park.

Despite having 68% possession, Spain failed to create any clear cut chances against the Scots, which resulted in a rather comfortable evening for Steve Clarke’s side in Glasgow.

1 – Luis de la Fuente es el primer seleccionador español que pierde su primer partido como visitante al mando de España 🇪🇸 desde Vicente Miera en septiembre de 1991 (2-0 ante Islandia 🇮🇸), también en la clasificación a la Eurocopa. Dificultad. pic.twitter.com/W3Z9u4dvrC

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) March 28, 2023

De la Fuente made eight changes from the side that defeated Norway on Sunday, but his decision to rest several players came back to bite him. Speaking after the match, as per Marca, de la Fuente tried to be positive about the result.

“It was a painful defeat. Analysing the game, I thought we did things well, and I thought we did enough to get a result. I will stick with those positive things, but we have to improve a lot.

“I’m delighted with the attitude of the players. We tried everything but it didn’t work.”

De la Fuente also admitted that he and the players have got plenty of improving to do in order to reach their potential going forward.

“Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go to get back (to our best). We have sown, and surely the future will ensure better experiences.”

While his Spain squad will result to their respective clubs ahead of the season run-in, de la Fuente will turn his focus towards the UEFA Nations League finals in June, starting with their semi-final against Italy.