Spain are ´insatiable´ after Netherlands win according to De la Fuente

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente does not want to put any limits on his players by saying his expectations following their victory over the Netherlands in the Nations League quarter-final on Sunday.

Spain drew the second leg 3-3, having drawn 2-2 in the Netherlands previously, before winning the tie 5-4 on penalties to set up a semi-final against France.

“I think this national team is very young, it has a very long way to go and the important thing is the attitude of the players. They are insatiable, they want to keep competing, they want to compete to win,” De la Fuente told reporters.

“But these are just details … I remember that two years ago some enlightened person said it was a minor competition. In the semi-finals, three world champions and one European champion.

“They can beat us, but we will fight. I hope there will be a national team for a long time, but you can’t win all the time.”

De la Fuente spoke in glowing terms about the Nations League itself, suggesting that it was a good thing to pair high-profile teams together in competitive action.

3 – Spain have qualified for the #NationsLeague Final Four in the last three editions (runner-up in 20/21 and Champion in 22/23), becoming the first men’s national team to compete in three such rounds of the tournament. Reference.#spainvsnetherland #spainnetherlands pic.twitter.com/bA8za38kFq

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) March 24, 2025

Spain are the most successful team in the history of the Nations League, having won the previous version in 2023 and finished as runners-up in 2021.

“Great excitement, blessed suffering. Enjoying a match that could be a European Championship final. We were at a level we could recognise. We have the same feeling we had at the Euros,” he said.

“You only have to look at the roster. A world champion like Italy has fallen by the wayside. I’ve always compared the level to a European Championship.”

Dean Huijsen came off the bench in the first leg and started the second against the Netherlands – his country of birth – to earn his first two caps for Spain. The 19-year-old earned his call-up after an impressive season with Bournemouth and De La Fuente was full of praise for him.

“He seemed to have been competing with us for a long time. He is a wonderful guy and brings a lot to the table. We are very happy. Another one who joins this cause and this family, which is growing all the time,” he said.