The veteran coach Luis de la Fuente chose to field his goalkeeper Unai Simon, who plays for Athletic Bilbao club, as a starter during the World Cup competitions, while keeping Juan Garcia (Barcelona) and David Raya (Arsenal) on the bench.
De la Fuente insisted on fielding the Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper during the World Cup competitions, despite the voices calling for the inclusion of Juan Garcia or David Raya, following the outstanding season the duo had.
Why did de la Fuente choose the Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper?
For several years, the Spain national team has had a clear style, represented by maintaining possession of the ball as much as possible, with an unlimited number of passes, in order to break down defensive blocks and reach the opponent's goal with complete smoothness.
The Spain national team needs a distinguished defensive line capable of passing exceptionally well in order to implement its style and build play in the optimal way, and with the potential advanced pressure from the opponent, La Roja will need an additional player capable of creating the necessary gap to move the ball to the midfield.
De la Fuente chose Unai Simon to be the additional player in the Spain national team's defense, in order to give his team the sufficient numerical advantage to achieve the desired goal, which is moving the ball forward.
Unai Simon.. De la Fuente's winning bet
Unai Simon, the Spain national team goalkeeper, was always up to the trust Luis de la Fuente placed in him, as the Athletic Bilbao star succeeded in carrying out what his coach sought during the World Cup.
Unai Simon excelled with Spain during the World Cup, achieving a large number of accurate passes, which were of course influential for La Roja.
- Against Cape Verde: 17 accurate passes out of 17 (100%).
- Against Saudi Arabia: 27 accurate passes out of 28 (96%).
- Against Uruguay: 31 accurate passes out of 36 (86%).
- Against Austria: 31 accurate passes out of 33 (94%).
- Against Portugal: 21 accurate passes out of 31 (68%).
- Against Belgium: 24 accurate passes out of 33 (73%).
- Against France: 19 accurate passes out of 37 (51%).
- Against Argentina: 27 accurate passes out of 38 (71%).
In addition to his excellence in the passes that gave the Spain national team the advantage and de la Fuente's implementation of his method in the ideal way, the goalkeeper conceded only a single goal throughout the World Cup tournament, ultimately winning the award for the best in the World Cup.
