JAKARTA - Spain's right-back, Marcos Llorente, said La Roja is working hard to maximize the potential of their star winger, Lamine Yamal, as they prepare to face Austria in the 2026 World Cup 32-team round.
Spain trained at their base in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Monday, June 29, 2026, a day before flying to Los Angeles for the first game of the knockout round at SoFi Stadium.
Considered one of the favorites for the 2026 World Cup, Spain qualified as Group H champions, but did not perform impressively in matches against Cape Verde and Uruguay. Meanwhile, Yamal has been trying to regain his sharpness after recovering from injury.
"Little by little, we got to know each other. Lamine is a player who doesn't need much help (in attack)."
"Sometimes it will even make things worse. The best thing is to give the ball to him and you stay behind, let him in a one-on-one situation, and don't bring the opponent's player to where he is."
"You have to see what is best for him, as a player who makes the difference. There are times to go forward and there are also times not to go forward," Llorente said, when asked about his relationship on the pitch with Yamal.
Yamal only played 19 minutes against Cape Verde, then played 45 minutes - scoring a quick goal - against Saudi Arabia, and then played 76 minutes against Uruguay.
Llorente has a big chance to become Yamal's supporter on the right side. No wonder, he was also asked if he had spoken to Eric Garcia, who often played with Yamal at Barcelona, to get tips on combinations with the winger.
"To be honest, I haven't asked Eric. However, yes (we have seen) the video, the coach (Luis de la Fuente) asked us for some things, whoever his wingback is."
"With Lamine, you exchange opinions, ask him what he needs, whether he needs you to help or not."
"You also talk about it in the game. The more communication, the better," Llorente said.
Llorente was also asked about teammate Nico Williams, who suffered an injury against Uruguay - after struggling with another injury before the tournament.
"You can read a few words on social media, but you don't really know how the person is. It's a very difficult moment for him, after the year he's had. However, it's part of our job."
"He's dealing with it much better now, he's still smiling as usual. Of course he'll be hurt that he can't help the team."
"If we go far, maybe he can help us at some point," Llorente said.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
