In the first pre-match press conference, Luis de la Fuente was calm. He thanked Malaga for the welcome (about 200 people surrounded the door of the Hotel Posada del Patio just before the bus left the training) and went through all the foci of interest naturally. Without fuss, without one sentence higher than another and with an exquisite education, he showed the illusion that the premiere provokes.

He had to face the question about Gavi and Ceballos, who had a clash (rather, it was an onslaught from the Barça player to the Real Madrid player) in the last classic. He didn't tell it, but it made them make peace, like little children. "You are going to allow me not to tell the how, but the consequence, and the consequence is that they are two players that I know are going to leave their lives for each other," said the new coach, who does not like that Haaland is not there. "I'm so sorry for his injury," he said seriously, joking, "If I told you I'm not worried about seeing Haaland on the field tomorrow and you told me you believe me, we'd both lie."

"I've seen looks of emotion in all the players," he explained, tending as he is to somewhat grandiloquent phrases. He did not open this Friday's training to the public of Malaga because, he said, he has things to work on ahead of the game. There was a rumor, by the way, that a few weeks ago he called De Gea and the Manchester United goalkeeper came to tell him that he only wanted to come to the national team if it was to play as a starter. He was asked directly about that: "I don't air private conversations, you know. Not with the players or with anyone."

MORATA, HAPPY

The captain, in this concentration, is Álvaro Morata, who followed De la Fuente before the media. "I'm here to help the youngest, to make them understand how important this is," he said with that verbal quickness that he always shows. "I see people very excited. The coach is a very close person, who likes to give affection to his players, everyone wants to compete and fight for a position, so it is an exciting stage, "he concluded.

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