Luis de la Fuente’s final-bound team have been fuelled by togetherness and a commitment to each other that goes back a long wayOn the way out of the dressing room in Arlington, Luis de la Fuente gathered his “family” and delivered one last message before the World Cup semi-final against France. He had long known what he was going to say, if not exactly how – it’s what he has been saying for 50 days and more. “I’ll tell them that this is a unique stage, the kind of moment that may never be repeated again, and that we have to be ourselves,” he had suggested 18 hours earlier; now that idea crystallised in a line. “We’re facing one of the best lineups in the world,” the Spain coach told them, “but we’re the best team in the world.”By the time they made their way back in again, a voice was heard above the shouts, another line to encapsulate it all, to define this.

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