The surprising aftermath of Spain's monumental match in Türkiye: "That's going to be the hardest part."

Vincenzo Montella , the Turkish coach, who sat in the press room with a Spanish translator, an Italian translator, and a Turkish translator, plus the press officer—a total mess—was asked, already in the early hours of the morning in Konya, what he thought of the match against Spain. And he snorted. Then he resorted to a bunch of commonplaces, but the first thing he did was snort. Luis de la Fuente also snorted, but with a smile, when the third question in that same press room alluded to what the tremendous performance his team had just put in place would unleash on the fans and the atmosphere. "Uffff. There's still a lot of work to be done. We have a lot to improve," he replied.

In the hours following the match, where Spain displayed one of its best nights in living memory, the comments turned to comparisons with other big matches ( the Euro 2012 final, the semi-final against Russia in 2008 , even the 12-1 win over Malta in, almost, black and white, etc.) and, above all, to the United States, Mexico and Canada, in relation to what will happen between June 11 and July 19 in those three countries. The World Cup.

There are 10 months left, but it's inevitable that everything that will happen before that date sounds inconsequential. There are two games left in October: in Elche against Georgia and in Valladolid against Bulgaria . Two more in November: one in Tbilisi against Georgia and another in Seville against Turkey . Then, in March, the "Finalísima" will almost certainly be played, the match between the European champion and the American champion. That Spain-Argentina match will almost certainly be the World Cup starter. It doesn't have a date or location, but it will be the last. After that, the World Cup.

And Spain will go there as the big favorite. At least, among the top two or three favorites. And Luis de la Fuente and his team know that. "That's going to be the hardest part, stemming the euphoria," said a member of the delegation who is very close to the coaching staff on Sunday night. "Of course, we have a lot of work ahead of us, we have many things to improve, and the players are the first to know that there are many things to improve," the coach said aloud.

In that sense, the youth of the squad is an element to consider. Players like Rodri and Morata are emerging there, having lost prominence on the pitch but still crucial to the national team. These two were, incidentally, instrumental in one of the details that also explains this group. Both came onto the pitch with fifteen minutes remaining, and the armband, worn by Unai Simón , should have gone to the striker, but Álvaro gave it to the midfielder, who has returned to the team a year later.

There's no shortage of reasons for optimism. Unai Simón is the dominant force in goal, and not even the arrival of Joan García is going to sway De la Fuente from his decision to invest in the Basque. In defense, Huijsen 's youth has made her undisputed, and even Laporte will have a tough time returning to his position. Cucurella is a fixture, and Carvajal, if he continues to improve, will regain his place.

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The midfield is an extreme example of this team's abundance. Yesterday, neither Rodri nor Fabián were there, but... who can take Zubimendi and Mikel Merino out now? And then Pedri. Spain's beacon of consistency was unimaginable just a year ago. Lamine provides the talent, and Oyarzabal provides the goals.

There are another 20-25 footballers waiting who don't look out of place every time they appear: so, off the cuff, one's mind goes to Balde, Gavi, Baena, Fermín, Ferran Torres, Ayoze , etc... A lot of elements that will have to be managed from now on, a moment in which comparisons also turn, with arguments, to the period between 2008 and 2012.

That team, aside from very specific moments like the aforementioned final in Kiev, was much less flashy than this one; more dynamic, more versatile, more beautiful, so to speak. And, until now, the collective imagination assumed that Luis and Del Bosque 's group included many players who were the best in the world in their positions, and that this isn't the case in De la Fuente's team. But even that is starting to change. Players like Huijsen, Carvajal, Rodri, Zubimendi, Pedri, and Lamine are indeed top-three in their positions worldwide. Another reason for euphoria.