Early years De la Fuente's first managerial job was at
Portugalete, in
the regional leagues. In summer 2000, he was appointed at
Segunda División B club
Aurrerá de Vitoria, but was sacked in March of the following year in spite of a seventh place in the table. After a spell back at Sevilla (academy), de la Fuente returned to Athletic. Initially a manager of the youths and the reserves, he also acted as match delegate for two years before returning to his previous duties. On 13 July 2011, de la Fuente was named Alavés coach, being dismissed on 17 October.
Spain youths On 5 May 2013, de la Fuente was appointed at the helm of the
Spain under-19 team, who won the
2015 UEFA European Championship in Greece. He became manager of the
under-21 side in July 2018, after
Albert Celades resigned. His first competition was the
2019 European Championship in Italy, conquered after the
2–1 final defeat of
Germany in
Udine. On 8 June 2021, de la Fuente and his team filled in as the
Spain senior side for a
UEFA Euro 2020 friendly against
Lithuania, after the aforementioned squad had gone into isolation when
Sergio Busquets tested positive for
COVID-19. They won 4–0 in
Leganés. De la Fuente was also in charge of the
Spanish Olympic team at the delayed
2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. His side won the silver medal, losing 2–1 to
Brazil in
the final.
Spain senior On 8 December 2022, de la Fuente was appointed head coach of the senior side, as
Luis Enrique resigned following a round-of-16
penalty shootout elimination at the
2022 FIFA World Cup by
Morocco. He was officially presented four days later, with a contract running until
UEFA Euro 2024 with the option to be extended. De la Fuente won 3–0 in a
European qualifier at home to
Norway in his first game on 25 March 2023, with two goals by 32-year-old debutant
Joselu. He led the country to victory in the
2022–23 UEFA Nations League (a first ever), defeating
Croatia 5–4 on penalties following a
0–0 draw in
Rotterdam. Spain finished the Euro 2024 group stage in first place, scoring five goals and conceding none. De la Fuente's side went on to claim the trophy in
Berlin with seven wins in as many matches, beating
England 2–1 in
the final. In January 2025, de la Fuente extended his contract until the end of
Euro 2028. ==Style of coaching==