The Spanish coach manages a reasonably defined group of players, albeit with some doubts and a handful of candidates
The League of Nations is already history. With a great taste in his mouth for qualifying for the last four achieved against Portugal in Braga, but without losing any time, Luis Enrique turns the page and speculates to draw up the definitive list of players who will represent Spain at the World Cup in Qatar. There is still room until November 13, the deadline to pass on the list of the chosen ones, but he will no longer have the chance to see his footballers in action and will have to be guided by the sensations received in recent days and also by what he sees in the league of clubs.
“The most difficult decision for me as a coach is coming, and that is taking important players out of the World Cup,” Lucho predicted at the press conference after the victory in the Iberian duel. Happy with what he has accomplished but aware that the most important thing is still ahead, the Asturian coach is already brooding in his indecipherable thoughts about some of the tough decisions he still has to make.
And it is that the Spanish coach already has a list of regular players for Qatar that has called up more than half of the maximum 26, but beyond that hard core there is still debate among some of those who have for this latest FIFA window. called and the candidates who are not here, but are striving to join the elect in the moment of truth. In fact, it is still not certain that he will call 26, 25 or 24 players.
The only line that already seems immobile is the target. Who has seen and who sees the Spanish Arch, which caused so much controversy not so long ago and is now an oil raft. Gone are the thousands of discussions about the convenience of betting on David de Gea or Kepa Arrizabalaga. Unai Simón arrived, aroused suspicion but consolidated from less to more after a European Championship, in line with the team’s performance in the tournament. The Athletic goalkeeper is indisputable and his squires Robert Sanchez and David Raya, two Premier Seal goalkeepers, will also be in the World Cup if there is no shock in the form of injury.
The defense is already another matter. Luis Enrique considers the defense his “strongest line”, but beyond the coach’s words outwardly, the performance of the rearguard raises doubts. Eric García and Pau Torres have many chances to become World Cup players, although their performance against Switzerland has been debatable and both lack some strength in the air game. The Barca centre-back was one of the sacked players in Portugal and the Villarreal player significantly improved his performance.
Worse are Hugo Guillamón, a starter in Braga but substituted at halftime, and Diego Llorente, unprecedented in this selection window and with Luis Enrique even resorting to Rodri in his position. Aymeric Laporte will be a fixture once he has fully recovered from his injury and Iñigo Martínez has options, far more than the experience of Sergio Ramos, the disgraced former captain, and the tireless Raul Albiol. “Laporte is very important to us and we look forward to seeing him play for his club again,” Luis Enrique summed up the Manchester City defender’s hierarchy, given the conditions of the Spain leader in the defensive field, clearly together.
Carvajal and Azpilicueta appear to be the owners of the right lane and Barça Bellerín have few options to discuss this condition. On the left, however, the picture changes significantly as Jordi Alba and Gaya face serious threats in the current performances of Barcelona players Alejandro Balde and Marcos Alonso and Chelsea side Marc Cucurella, who trades very highly in the demanding Premier League.
In the center of the field, the motor of the Spanish game, Busquets and Rodri are in control of the square as midfielders. The engine room commanders are guided by the undisputed talent of Gavi and Pedri, a pair of rough diamonds who made it very clear in the final stretch of the duel in Portugal that doing mischief without their mischief is practically insane right now. From there, Soler, Koke and the versatile Marcos Llorente start with a lead, but Thiago Alcántara, a struggling regular, and Sergio Canales cannot be ruled out. Another thing is Fabián Ruiz, with the talent to gain a foothold, but oddly scrapped a long time ago.
Though no doubt most debates and controversies now center on the attack front. Morata is the reference here, as he made clear in Braga. Ferran Torres and Sarabia, the starting wingers against Switzerland and Portugal, are aiming for the list despite the former’s poor form. Other than that trident, everything is unknown. In Asensio, the coach has confidence at a low moment and that shows confidence in his game. For his part, Yémery Pino has been chosen as a frequent trigger for his verticality, while Borja Iglesias will largely depend on the option to include three specific strikers on the list.
At the moment, still with the memorable performance of Nico Williams on the retina, it seems difficult to give up his overflow, but Luis Enrique fully relies on Ansu Fati, Dani Olmo and Gerard Moreno, three absent due to physical problems in this window . Particularly complicated is the case of the Barça star, tormented by injuries and unable to recover the physical tone that allowed him to break through as a giant in Spanish football. “I need to see Ansu Fati at his club to see if he can get back to his level and come to the national team,” he explained in this regard, making it clear that he has the options to call him up until the last minute. will hurry.
Iago Aspas and Raúl de Tomás are other common names in the groups, although their chances are practically nil, as the former is not to Luis Enrique’s liking and the latter can only play in the winter market.
Source: La Verdad
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