Sergio Busquets seemed invisible, always forgotten in the glamorous individual awards, the showcase of modern football. His successor in charge of Spain, however, did not. Rodri inherited the leadership on the field in La Roja, but not the discretion of the current Inter Miami footballer. He won, for example, the MVP of the Euro Cup that the Spanish team won in Berlin and is one of the contenders to win the next Ballon d’Or. It happened, however, that in his best media moment he broke his knee. An injury that keeps him away from the galas, but that leaves City and the Spanish team orphaned of football. “We don’t have any player who looks like him,” stressed Pep Guardiola. Luis de la Fuente agreed with the Catalan coach: “Rodri is irreplaceable, he is the best in the world.” “But,” added the La Roja coach in the preview of the duels against Denmark (October 12 in Murcia) and Serbia (October 15 in Córdoba), “we are fortunate to have the second best in his position.” . De la Fuente was talking about Zubimendi. A similar situation had happened in the past, between Rodri and Busquets.
Busquets was not invisible to his coaches, on the contrary. “If I were a player, I would like to look like Sergio Busquets,” said Vicente del Bosque. “The best, knows how to read everything that happens,” added Guardiola. And De la Fuente also remembered it this Friday. “If Busquets hadn’t retired, we probably wouldn’t have seen Rodri,” recalled the Spain coach. “Well, now unfortunately because of the injury, we will have the chance to see other footballers who can show their potential. This usually happens in clubs and in the national team: there are players so good that they block the progress of others. I am very calm in that sense with Martín [Zubimendi]with Aleix [García]with Marc Roca and with Pepelu.”
De la Fuente thinks about the future, but without forgetting the present. And his priority is to take care of Rodri. The coach frequently calls the City midfielder, Spain’s second captain. “He is in the process of assimilating the injury. He has an incredible spirit and spirit. There is talk of seven, eight or nine months of recovery, but we have to see how it evolves. Because of how Rodri is, I am convinced that he will shorten those deadlines.” De la Fuente also has three other players in the infirmary: Unai Simón, Le Normand and Olmo. He thinks, in any case, that footballers’ injuries cannot be associated with their participation in their respective teams.
“I’m going to give you some information,” said the coach. “FIFA,” continued De la Fuente, “has done a study and the percentage that the team’s minutes represent with respect to the clubs is 3%. If I were in a club, I would establish a different dynamic, but here we have four windows and we have to get the best players. We are never responsible. Furthermore, we always put the footballer’s health first. Many times you don’t know the reasons why players don’t come. And it is usually to preserve your health. Let’s be responsible, decisions are always to benefit Spanish football.”
De la Fuente, then, does not plan to give a rest to Lamine Yamal (17 years old and 10 games in the season), nor to Nico Williams (22 and nine). He will have no choice, in any case, but to find a replacement for Carvajal due to his suspension for the duel against Denmark. “As Dani is suspended, we have to cover that gap. I like to have the positions doubled and that is why there are more defenders, to cover that loss,” the coach justified the presence of nine defenders on the list, precisely Pedro Porro and Pau Cubarsí the main surprises on the new Spanish list.
A call to which Morata, Merino and Baena also return. However, Samu Omorodion, who shines for Porto, still has to wait to join the senior team. “It’s on our radar. He has a great future in Spanish football. He had to not be there, but he could have been there,” said the coach about the forward, who will be alongside Santi Denia in the U-21 team. “We will have to try to get the best out of it. We are delighted to have him. Last year he came to all the calls and has been in the Games. He is still a boy from 2004. He is going to have a great career in the Federation. “I am delighted with him for his work with the group,” said the La Rojita coach.
Without Omorodion, but with the return of Morata. Without Rodri, but with Zubimendi. La Roja returns to Spain to continue defending its title in the Nations League after having tied against Serbia in Belgrade (0-0) and beating Switzerland in Geneva (1-4).
The list of summoned
Goalkeepers: Álex Remiro, David Raya and Robert Sánchez.
Defenses: Pau Torres, Laporte, Dani Vivian, Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Grimaldo, Pau Cubarsí, Óscar Mingueza, Pedro Porro and Dani Carvajal.
Midfielders: Aleix García, Martín Zubimendi, Álex Baena, Fabián Ruiz, Mikel Merino and Pedri.
Fronts: Álvaro Morata, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Nico Williams, Mikel Oyarzabal, Yeremi Pino and Joselu.
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