Iñigo Martínez and Borja Iglesias are left out of the call of 26 footballers who will represent Spain in the World Cup
The inclusion of Ansu Fati and Hugo Guillamón is the main news that has brought about the “macanuda” list of 26 footballers who will represent Spain in the World Cup in Qatar that begins on November 20. Iñigo Martínez and Borja Iglesias, present in numerous pools, have finally been left out of the World Cup squad, like other candidates such as Sergio Ramos or Iago Aspas who always had far fewer ballots.
Luis Enrique bets on a continuation bloc, whose core is the same one that sealed Spain’s qualification for Qatar and the passport for the Final Four of the League of Nations that will host the Netherlands next June, where La Roja will fight for the title with Croatia, Italy and the hosts.
The average age of the troop, in which 17 players who already faced the last European Championship repeat, is 25.61 years and there are representatives of twelve different teams, although Barça takes the cake, which puts seven. Only six of those called up have World Cup experience: Busquets, Jordi Alba, Azpilicueta, Koke, Carvajal and Asensio.
There are no news in the goal, where the Asturian coach maintains blind faith in the trio set in March made up of Unai Simón, Robert Sánchez and David Raya. The Athletic goalkeeper has been a regular between the sticks since Lucho withdrew his trust from David de Gea and handed the keys to the Basque in a friendly against the Netherlands held in November 2020. Since then, the Murgia player has 27 caps and has only been lost two friendlies. The Brighton and Brentford goalkeepers are good complements because, as in the case of the player from Alava, the coach highly values the ability of both to start the game with their feet, despite the fact that their experience with La Roja is reduced to a duel for head.
There are also no big alterations in defense. Carvajal and Azpilicueta are the chosen ones for the right side, although the versatile Chelsea defender can also play as a central defender and thus offers another alternative within a demarcation in which Laporte is called to assume leadership. The City defender has been very reliable since he opted for La Roja at the gates of the last European Championship and his hierarchy is beyond doubt.
Along with the former Athletic player, the axis of the rear will have Eric García as custodian, usually in the eye of the hurricane but whom Luis Enrique defends tooth and nail, as well as Pau Torres and Hugo Guillamón, who wins the game against Iñigo Martínez and Diego Llorente largely because he also offers an alternative as a midfielder. Jordi Alba and José Luis Gayà will compete for the left-handed flank, a position for which the options of Balde or Marcos Alonso also emerged, but in which these two heavyweight veterans have made their experience count.
Busquets will take the handle
Luis Enrique bets on his classics in midfield. The helm will once again correspond to Busquets, the sole survivor of the generation that catapulted Spain into the sky twelve years ago in South Africa. The one in Qatar will be the fourth and last World Cup for the pivot from Badía del Vallés, who will have Rodrigo Hernández as a replacement.
Pedri and Gavi, also from Barcelona, start with an advantage when it comes to escorting Busquets in what will be a World Cup debut for the two youngsters through whose legs and head a good part of the present and, above all, of the future of the Spanish team passes.
Carlos Soler, Koke and Marcos Llorente complete the list of midfielders chosen by Luis Enrique, who rewards performance with the Valencian national team despite the fact that he has only made four starts so far this season with PSG and also of the two Madrid footballers , weighed down in the first stretch of the season by various physical mishaps.
Morata will once again be the beacon up front. The Atlético striker shares with Fernando Morientes the sixth step in the ranking of historical scorers of the Spanish team with 27 goals in 57 games and certified La Roja’s ticket to Qatar with that target against Sweden in La Cartuja that avoided the dreaded play-off.
The Atlético striker is the only pure nine within an offensive front in which versatile wingers such as Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo, Sarabia or Yéremy Pino appear, offering solutions of all kinds and in which Marco Asensio and Ansu Fati emerge as differential elements . The Real Madrid footballer won over Luis Enrique with his commitment in the June call for the League of Nations and his latest performances with the League and European champions have reinforced his credentials.
For his part, the azulgrana pearl returns to the national team after running out of minutes in the June window and that Lucho did not call him up in September. Since then, he has played twelve games with Barça that have opened a gap for him ‘in extremis’ in the expedition to Qatar. Nico Williams, who convinced as an agitator in his first two appearances with La Roja at the end of September, will also have a seat in it.
Luis Enrique’s 26 Praetorians will meet on Monday at the Ciudad del Fútbol in Las Rozas and on Tuesday they will head to Amman, where on Thursday they will face Jordan in the only friendly match prior to the World Cup. Spain will debut in the World Cup on the 23rd, against Costa Rica. On the 27th they will have a litmus test against Germany and will close the first phase on December 1 facing Japan.
The 26 summoned by Luis Enrique
-
Goalkeepers:
Unai Simón (Athletic), Robert Sánchez (Brighton) and David Raya (Brentford). -
Defenses:
Carvajal (Real Madrid), Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Eric Garcia (Barcelona), Hugo Guillamón (Valencia), Laporte (M. City), Pau Torres (Villarreal), Jordi Alba (Barcelona) and Gayà (Valencia). -
Midfielders:
Busquets (Barcelona), Rodrigo (M. City), Pedri (Barcelona), Gavi (Barcelona), Koke (Atlético), Marcos Llorente (Atlético) and Carlos Soler (PSG). -
Forwards:
Morata (Atlético), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), Nico Williams (Athletic), Sarabia (PSG), Marco Asensio (Real Madrid), Yéremy Pino (Villarreal) and Ansu Fati (Barcelona).
#Luis #Enrique #includes #Ansu #Fati #Guillamón #macanuda #list