New Spain coach Luis de la Fuente introduced again Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga together with a number of veteran gamers on Friday when he introduced his first squad since changing Luis Enrique forward of European championship qualifiers.
De la Fuente solely caught with 11 gamers that Luis Enrique took to final 12 months’s World Cup, when Spain disillusioned with a penalty-shootout loss to Morocco within the spherical of 16.
The group of World Cup gamers who have been dropped included the Barcelona quartet of Jordi Alba, Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati and Éric García, together with Atlético Madrid midfielders Koke Resurrección and Marcos Llorente, and Real Madrid ahead Marco Asensio.
In got here Iago Aspas, Celta Vigo’s 35-year-old striker who made his 18th and final look for Spain in 2019. Real Madrid defender Nacho Fernández, 33, returns for the primary time since 2018.
Kepa is on the squad for the primary time since 2020. Athletic Bilbao goalie Unai Simón, Spain’s starter on the World Cup and the final European Championship, is injured.
Spain hosts Norway in Malaga on March 25 earlier than enjoying Scotland in Glasgow three days later within the first qualifiers for the 2024 European Championship in Germany. Georgia and Cyprus are additionally in Group A.
Madrid’s Dani Ceballos, Bilbao defender Iñigo Martínez, and Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino, are all additionally again after lacking the World Cup. Two strikers, Villarreal’s Gerard Moreno and Sociedad’s Mikel Oyarzabal, have been recalled after they missed the event in Qatar resulting from harm.
De la Fuente discovered his alternative for retired holding midfielder Sergio Busquets in Sociedad’s Martín Zubimendi, who has just one cap.
Espanyol striker Joselu Mato, who has scored 12 targets within the Spanish league this season, could make his worldwide debut at age 32. The identical goes for Osasuna’s 29-year-old heart again David García.
Four younger gamers who performed on the World Cup — youngsters Alejandro Balde (19) and Gavi (18) and 20-year-olds Pedri and Nico Williams — remained on the 26-man squad.
The 61-year-old De la Fuente, a former left again with Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao, helped Spain’s Under-19 squad win the European Championship in 2015, and the Under-21 group do the identical in 2019. He additionally coached Spain’s Olympic group when it gained silver on the Tokyo Games.
He is aware of a number of gamers from their spells with Spain’s junior groups, however mentioned that didn’t affect his picks.
“We have not looked to the past, we are looking to the present and future,” he mentioned.
De la Fuente has declared himself a “defender of Spain’s playing style” based mostly on ball possession.
SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea), Robert Sánchez (Brighton) David Raya (Brentford).
Defenders: José Luis Gayà (Valencia), Alejandro Balde (Barcelona), Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City), Íñigo Martínez (Athletic Bilbao), Nacho Fernández (Real Madrid), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), David García (Osasuna), Pedro Porro (Tottenham).
Midfielders: Rodri Hernández (Manchester City), Martín Zubimendi (Real Sociedad), Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad), Pedri González (Barcelona), Gavi Páez (Barcelona), Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain), Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid).
Forwards: Álvaro Morata (Atlético Madrid), Dani Olmo (Leipzig), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Bryan Gil (Sevilla), Mikel Oyazarbal (Real Sociedad), Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo), Joselu (Espanyol), Gerard Moreno (Villarreal).
Source web site: sportstar.thehindu.com
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