LAS ROZAS (MADRID), March 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The national soccer coach, Luis de la Fuente, described this Friday his first list as “very versatile”, more aimed at “the present and the future” and with a profile of players who can “quickly” integrate into the idea he wants to impose , while, regarding the innovations introduced, it is clear to him that Iago Aspas “is a great footballer for any coach, surely also for Luis Enrique”.
“It is a very versatile list. When I make one I don’t think about where I come from, we have been working hard for three months, we have been walking a path that we knew and discovering new things, but we have not pulled from the past because we are aware of the present and the future”, De la Fuente stated at a press conference.
The man from La Rioja wants to “create an environment” in which “everyone” can feel “comfortable and involved, with a cohesive group and he stressed that he feels “calm and safe” with this list “because of the talent and capacity of this group”. .
In addition, he warned that there is “no one untouchable” because there is “a lot of competition.” “On each list, those who at any given time we believe will give us what we ask for immediately will have to come. This is a highly agreed list and it covers all expectations and scenarios. What we are looking for first is that they have a selection profile because They will quickly integrate into our idea,” he said.
Regarding the novelties, he referred to Iago Aspas, “a great footballer for any coach, surely also for Luis (Enrique)”. “We believe that he is in a great moment, he gives us different registers and within many scenarios he fulfills many possibilities,” he explained from Moaña.
“David García is having a fantastic campaign and he deserves to have an opportunity, he gives us a different touch in that area”, he remarked about the Osasuna center-back, while Nacho Fernández pointed out that he is “in a great moment”. “He fits what we are going to demand from the defenders and he has versatility. Besides, he is one of the few players on the list that I have not had the opportunity to meet,” he said.
In this sense, with a view to renewing the position of central defender, he pointed out that he did not know “if forcefulness was lacking”. “I interpret what we need for that position and I think that those on the list allow us better and different registers to face these different matches,” he said, confirming that the Spanish-French Robin Le Normand “wants to play” with the national team and that is one of the basic premises to be able to quote him.
In the middle, Martí Zubimendi has entered, a “specialist” and who together with Rodri Hernández are “one of the best in the world” in their position, and Fabián Ruiz and Dani Ceballos have returned, on whom he has “total and absolute confidence” . “Fabián gives us a lot of strength and Dani every time he comes out, he turns the Bernabéu upside down,” he highlighted, celebrating that the Real Madrid player is “back” after having experienced “an unpleasant situation” in Tokyo 2020 with the injury of he. “It was hard for him to understand that these things happen because he was very excited about the Games,” confessed the man from Haro after the Utrerano’s criticism of the national team’s doctors.
“MAKING A LIST IS COSTLY, YOU HAVE TO EVALUATE ALL THE SCENARIOS”
De la Fuente has not yet decided who will occupy the goal instead of the injured Unai Simón, although he did not hide that Kepa Arrizabalaga is the one with the “most experience” he has. “But everyone must earn a position, we are going to wait for the day-to-day performance,” he pointed out.
Above, the coach explained that with Aspas, Joselu, Gerard Moreno and Álvaro Morata they have “guaranteed more than 40 goals”, and that the entry of Sevilla player Bryan Gil is largely due to the fact that “he can revolutionize everything in the last 20 minutes”. and that it is “an extreme of those that few remain”.
The coach also praised Alejandro Balde, who has “a lot to grow and improve” and who doesn’t even see “something close” to his best version. On the left side he will compete with a José Luis Gayà who is “in a slightly upward dynamic” despite the delicate situation of Valencia and who “is solvent and never fails”.
De la Fuente said that, “in some cases”, it may happen that players who barely play cannot come, and asked those who are absent from this first list to “continue working harder every day and to be ambitious in their growth.”
“Making a call is an expensive job, you have to assess many scenarios. There are some who with a few minutes have a behavior on the field that others do not have with more and are capable of revolutionizing a game. That is the balance that must be sought. Of course it’s hard for me to leave people out, but I’m lucky to be able to make three or four very competitive teams,” added the man from Haro.
He wished that “hopefully” he could have Sergio Busquets, but he has no doubt that “leaders are going to appear”. “It doesn’t worry me, I know this group very well and I have never lacked an image of a leader on the field,” he confessed, pointing out that he wants to give “a personal touch” to the group of captains where he will also respect internationalities.
The one from Haro also spoke of his first rival, Norway, “a great team” beyond having Erling Haaland. “We are going to try to minimize his virtues. We all know Halaand, he is the fashionable striker and the most important in world football, but I am concerned about our players, who are as good as the best in the world. We will try to take the initiative and impose our conditions, being faithful to our idea,” he said.
Finally, De la Fuente confirmed that he will reopen training sessions to the public, starting on Monday afternoon at 7:00 p.m. “We are on a new path and this happens because the fans feel very close to us because we are going to need their support,” he declared.