Luis de la Fuente gave his first squad list for the Euro qualifiers against Norway and Scotland on Friday. Some of them make their debut in a Red squad, many others return to the national team and the coach from La Rioja explains the reasons for their presence on the list. And he also talks about some who could not be there.
Unai Simon. «He knows that we have him, he has been with me for many years. The three goalkeepers start in the same position and will have to earn it.”
Kepa “He has more experience than the rest [Robert Sánchez y David Raya] in the national team but you have to earn the position. I have a first idea but I will wait for the performance on a day-to-day basis.”
Nacho.«Now he is in a great moment and I have considered it appropriate to summon him because he fits perfectly in what we are going to demand from players in that demarcation. Not to mention the versatility that he has, as he has shown in his team ».
gayá. «A very beautiful thing happens to me with him. He was in the first call I gave in 2013. I know his potential. We studied the dynamics and now Gayá and Valencia are on the rise. He comes with morale and he is a footballer who never fails and adapts to the idea of the game that we have ».
David Garcia. “He is running a fantastic campaign. You deserve to have this opportunity. I have followed him a lot, he gives us a different touch than other colleagues in that demarcation in which I want to have alternatives.
Bucket. “I see him with fantastic potential. It is under development, it still has a lot to grow and demonstrate. We are not seeing anything close to the best Bucket because he is still in training. He is very young, but he has a great performance and knows how to be in a club as important as Barcelona ».
The Norman. “It is a decision that you make freely [jugar con España]. To play with the national team there are three premises, which are: that he be selectable, that he wants to be there and that we call him.
Busquets. «I wish we had him, he is a legend and he has a long way to go. We would have liked to continue counting on him but his decision is respectable ».
ceballos. «Every time he goes out to the Bernabéu he turns it upside down. I talk a lot with him, we have a fantastic relationship. I celebrate his good timing, that he is playing everything he plays and his behavior. In [los Juegos Olímpicos de Tokio] We had an unpleasant situation, he was injured in the first game and it was difficult for him to understand an accident that happens in football. With his participation we could have won gold at the Games, although he tasted like glory silver. We celebrate that he is back and I love working with him again ».
Fabian.“He has fantastic strength as he continually shows at PSG”.
Zubimendi (and Rodri). «I like the midfielders to be balance players, who give consistency to the team. We have two of the best specialists in the world, like Rodri and Zubimendi. They give peace of mind, they do not lose their position, they give balance to the team, they are the beacon, the point on which the rest of the team turns. They are key to correcting any tactical mismatch.”
Asensio. «He is not there, but the relationship I have with him is known. I ask him and all the players who don’t come to work harder every day, to fight to be better, to grow and to be ambitious, with the capacity for sacrifice. He will be good for them first and then for the national team ».
Bryan Gil. «It has characteristics that allow you to revolutionize the last twenty minutes of the games. It is an extreme of those that few remain ».
Iago Aspas. “He is a great footballer for me and for any coach. Surely for Luis Enrique too. It means bringing a player at a great moment, with different registers, that he can play in different demarcations and that we want to see in different scenarios. He gives us many possibilities ».