The 2010 World Cup champion has released their squad for WC 2022. Sapin is always a serious participant in the World Cup, but given the squad they have, it seems doubtful they are a contender for the title in this edition of the World Cup. It's complex to describe their squad's quality.
Spain has done well under Luiz Enrique in pre-World Cup friendlies but, surprisingly he has left out a few big names from his squad, like Sergio Ramos, David de Gea, and Thiago Alcantara.
Let's take a look at Spains 26 men's squad :
The Defense :
Sergio Ramos has failed to impress Enrique despite his return to form this season in PSG after he was struggling with injuries in the last season. Though Spain has quite a good defense line Azpilicueta, Pau Torres, Dani Carvajal, Eric Garcia, Jordi Alba, Laporte, etc. Dani Carvajal will surely be the favorite to start at the right-back position, Jordi Alba on the left, and Laporte & Eric Garcia a very good blend of youth and experienced, both quality defenders as the Centre Back.
Yet somewhere it feels the experience and leadership quality could have made this defense more compact and challenging. Players from Ramos's current club have reacted too in social media about the decision to drop Ramos.
Moreover, a generation of fans who have grown up seeing him play on the pitch and ruthlessly destroy the quality and big attacking lineups while playing for Real Madrid and Spain are surely going to miss him a lot.
Their Midfield
Spain has got loads of talent in their midfield, but players like Pedri and Gavi who are already shining stars are too young and inexperienced to handle the pressure of a competition of this stature. Sergio Busquets hasn't been able to play well for Barcelona recently and is being heavily criticized for his lack of physicality despite being a CDM. Obviously, Rodri will be more than enough to cover for the inexperience, given the pressure he has been dealing with in Man City and Carlos Soler of PSG is in good form but still leaving out a player like Thiago who is a perfect No 10/ playmaker can cost Spain in the Knockout rounds, when they will face tough opponents. Then there is Koke from Atletico Madrid who has lots of experience but he has not been in great form recently.
Sergio Busquets | Barcelona |
Marcos Lorente | Athletico Madrid |
Pedri | Barcelona |
Rodri | Man City |
Koke | Athletico Madrid |
Gavi | Barcelona |
Carlos Soler | PSG |
Spain's Attack.
Spain's attack cannot be doubted as they have got the likes of Ferran Torres, Marco Asensio, Pablo Sarabia & Ansu Fati. Marco Asensio has surprised everyone after some fantastic performances lately for Real Madrid in Laliga, at a time when he is no more a favorite to start in Real Madrid's starting XI. These forwards are quite capable of putting the opposition's defenses in trouble.
David de Gea will be absent between the sticks
It came as a shock to the football followers and the Manchester United fans as well, after David de Gea has been dropped from Spain's 26-man squad. David de Gea may not be a ball-playing keeper or a sweeper keeper but in terms of shot-stopping ability, he is one of the bests. Apart from Cristiano Ronaldo, he is the reason why United could finish in the top 10 last season, he is the reason why Manchester United has been able to keep themselves relevant in Premier League.
As a United fan, I feel for him. In the last few matches de Gea has made some outstanding saves and has saved United from the face of defeat. Also under the Ten Hag system, he is slowly adapting and learning to be a ball-playing Keeper which is essential for a build-up from the back system, just like Spain does. Leaving de Gea out can be a huge mistake as he could have been the savior for Spain on a bad day in the FIFA 2022 World Cup.
To me the exclusion of Ramos, Thiago, and de Gea came as a big shock as may be as a football fan I wanted Ramos to play one last time, and as a United fan, I want de Gea to play given his contribution at the goal for all these years and Thiago an asset in midfield who could have turned around a game with one clever key pass in the final third.
Thank you for visiting our Blog. Keep visiting for more interesting articles and enjoy the Fifa Worldcup as some great players may be playing this tournament for one last time.
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