Eduardo J. Castelao Madrid
Madrid
Updated Wednesday, March 27, 2024-15:35
Chronicle. Lamine eclipses Vinicius
Controversy. "I'm ashamed to hear those whistles"
Luis de la Fuente
was very serious in the Bernabéu press room. In the early hours of Tuesday to Wednesday, the coach wanted to leave a clear and public message:
«I cannot understand that the captain of the national team in Spain is whistled. "Those whistles make me ashamed
," he said. He did it after trying to lift
Álvaro Morata
's spirits
in the locker room, as did the rest of his teammates, screwed by the whistles that the Atlético de Madrid forward received. The coaching staff is now concerned about the player's state of mind, prone to discouragement during many phases of his career, and despite the last few weeks, he is going through his best scoring season. He has 20 hits with Atlético and four more with the national team. Of course, in the last two months he has only scored one, so Las Rozas are watching with concern what his future will be like in these last nine League games and the remaining Champions League games. Of course, if he is not injured, he is one of the 20 permanent players for the Euro Cup, broken down like this.
Goal
Kepa
out
of the fight, and unless one of the three is injured and suffers a very striking decline, the three goalkeepers who have been in this March window will be the ones who travel to Germany. The figure of
Unai Simón
is indisputable
, and that beyond the rude error committed against Brazil, when he gave a ball to Rodrygo for trying to make a play. "Unai is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, what has happened is the circumstances of the game," he explained on Tuesday. Behind him, the starter without a doubt, will be
David Raya
, owner of a fantastic season at Arsenal, and
Remiro
, in the same situation at Real Sociedad.
Defending
Here you have to discern between laterals and centrals. By order. On the right side, there are two clear spaces.
Carvajal
, starter, and
Jesús Navas
, although the latter's performance has left doubts, and Pedro Porro could come in, leaving even more doubts, so Navas remains ahead. On the left side, if the injuries that plague him leave him,
Gayá
appears , a priori as a starter, and
Grimaldo
, since his contest against Colombia was the highlight.
Cucurella
wasn't bad
against Brazil either, but the Leverkusen side was more decisive. And then there are the center backs.
Le Normand and Laporte
are the regulars and, furthermore, starters. And there is a third place, since De la Fuente is in favor, a priori, of carrying only three and then using, for example, Carvajal or
Rodri
for an emergency. That third place is disputed.
Iñigo Martínez or David García
, Barça and Osasuna started with an advantage
, but the emergence of
Pau Cubarsí
increases the candidates. The boy has only appeared as a testimonial in this camp, but if between now and the end of the season he continues to be a starter for Barcelona, and the team continues to improve as it has in the last month, he has many options. It is, in any case, one of the only three doubts that the coach has today.
Luis de la Fuente.KIKO HUESCAEFE
Midfield
We continue with clear ideas.
Rodri, Zubimendi, Fabián, Mikel Merino and Oian Sancet
are those chosen not to move from the call. From there, everything will depend on the figure of
Pedri
. Injured again, Luis de la Fuente has not been able to count on him in the 12 months he has been coach. However, if he comes fit at the end of the season, he has a guaranteed spot. Gavi's absence has already been assumed by the coaching staff. If Pedri does not arrive in conditions, then it could be another midfielder (
Álex Baena
, for example) or incorporate one more striker, a more than real option given the change in system that he has tried in these March games, playing with a 4-2- 3-1 instead of the 4-3-3 that he had been using. The figure of the playmaker opens up that option.
Lamine Yamal.PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOUAFP
Lead
There is also an extensive list of landlines.
Nico Williams, Dani Olmo, Morata, Joselu, and Oyarzabal and Lamine Yamal
. With these accounts, and if De la Fuente adds a sixth midfielder, there would be one place left, for which
Ferran Torres and Marco Asensio
were fighting until not long ago . It happens that both of them have a last-minute competitor who may even have an advantage.
Gerard Moreno
had a good game against Colombia in London and the versatility that he offers to be able to play inside and out, his ability to associate and his resources have placed him on the starting ramp. Both Ferran and Asensio have had a season marked by physical mishaps.
Lamine Yamal's performance on Tuesday at the Bernabéu, where he was applauded, has catapulted him to stardom. Surely the only truly differential player in the last third of the field will play wide on the right, and there the possibilities multiply. Dani Olmo in the midfield is a weakness of the coach, who always also plays with a center forward. Depending on all these variables, he will decide on a sixth midfielder or an eighth winger-forward. But always looking forward.
In June, two more friendlies
At the expense of exceptional circumstances that change our minds, it is normal that the list of 23 players who will go to the Euro Cup is known on Friday, May 24, just before the last day of the League. It has not been decided, and it is not ruled out that Luis de la Fuente will finally offer the call on Monday, once the championship is over. What does seem clear is that the concentration will begin during the first weekend of June, also depending on how many Spanish players are in the Champions League final, which will be played on Saturday 1. Whatever it is, what is confirmed is that the team will play two last friendlies in June. On day 5 in Badajoz against Andorra and on day 8 in a place to be determined against Northern Ireland. On Sunday the 9th they will travel to Germany to concentrate.