/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/O5CR26CM6BCWDWTCG37ISXC2XI.jpg "Luis Enrique recovers Ansu Fati | sports")
The return of Barça player Ansu Fati to the national team, called up for the first time after being out for more than a year due to injury, and those of Real Madrid player Carvajal and Brahim Díaz (Milan) are the main novelties of Luis Enrique’s list for the matches against Greece, on November 11 in Athens, and Sweden, three days later in Seville. To ensure direct qualification to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Spain must win both games.
???????? DON’T CHANGE CHANNELS !!
????????♂️???????? @ LUISENRIQUE21 is at the controls of the VOR room of the Ciudad del Fútbol of Las Rozas to show you on the screens the 2⃣5⃣ selected to play the DECISIVE matches against Greece and Sweden.
???????? ¡¡# VamosEspaña????????!! #Catar2022 pic.twitter.com/Kt4uWMxL12
– Spanish Soccer Team (@SeFutbol) November 5, 2021
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Spain has not been absent from a World Cup since 1974, played in Germany. Luis Enrique does not deny that pressure surrounds the two momentous appointments. “These two games generate pressure on me, much more than the final four of the Nations League, which I already said was a prize. I hope not to transmit that pressure to my players, “said the Spanish coach yesterday. “We need to win both games and we depend on ourselves. Greece cost us in the first game. Now they have changed and are more solid. The second is a direct rival that has cost us to bend. In Sweden we didn’t deserve to lose. We have the opportunity to be in the World Cup and of course there is pressure. We have a young team but with a powerful background and the veterans give us peace of mind. It’s a mix very complete ”, added the technician.
Faced with the casualties of three usual forwards on their lists (Ferran Torres, Oyarzabal and Gerard Moreno), the return of Ansu Fati, after another year of absence due to injury, relieved Luis Enrique. The Barça forward is one of the legs on which the Gijon coach intends to build the team that goes to Qatar if Spain certifies his pass. However, for these two games, the coach warned that he will be extremely careful with Fati for the short time he has been competing. “We are going to be very careful with the players who may come with any discomfort. His is a special case, he had been away for many months. Now he has been participating for a while, but we are not going to take risks. It is normal that it is not one hundred percent. We are going to try to generate confidence in him so that he can help us ”, warned Luis Enrique.
The return of Dani Carvajal guarantees the coach the presence of a natural right-back, once Azpilicueta is being more like a central defender at Chelsea and Marcos Llorente is out due to injury. Pedri, also due to injury, is the other great absence. “If he hadn’t been injured, Carvajal would never have been absent. I am very happy to have him back at his level. I know that he has made changes in his diet and other things that are going to help him ”, said Luis Enrique about the Real Madrid player. With his summons, a Real Madrid player returns to the national team 235 days later. The last one was Sergio Ramos, quoted in March 2021. “There are artificial, senseless and ridiculous controversies, such as missing players from a certain team when in all the calls there have been four or five from that quarry,” he settled Luis Enrique. Brahim Díaz himself, who faces his first call, is on loan from Real Madrid to Milan: “He is a midfielder and we do not use that position, but he gives us many options. It can be adapted to one of the two bands because it masters both legs. He can even play indoor and false nine ”. He has a goal, fantasy, last pass and we will work to improve his defensive side ”.
The recovery of Jordi Alba and Gayá has left Marcos Alonso out. With the Chelsea side, Luis Enrique had a deference that is not usually usual. This is the time I have been the most unfair to a player. I have analyzed everything in depth and small details make me think that both Gayá and Jordi are going to help us a lot. Marcos could have come and started both games ”.
In need of strikers, Luis Enrique has pulled Rodrigo Moreno, whom he had not summoned for a year: “Now he plays more, he is more successful and more agile. I know him and I know that he will be very motivated ”.
The list of 25 players is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Unai Simón (Athletic), De Gea (Manchester United), Robert Sánchez (Brighton).
Defenses: Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Carvajal (Real Madrid), Laporte (Manchester City), Eric García (Barcelona), Pau Torres (Villarreal), Íñigo Martínez (Athletic), Jordi Alba (Barcelona) and Gayá (Valencia).
Midfielders: Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Gavi (Barcelona), Soler (Valencia), Koke (Atlético de Madrid) and Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad).
Forwards: Sarabia (Sporting Portugal), Yeremi Pino (Villarreal), Rodrigo (Leeds United), Morata (Juventus), Fornals (West Ham), Dani Olmo (Leipzig), Ansu Fati (Barcelona) and Brahim Díaz (Milan)
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