In Barcelona and in the Spanish national team, Andrés Iniesta (116 internationals), Sergio Busquets (95) and Gerard Piqué (86) are still basic pillars in the new era of the Spanish football team under Julen Lopetegui.
The three players are fixed in the scheme of Lopetegui, who took over the team last July, despite the fact that, except for Piqué, the other two are not going through their best season.
The injuries have weighed the campaign of Busquets and Iniesta, but this does not prevent Lopetegui trust fully in a few basic men in the game of Barça touch with which also identifies the 'Red'.
In Tuesday's friendly against France, the coach could give them rest for the commitments of Barcelona and offer opportunities to young people.
"Andrés is an essential player, very important, he is in full condition, he has overcome his injuries and the last matches have completed very well," recalled the coach in the pre-match against Israel on Friday (4-1).
- The gallons of Iniesta -
The 32-year-old Barça captain suffered three injuries that have made him lose much of the season and Luis Enrique does not hesitate to dose him in Barcelona, which has meant that until March the Barça emblem is one of the Soccer players who have played less this season.
But, centennial with the selection and after achieving two Eurocopas (2008 and 2012) and a World Cup (2010), Iniesta continues to command the game of the selection, where he inherited the gallons of Xavi Hernandez.
Only the physical problems led him to lose four of the seven games that Lopetegui leads to the front of the 'Red'.
"I think that those feelings that I often talk about, that have to be positive, that one is happy training and playing, I have been having them for a few weeks, and I hope I do not have to stop here at the end," said Iniesta Last Thursday before the game against Israel, where he returned to be the conductor.
In that party, Spain returned to have in Busquets a pillar in the time to recover balls.
The midfielder, who is no longer negotiable for Vicente del Bosque, is still Lopetegui, although in the last quarter of 2016 he suffered a hard bump, making more mistakes than normal, which was later joined by an ankle injury. Was slightly more than two weeks off.
"I struggled to reach the form" at the beginning, recently acknowledged the midfielder, saying that now "I think every day I play a little better."
- Launch the game -
Busquets is one of three men along with Vitolo and Silva who has played all the games of the Lopetegui era and a great complement of Iniesta to generate the game of Spain.
"'Busi' (Busquets) has the function to start the play and Andrés to unbalance," recalled Juan Mata last year before the Eurocopa.
Barça midfielder is vital to relaunch the plays and cut balls, assisting the defense, where his teammate in Barça Gerard Piqué is another fixture of Lopetegui alongside Sergio Ramos in the center of the rear.
- Limit date -
In the 'Red' no one wants to think about leaving the selection after the 2018 World Cup, as announced last October after a game against Albania (2-0).
"It's a decision that we all respect," Lopetegui reiterated Thursday, saying he had spoken to the game about it, but "we now have other priorities."
Essential in Spain, his last appearances with the selection were marked by the whistles of a part of the fans, who attribute him Catalan independence positions, for having defended the right to decide in Catalonia.
"I know that many times that has made when I go to play with Spain I had the reception I had," said a man known for saying what he thinks last October and that "if I play for Spain, it's because I really feel like I have to play. "
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu