The Spanish soccer coach, Luis de la Fuentehas argued the presence of the Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garciaalong with the other three regular goalkeepers on their lists that it was “the right time.” Both the debutant and the novelty of the number have been a source of curiosity for the media present at the press conference this Friday in Ciudad del Fútbol (Madrid).
The other big test for the coach from Haro (La Rioja) has been the cancellation of the Finalissima and, incidentally, the words of the president of the AFA, declaring Argentina the winner due to “Spain’s failure to appear.” “I always said that we wanted to play in this final and we have done everything in our power. I refer to the RFEF statement. I take this opportunity to congratulate you on these two great games. Due to circumstances it has not been possible”, was the summary of everything said by De la Fuente on the matter.
To give the context, Spain will play against Serbia on March 27 in Villarreal, when what was planned was for it to be the Final against Argentina in Doha (Catar). The situation in the Middle East made it impossible to play in that country, so an alternative venue was negotiated and no agreement was reached. The friendly against Egypt was also going to be played there, which will finally be the 31st at Espanyol’s field in Cornellà.
Returning to the novelty of the goalkeepers, the coach has dropped that he is not ruling them out when it comes to offering the final list for the 2026 World Cup, although only three can be called up for the matches, basing it on the fact that it will be “an atypical World Cup and we will surely see different things.” Regarding the present, he stated: “It was the right time to have these four great goalkeepers. As of today, they are the four from which the three called up can come. “We give a lot of importance to coexistence, we want to see them together.”
“Joan García is a great goalkeeper, but we haven’t discovered it now. He was an under-21 international with me five years ago. There are five goalkeepers in Spain within the world’s top 10. We want to see coexistence, work capacity, professionalism, competence, etc. That doesn’t mean it will be there, but there is a lot of time left. It’s great news that we have difficulty choosing. You will have a debate, we will have zero pressure. I want the more there to be, the better,” he added.
“Mosquera and Pitarch are committed to Spain”
As for the rest of the news, De la Fuente has acknowledged that, if the Finalissima had been able to be played, perhaps they would have been different. About Christian Mosquerawhom the Colombian senior team wanted, has praised “the ratification of what we have commented on other occasions: footballers committed to the Spanish team and who want to play for Spain”, while also valuing his “versatility, it gives us a lot of wealth” and his great season with Arsenal.
The only one who has not been in lower categories with the national team is Victor Muñoza Madrid youth player who is playing this season in Osasuna: “The case of Víctor, who has not been in other categories, allows us to see him in international competitions, in highly demanding scenarios.” In that sense, it has been asked about Thiago Pitarchalso from Madrid and with roots in Morocco, for being a case similar to that of Mosquera: “The good news is that Thiago wants to play with Spain. He will play with the under-19 and with the under-21, if David (Gordo) deems it appropriate, and with the senior team when he plays. He is committed to Spain and we celebrate it.”
Another case has been that of absences. De la Fuente has celebrated the return of Rodrigo Hernandezone of the captains, but he stays out Carvajal. He has sent a message to the Madrid captain and others: “I talk a lot with the players. Both Dani and Álvaro Morata that they have to continue working, it is their way of understanding this sport. And then be able to demonstrate it on the field of play. Likewise the Fabián and the Merino, all those who are not with us.”
Another of those absent from the call is the Atlético defender Mark Pubillalthough in his case the coach has confirmed that he is for physical reasons: “Marc is having a great campaign. We preserve the health of the footballers, he couldn’t play the last Champions League game. We spoke with Atlético’s medical services and he had some inconvenience. But it is very important for us.” In that sense, in another response he reaffirmed his commitment to the greeting of athletes: “I am very empathetic with everyone. I am going to take care of the players exactly the same as the rest of the coaches in their clubs.”
