Mata And Llorente In Spain Squad
Vicente del Bosque has called up Juan Mata and Fernando Llorente for the friendly international with Chile next week as he looks to continue testing players early in his reign.
Nov 14, 2008 1:38:05 PM
Related Links
Teams
Players
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque was unable to call up Andrés Iniesta for the Chile match because of injury, and opted to let Fernando Torres continue to recover with Liverpool, while Andoni Iraola, Fernando Navarro and Diego Capel have all been left out.
Despite the changes, Del Bosque has explained that nobody has been dropped or left out permanently and that he is using each friendly to try different things.
"We want to take this chance to have a closer look at (Juan Mata). He is a player who is in good form, an Under-21 player, and we think that this is a good time to move him up," the coach was quoted as saying by Marca.
More surprising was the inclusion of Llorente as the Athletic Bilbao player's style is not what Spain have been accustomed too, but Del Bosque wants to have other tactics available.
"There were several options and I have chosen him because he is also playing well," he continued.
"We have plenty of cover, but both (Fernando) Torres and (Dani) Güiza have had knocks recently so we thought Llorente would give us something extra.
"Besides, he deserves it for having such a good season and he will give us an alternative to try."
Del Bosque was keen to explain that he did not want to push Torres back into action after only just recovering from a knock that he suffered on international duty last month.
"We have to take care of Torres. We are not going to force anyone to come and make them play when they are not fit," he added.
"He played for Liverpool this week and therefore could have joined us, but we want to ensure that nothing happens."
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas, José Manuel Reina
Defenders: Raúl Albiol, Álvaro Arbeloa, Joan Capdevila, Juanito, Carlos Marchena, Carles Puyol, Sergio Ramos
Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Santi Cazorla, Cesc Fábregas, Xavi Hernández, Juan Manuel Mata, Albert Riera, Marcos Senna
Forwards: Dani Güiza, Fernando Llorente, Fernando Torres, David Villa
Lucas Brown, Goal.com
- Spain Have The Most Complete Team In The World - Alfredo Di Stefano
- Goal.com World Player Of The Week: Francesco Totti - Roma
- Peter Odemwingie: Nigeria Will Surprise Many At The World Cup
- Premier League Chairman Resigns From England 2018 World Cup Bid
- Top 10 Players Never To Win The Ballon D’Or Since 1995
- African Team Of The Week: Faouzi Chaouchi Shines On Big Day For Algeria
- Pablo Zabaleta Wants To Be At World Cup With Manchester City Team-Mate Carlos Tevez
- Hull City's Seyi Olofinjana Out For Four Weeks
- Nigeria FA Boss Insists On Coach Shuaibu Amodu For World Cup
- France Coach Raymond Domenech Shrugs Off Thierry Henry’s Handball Against Ireland
- Top 10 Players Never To Win The Ballon D’Or Since 1995
- Tottenham Hotspur 9-1 Wigan Athletic: Jermain Defoe Scores Five In White Hart Lane Rout
- Player Ratings: Milan 4-3 Cagliari
- Player Ratings: Barcelona 2-0 Inter
- Ballon d'Or Comment: What About Me? Examining The Absentees From The Golden Ball Shortlist
- Top 10 Players Never To Win The Ballon D’Or Since 1995
622 - Thierry Henry Considered Quitting After World Cup Play-Off Handball
192 - FIFA Call Meeting To Discuss Refereeing And Betting Irregularities During World Cup Play-Offs
63 - Egypt-Algeria Controversy Rages On
49 - Goal.com World Player Of The Week: Francesco Totti - Roma
39
