Doha, November 22 (QNA) – Spains Coach Luis Enrique confirmed the team’s readiness to face its Costa Rican counterpart tomorrow as part of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E matches.
Enrique said in a press conference today preceding the game, that this match is of great importance for the Spain national team given that it is the teams first match, seeking a strong start in the group stage to enhance its chances of reaching the round of 16, with the focus directed currently on the Costa Rica match tomorrow.
He explained that the Costa Rican national team is a respectable competitor, representing a country that breathes football, which makes the match exciting. It also has players who have previously played in the Spanish League and in the World Cup, headed by Goalkeeper Keylor Navas, not to mention the teams experienced Coach, making the job not easy.
Enrique explained that the Spanish national team includes a number of young players with the technical staff always working to bring out the best of these young players in terms of energy, capabilities and skills. He added that it is certain that they will gain more experience participating in the World Cup.
The Spanish Coach stated that he bears the responsibility for the participation and exclusion of any player in the national squad, accepting criticism from any party about his choices, including the members of squad themselves. Enrique explained that he determined the selection based on the players readiness and what they have to offer.
As for the condition of footballer Alvaro Morata and his colleague Dani Carvajal, the Coach commented that the two of them suffer from a cold, and may be in a better condition tomorrow, according to the medical device.
Enrique touched on the injury of left-back Jose Luis Gaya saying that Enrique chose to deal with the situation logically, thus preferring to exclude him because he will miss two matches in the World Cup, which is a difficult reality, but a decision Enrique is responsible for.
Enrique detailed that his heart told him to keep Gaya, but his mind weighed on selecting another left-back player, to avoid the team any difficult situation.
Enrique continued that Gaya was unlucky, yet he will certainly recover and will have a better future, hoping that the Valencia fans understand the matter. Gaya is a great player, however emotion does not rule Enriques decisions.
Spain’s Coach rejected what was raised about his not providing the players with sufficient technical insights about the Costa Rica national team, saying that this claim is false, it is natural for the technical staff to study all technical details related to the competing team, and what some people do not realize is that there is technical information and instructions given by Enrique to the players before the match.
For his part, Spanish national team Footballer Sergio Busquets confirmed that a strong and difficult match awaits the team tomorrow against the Costa Rican national team, indicating that winning the opening match will double their morale and push them to put in more effort in the matches that follow.
He added that as captain of the national team, he said that all players are fully prepared for the match, with everybody excited about the kick-off, which the team aspires to be perfect.
As for the readiness of his teammate Ansu Fati, Busquets said that his participation will be determined by the technical staff under the leadership of Coach Luis Enrique, due to Fati being injured a long time before coming to the match in Doha, but he is recovering and improved a lot, and according to the Coach’s view, Fati can participate. (QNA)