When Spain Coach Vicente Del Bosque announced the starting line up for La Roja’s friendly against France there were certainly a few surprises that cropped up.
Dani Carvajal making his debut at right-back and Koke in the centre of midfield was to be expected due to their good performances for their club sides – especially Koke with Atletico Madrid.
The inclusion of Athletic Bilbao centre-back Mikel San Jose was though a surprise to many. But his rise to the national team squad has been justified, as San Jose’s performances for Los Leones rightly caught the attention of Del Bosque.
Though France defeated Spain 1-0 in Paris San Jose played well and did not look out of place. However, though he might not be selected for Monday’s 2016 European Championships qualifier against Macedonia, the 25-year-old will be in Del Bosque’s thoughts so long as he continues his good club form for Athletic.
Another debutant, Carvjal, certainly repaid Del Bosque’s faith by putting in an impressive performance. He was solid in attack where he constantly looked to make overlapping runs so to create chances for his teammates, while in defence Carvjal was dependable and rose to the challenge of battling France’s potent attack. The Real Madrid man will certainly be in contention to retain his place against the Macedonians next week.
Koke will also likely retain his place, especially with the injury to Andres Iniesta and Xabi Alonso’s retirement from international football.
The most intriguing subplot within the new call-ups is 19-year-old Barcelona striker Munir El Haddadi for the game against Macedonia. There are several reasons why Del Bosque decided to call up the youngster to replace the injured Diego Costa.
Firstly, the striker is immensely talented, which he displayed in Barcelona’s season opener at home to Elche, scoring in a comprehensive 3-0 victory.
Secondly, Del Bosque has sought to ward off any interest from Morocco, where Munir was born. Rumours swirled of Morocco possibly approaching Munir to play for them especially as the Atlas Lions host the Africa Cup of Nations in January 2015.
Del Bosque, in overlooking the likes of Fernando Llorente, Roberto Soldado and Fernando Torres, has shown how highly he rates teenager.
These call ups of newcomers, whether young or inexperienced in international football, highlight Del Bosque’s plan to rebuild ahead of Euro 2016. By blooding young talent he is replacing the veterans who have now retired, who helped deliver so many trophies to Spain over the last six years.
The Coach is also preparing his new-look team for the future, even beyond Del Bosque’s likely departure following Euro 2016.
Losing to France may have consigned Spain to their third defeats in four games but Del Bosque will be confident his team can get back into winning ways against Macedonia and get off to a good start in their qualifying campaign. It will at least help to wash away the stains of their World Cup horror show in Brazil.
