‘Aduriz called up before his five goals’

Julen Lopetegui insists Aritz Aduriz would have been called up by Spain, even if he did not score five goals against Genk in the Europa League.

Aduriz scored all of Athletic’s five goals in their thrilling 5-3 victory over Racing Genk on Thursday, coinciding with his recall to the Spain squad for upcoming games against Macedonia and England.

“It’s clear that we have several injuries in defence,” the Coach said at a Press conference.

“We had to restructure this area of the pitch. We’ve brought in players who are playing as centre-backs like Nacho and Azpilicueta. We see them as centre-backs.

“We have complete confidence in the players we’ve called. Ramos and Pique haven’t returned in time. We’ll see during the week how we structure our defensive system.

“Bartra? He missed out on the last squad due to injury, but this month he’s played consistently and at a good level.

“We have faith in him and he’s here because he’s going to help us. He’ll be an important player for us.

“Aduriz? I’ve followed him for some time and we understand that he’s doing well. We can help us.

“The five goals he scored in the Europa League had no bearing on him being called up.

“Aduriz gives us alternatives and options. Aritz has something very good to offer and is keeping his qualities intact.

“We’ll try to turn difficulties into opportunities against Macedonia. I don’t think we should think about our injuries. We want to focus on where they’ll be.

“We’ll see how we face the match against Macedonia. They’ll demand a lot of us and our XI will shape itself during the week.

“Iago Aspas? We’ve assessed him, he deserved to be here but not everyone can be called up. We’ve also followed Jonathan Viera, and at any time they may be called up.

“The Under 21s? Their playoff is important, but those who haven’t been called up haven’t for that reason. Saul playing for the U21s isn’t why he’s not here.

“Asenjo? The regulars are David de Gea and Reina. After that, we’ve been rotating the third goalkeeper.

“We wanted to keep rotating [the third goalkeeper]. The three who have been called up deserve it and Asenjo had been ahead for a while.

“Playmaker? That position may be occupied by Ander Herrera, Koke or even Sergi Roberto. We have options in that area of the pitch.

“Juanfran’s absence? He’s not fallen out of favour, although on his side of defence, we don’t have any problems. I think he’s performing very well, and he’s very close to our thoughts.

“David Villa? Of course he has a chance of being called up, despite his age. David is playing in another League and at a good level is competitive, but we called up other strikers.

“Azpilicueta? I don’t see a deficit in central defence. Everyone that’s been called up has our confidence.

“Azpilicueta’s versatile and that’s good for us. He’s a lad that applies himself and is focused.

“Iker Casillas? I won’t close the door on anyone. We’ve already talked about this before. From there, we’ll make decisions.

“Pique’s words about sleeves? We haven’t spoken about it. We’ve only spoken about how his recovery is going. That’s already happened and we have to let him rest.”

Tags Aritz Aduriz England Julen Lopetegui Macedonia Spain
La Liga - Club News