Everything returns in Stuttgart. Or it all begins, rather, because that is where we meet again with the Spanish selection and that Luis Enrique's project which was interrupted by a painful blow of life. We could fix this September 3, 2020 how inflection point in the walk of The Red, who cannot continue to live on income. It's easy to say, but it's been ten years since we were world champions. You have to look ahead and not back, hence perhaps the lifting With which Spain presents itself today against Germany at the start of the Nations League. Does revolution or necessity define that announcement? Luis Enrique and the passage of time will remove us from doubts.
The truth is Stuttgart brims with metaphors if what we are talking about is starting or going into combustion. Is the cradle of world motorsport (Mercedes and Porsche have their headquarters in the city and a certain Karl Benz invented the first car just over a hundred kilometers from there, in 1886) and the meeting takes place in the Mercedes-Benz Arena (follow the game live on AS.com). Empty, of course, because of that coronavirus that postponed the Eurocup that should have been played this summer to 2021 and that has left two of those summoned out of La Roja, Oyarzabal and Adama Traoré. In the case of the Wolverhampton winger it is already a bad leg, as it is the second time in which his debut is frustrated (In November 2019, summoned by Robert Moreno, muscle problems were the cause of the disappointment). The third low Its the Asensio, in his case due to edema in the knee.
Three last-minute setbacks, three shots that we could interpret as the waterline of the new Luis Enrique Selection. Vertigo is the word that best defines that player profile and is that the aforementioned Oyarzabal, Adama and Asensio share DNA with two other internationals who will be available this afternoon, Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati. Two debutants with the face of liártela as soon as you are careless. That bet on the overflow is perhaps the Swiss army knife that will get us out of more than one trouble, something that we don't enjoy in the last big dates, in which the rivals sat waiting for our tiqui-taca to decide once and for all to set course for the goal. And it did not put it.
Luis Enrique returns to the National Team a year and five months later with the same doubt on the menu: Kepa or De Gea. The incorporation of Gerard Moreno aims for Rodrigo to fall to the right, while Ramos and Busquets They will once again be the backbone of the team.
Joachim Löw also opens the door to new faces in the Mannschaft. With or without a mask, Germany is always Germany, although this don't have Bayern ears and fang of Munich. The coach has given break to the Champions of the Champions (only Niklas Sülle, without wear, entered the list) and in his absence they will be pearls like Kai Havertz, Leroy Sané or Timo Werner those that carry the singing voice. It's about a young team, but Löw plays with fire just enough; in goal, without the Burnet (Neuer and Ter Stegen), the coach resorts to goalkeepers with plenty of mileage: Kevin Trapp (30 years old), Bernd Log (28) and Oliver Baumann (30).
He Germany-Spain is he first big duel of a competition that, beyond the track record, grants Double bed for him playoff to Qatar 2022 to those teams that do not win the ticket through the traditional way of the World Cup qualifiers. A convoluted tournament, still without ground, a huge elephant (55 federations in competition) that hardly makes any noise when walking. It has arrived, it is here and we had not even noticed.