The President of the Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, attended last night to concentration of the National Team in Las Rozas and, taking advantage of the premiere of the documentary ‘La Fuerza del Grupo’, a film about the performance of Spain on the last Eurocup in which Luis Enrique has a special leadership, spoke with the players about the importance it has for the institution he presides qualify for him World Cup 2022, which will be held next year around this time in Qatar.
As already happened in the last Eurocup, at this time the difficulties get it accumulate to Luis Enrique. Then it was because of the coronavirus, and now because of the injuries. Of the 25 players that the Asturian summoned on Friday have already been go down three (Ansu Fati, Eric García and Yeremy Pino) and as many have arrived (Raúl de Tomás, Diego Llorente and Brais Méndez) and there may still be a fourth, Mikel Merino.
Spain needs victory in the two immediate commitments, in the Olympic of Athens against Greece, on Thursday, and in La Cartuja, on Sunday before Sweden, to qualify for the World Cup without waiting for a puncture from the swedish, that have recovered for the occasion to Ibrahimovic and they are the leaders of the qualifying group with 15 points, two more than Spain.
If not first, Spain I would have to play the repechage in March, a devilish phase with only three seats for twelve countries. It will be disputed by the ten seconds of the ten groups classification plus the top two Nations League finishers who have failed to get into the World Cup. Of course, the ‘playoff’ in March is a minefield. The best ten seconds and the two classified via Nations League will meet in six semifinals (March 24 and 25) to single party and by pure draw. The six that remain will play it all on one card in final three (March 28 and 29) from which the last three classified for the World Cup will come out, completing the quota of 13 countries that Europe has. Both the finals and the semifinals will be a single match.
Spain se will train today in Las Rozas and tomorrow he will travel to Athens, where he awaits a rival who still has a chance to qualify and who will be pushed by a fervent public. Then Sweden will come, which is growing.