Nations League: Cheating match against Ukraine in the Valdebebas premiere

About tonight it is not a procedure. It is not, although the stage, the Alfredo Di Stéfano stadium, be a newbie in great dates international, and the rival, Ukraine, do not belong to the high football aristocracy. But beware hides football, physical and above all a coach who seems to have very clear ideas: Andriy Shevchenko. So Spain does well to face the challenge with the eyes wide open. “I don't want to give advantages to Ukraine because he already plays well enough to tell him who will come out, “Luis Enrique said yesterday when asked about the eleven he will line up The Red in this second stake of the League of Nations. Not even water to the enemy, who then asks you for it with gas, Fernando Romay released me one day in the hall of a hotel. And of course, I took the elevator up the four floors laughing.

Just one piece of information to know that Luis Enrique's compliments to the rival are not pure smoke. A year ago, Ukraine beat Portugal 2-1 (Cristiano scored, yes, although from a penalty), which gave him the group leadership in qualifying for the Eurocup. It is not a trivial fact, he had also managed to draw zero in Lisbon in the start of playoffs.

The project of Shevchenko seems to cook over low heat, as it came in charge in 2016 and his Federation has remained calm, reiterating that it blindly trusts the former Ballon d'Or. match With which the League of Nations started last Thursday Ukraine beat Switzerland 2-1. Another fact.

Spain, meanwhile, he must take one more step after the irregular match against Germany. The best was the result, the goal in extremis of Gayà can be worth your weight in gold in this group stage, although Luis Enrique sees the fuller glass how empty. He made it clear yesterday, for example when asked about Busquets, whose seal is exalted in the field. “Just your presence commands respect“he said. Nobody doubts his class and his enviable service record, but the rodri shadow it is elongated and there are those who consider that the City midfielder is already ready for gallons. The Busquets thing is something like the eternal debate of the nine or the from the goal, although the great game of De Gea in Stuttgart it is used to keep that talk in the refrigerator. What should not be kept but displayed is the new sap that fills the call of the selector. In Germany already debuted Ferran Torres, Mikel Merino, Óscar Rodríguez and Ansu Fati, and today Reguilón could do it, pointing to the left side. Who again sees its premiere frustrated is Adama Traoré, who yesterday abandoned the concentration following the UEFA protocol about COVID-19.

A bullet less to attack against a rival whose goal will be in principle defended by Pyatov in detriment of lunin, that in Valdebebas you will feel at home. The madridista is one of the world champions juveniles that they have already given the jump to the absolute, the other two are Bondar and Supriaha. Malinovsky is the pearl in the center of the Ukrainian field and Junior Moraes the point of reference, a Brazilian nationalized who finds on the other side of the mirror Rodrigo Moreno, also born in the land of bossa nova and that today it may fall to the band to leave the center of the lead to Gerard Moreno. We need a goal and Villarreal's had it in bulk in the last league. Only Messi and Benzema resisted him. That is not a bad curriculum.