Lopetegui leaves out Casillas, Cesc and Pedro
New Spanish national team coach Julen Lopetegui announced his back-room team and presented his first squad list with some interesting selections and omissions. Both Iniesta and Isco are absent through injury but it's expected that these two players will feature in future games for the coach. Longstanding internationals Casillas, Cesc, Pedro and Juanfran have all been left out .The Casillas omission can now be explained by the meeting in Porto between player and coach earlier this week despite Lopetegui claiming he was visiting the city for personal reasons. It would appear that the trip was an opportunity to explain the situation and selection process to the FC Porto goalkeeper.
I feel it's a good thing that these decisions are clarified in advance with players as they deserve an explanation. In the same time I tend to agree with the decision surrounding Casillas, given that there are better options available and I feel that is a sensation shared by many. Time catches up as it did with Iríbar, Arconada or Zubizarreta and now it's time for Casillas. Prudently, Lopetegui didn't close the door permanently and that is not a bad thing either. It's a decision that needs to be handled with care. At present his goalkeepers are De Gea, Reina and Adrián, who is playing well with West Ham United in England.
Casillas wasn't good as a substitute and we found that out in recent times, the same applies for Pedro. As for Cesc (who has been part of the national set-up for eleven years) he's gone off the boil playing for Spain in recent times. Diego Costa is back in the squad, a decision which will always divide opinion. He has his detractors among fans of "La Roja" and has yet to find his place in the national team but perhaps Lopetegui has the key in bringing out the best in the striker for Spain. Marco Asensio gets a call up after a promising start for Madrid this season. In general it's a balanced and well thought through squad call-up which has tweaks without generating any major tremors.
