Germany – Japan at the World Cup in Qatar 2022, live: result and live news

Led by Luis Enrique, Spain arrive as one of the favorites for the World Cup in Qatar, with the likes of Pedri, Sergio Busquets and Ansu Fati standing out.

After the mess of 2018 with the arrival and dismissal of Julen Lopetegui and after the forced absence of Luis Enrique for a personal problem, the coach has concretized a new identity for La Roja with young players and an ideal equality (6 wins, a draw and a loss).

She is now seventh in the FIFA rankings. In the Eurocup which was played in 2021, Spain were semi-finalists, eliminated by the eventual champion Italy, and in the Nations League, they are leaders of group A2. In 2021, they lost the final of the last edition of this League against France, but since then they have only lost one game (against Switzerland).

Here, a review of the stars of La Roja.

Qatar’s Spanish Stars

pedro

The Canarian FC Barcelona midfielder, at just 19 years old, is already one of the banners of Spanish football due to his creativity when it comes to generating play and his incombustible physique.

In 2020 he made his debut in the Spanish first division. In 2021, he made his debut with the absolute Spanish team to play the World Cup qualifiers in Qatar. That year, he ended up playing the Eurocup and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (postponed to 2021 due to the covid-19 pandemic). Since then, he has become a fixture for his club and the national team.

In 2021, he also won the Golden Boy, the award which rewards, like the Ballon d’Or, the best young player in the world under the age of 21.

Sergio Busquets

At 34, he is the captain of the team.

He was world champion with Spain in 2010 and Europe in 2012 and this will be his fourth world championship. He also won three Champions League with FC Barcelona.

He is the third player with the most appearances in the history of the Spain team with 139 appearances before the start of the World Cup in Qatar.

Despite his age and his suffering in the most physical matches, Busquets is one of the indispensable midfielders of FC Barcelona and the Spanish team due to his ability to organize the game.

Ansu Fati

Another of the promising youngsters of FC Barcelona and the Spanish team is Ansu Fati. The 20-year-old striker is one of the most talented players in Spanish football due to his ability to score and go for the goal, but he arrives at Qatar 2022 with the shadow of whether he will be able to regain his level after two years in which he suffered serious injuries, including one to the meniscus that required surgery.

Spain coach Luis Enrique said he was one of the players who surprised him the most the first time he saw him: “On the first ball Ansu touched, he hit his mark and they gave him a penalty and I said to a partner ‘but what are Oliver and Benji (known in Latin America as Supercampeones)?'”.

He achieved the mark of being the youngest player to score an official goal in the history of the Spanish team at 17 years and 311 days, until he was overtaken by teammate and national team Gavi at 17 years and 304 days.

Full list of summoned from Spain

When he announced the squad for the World Cup, Luis Enrique said, with his particular style, that he had a “macanuda” list. “I am fully convinced that we will fight,” he said.

This is the list of 26 called up, which has some notable absences like defender Sergio Ramos and striker Lago Aspas.

goalkeepers

unai simon
robert sanchez
David Raya

tusks

Daniel Carvajal
Cesar Azpilicueta
Eric Garcia
Hugo Guillamon
paul torres
Aymeric Laporte
Jordi Alba
Alexander Balde

Midfielders

Sergio Busquets
Rodri
Gavi
Carlos Soler
Marcos Llorente
pedro
Koke

strikers

Ferran Torres
Pablo Sarabia
Yeremi Pino
alvaro morata
Marco Asensio
Nicholas Williams
Ansu Fati
Daniel Olmo

Starting composition possible

Spain make their debut this Wednesday against Costa Rica. The group stage will also oppose Germany (Sunday November 27) and Japan (Thursday December 1).

For this Tuesday, according to Marca forecasts, there are eight players who could enter the field: Unai Simón in goal; Dani Carvajal, Laporte and Jordi Alba in defence; Busquets, Pedri and Gavi in ​​midfield and Marco Asensio up front. The biggest doubts, agree other local media like Antena 3, are precisely on the offensive.

In a recent Twitch broadcast, Luis Enrique rated the Costa Rican team. “The game against Costa Rica will be similar to the game against Jordan. A team locked behind, something common that you usually find in the games of the Spanish national team. They are difficult games, but they also have many possibilities if we manage to move the ball quickly, if we get inside, outside, if we finish… it’s difficult but we’re used to it and that doesn’t worry me” , did he declare.

With information from Sergio Gómez, Sebastián Jiménez Valencia, Felipe Monforte and Ángela Reyes of CNN en Español.