Since their last European Championship, have lacked luster in major tournaments. La Roja had won back to back European championship with the 2010 World Cup title in between. Luis Enrique has been rejuvenating his squad since he took over the reins in 2018. He believes “Tiki-taka” is over and they are ready to move on. New faces will be expected as the former FC Barcelona boss has experimented in practically every position all year.
Spain Squad for Euros
Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), David de Gea (Manchester United) and Robert Sanchez (Brighton).
Defenders: Jose Gaya (Valencia), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Pau Torres (Villarreal), Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City), Eric Garcia (Manchester City), Diego Llorente (Leeds), Marcos Llorente (Atlético de Madrid) and Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea).
Midfielders: Marcos Llorente (Atlético de Madrid ), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atlético de Madrid), Fabian (Napoli), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), Pablo Sarabia (Paris Saint-Germain).
Forwards: Gerard Moreno (Villarreal), Alvaro Morata (Atlético de Madrid), Ferran Torres (Manchester City), Adama Traore (Wolves), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad).
Spain Squad Preview
Spain are drawn up alongside Poland, Sweden, and Slovakia in Group E at Euro 2021. They will have a home advantage as all group stage matches will be played at Sevilla. Spain are capable of both big wins and big disappointments. They thrashed Germany 6-0 in the Nations League in November. But also drew 1-1 with Greece at home in World Cup qualifying in March. Spain qualified for this tournament in a group alongside Sweden in 2019. They were top of their group with 8/10 wins, conceding 5 goals.
Spain has an excellent squad depth across the board. Enrique will have a number of players to choose from in each position. The standout news is that veteran Sergio Ramos has been dropped out of the Spain squad. They proceed without any Real Madrid players.
The winner of the group will face third-place from either Group A, B, C, or D in the Round of 16. Team that finishes runner-up in Group E will play the second-placed team from Group D in the first knockout phase.
Head to Head
Vs Poland W-8; D-1; L-1
Vs Sweden W-5; D-3; L-2
Vs Slovakia W-4; D-1; L-1
Players to Watch
Rodri: Luis Enrique has an option to pick either the Manchester City man or Sergio Busquets. Rodri certainly has the advantage when it comes to pace but Busquets is better defensively.
Marcus Llorente: The Atletico Madrid man is majorly known for this midfield prowess but it will be interesting to see how Luis Enrique plays him at the full-back position. He can defend as well as pick out passes.
Gerard Moreno: The 29-year-old has scored 30 goals for Villarreal. He helped them win the Europa League this season, but even at his age, Moreno is still untested in a major competition. The same doubt goes for Mikel Oyarzabal, who helped Real Sociedad win the postponed 2020 Copa del Rey title in April.
Spain Euro 2020 Fixtures
15th June: vs Sweden, 12:30 AM
20th June: vs Poland, 12:30 AM
23rd June: vs Slovakia, 9:30 PM
