While Barcelona And Real Madrid Boss La Liga, Spain Finds Other Inspiration

Soccer juggernauts Barcelona and Real Madrid have typically influenced Spain’s national team selection strongly—with some of their best players featuring particularly heavily in the nation’s heyday, where it won a World Cup and two European championships over a decade ago.

Times have changed, however. Because while Barcelona and Real are charging towards first and second-place finishes in La Liga this season, the pair is having little impact on the national side as it prepares to welcome Norway in Málaga on March 25—its first qualifying fixture in preparation for the European Championships in Germany next summer.

Indeed, coach Luis de la Fuente’s diverse 26-man squad includes representation from Athletic Club, Atlético Madrid, Celta Vigo, Espanyol, Osasuna, Real Betis, Real Sociedad, Sevilla, Valencia, and Villarreal in Spain. Outside the country, he’s selected names from English sides Manchester City, Brentford, and Brighton, plus RB Leipzig in Germany.

Following disenchanting campaigns in recent competitions, De la Fuente’s challenge is to spark a fresh era in Spanish international soccer. And after carefully assessing his options, he’s placed significant trust in players outside the top European competitors, such as Basque stars Iñigo Martínez, Nico Williams, Mikel Merino, Martín Zubimendi, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Osasuna center-back David García. In the goalscoring department, he’s brought in Joselu, Borja Iglesias, and Iago Aspas—the latter still prolific at 35 for Celta.

Of course, Barcelona youngsters Pedri, Gavi, and Alejandro Baldé will be pivotal to Spain’s future, while Real trio Dani Carvajal, Nacho Fernández, and Dani Ceballos still have plenty to offer. Meanwhile, it’s worth remembering that both Clásico sides can no longer supply the same abundant, ready-made world-beaters. However, there is a sense that Spain—to become a more unpredictable force—is starting to experiment with talent from clubs throughout the division and beyond.

Shaking up the system, De la Fuente—Luis Enrique’s successor—is embracing a new-look Spain. There is no David de Gea, Sergio Busquets, Koke, Sergio Ramos, or time for sentiment. Encapsulating this forward-thinking approach has been De la Fuente’s no-nonsense approach to Paris Saint-Germain stalwart Ramos, who has hung up his international boots since learning he’s no longer part of Spain’s ambitions.

Regarding leadership, the federation has looked within for organic management solutions rather than appointing someone with a glittering résumé. Compared to Enrique, an ultra marathon-running, Twitch-streaming personality with trophies at the club level, De la Fuente is a more serene, lesser-known quantity. The former under-21s boss has never managed a senior club side, let alone an international one, and he adds more intrigue as to what the next Spain will look like. On first viewing, he seems composed and in control at the wheel.

Spain will surely evolve. While building on its traditional possession-based approach, expect a pacier, more clinical Spain in the coming games. One man who can star in this rebuild is 20-year-old Williams, a rapid winger providing speed and something more capricious in attack—which Spain has lacked when trying to unlock stubborn opposition backlines. He can spearhead a different offensive proposition when the Euros roll around in 2023.

But first, Spain needs to get there. And qualification for the tournament could prove complicated. Although you would expect La Roja to finish ahead of Scotland and Cyprus in its group, Norway and Georgia are tricky opponents to overcome.

Despite a 23-year absence from elite tournament soccer, Norway has two exceptional players in striker Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard. Similarly, Georgia’s unbroken absence from World Cup or Euros stands for little. The team, ranked 78th in FIFA’s global rankings, has Napoli dynamo Khvicha Kvaratskhelia leading its charge. He’s a menace to any team.

Spain, and its supporters, will certainly embrace any challenges as one. De la Fuente’s inspired decision to reopen the central training base to the public has put the team in closer contact with fans, with thousands piling into Madrid’s Las Rozas center (Spanish) to greet the squad before another era officially begins against the Scandinavians.

Going by the latest developments, it already has.