Spanish national team coach Luis de la Fuente has said that he does not like football clubs interfering in the national team setup, adding that Gavi’s ACL tear, which ruled him out of the remainder of the season and UEFA Euro, was not his fault.
Gavi sustained a season-ending injury during Spain’s 7-1 win over Georgia and De La Fuente has said that the national team is not responsible for the incident. If there is anything or anyone to blame, it must be the gruelling calendar.
“Barça did not ask for Gavi not to play the last game with Spain. Just as I don’t interfere in the clubs, I don’t like it when they do it. We had the idea that he would play 45 minutes against Georgia,” he told Radio Marca.
His take on Gavi’s injury
In a very candid chat with the aforementioned outlet, De La Fuente spoke with extreme clarity, saying that Spain’s outing against Georgia was not a formality. In fact, he said that if the players are chosen for the international commitment, they must honour the selection.
“Gavi’s injury? Whoever thinks this match was a formality is wrong. You always have to be in the best shape and have the honour of representing your country. I informed Xavi of my regrets about the injury.”
He added that Gavi is very much loved within the national team camp and the injury to the young midfielder made him very sad, so much so that he did not care about the result.
“He is very loved. He saw that I had a bad time and he calmed me down. I had a very bad time. I didn’t care about the result.”
Calendar was set beforehand
The national team coach also said that the international calendar was set much beforehand, and he does not understand why the clubs are complaining about it.
He added that the clubs agreed on the breaks in July and this gives them no right to complain in November.
“The calendar is agreed upon before the start of the season and everyone knows that there will be a pause in September, October and November. They agree on the calendar in July and then complain in November?
“If they want to change the calendar, they can, but it is changed in July, because we are all competing. We don’t bring players in to recover or rest, but to compete,” he said.
Lastly, he also said that footballers always want to play and this is why the national team is not responsible for anything.
“The place where a player has the greatest opportunity to rest is when he is with his club because he plays 40 matches
“The footballer always wants to play. That’s why I say that the national team is not responsible for anything. The calendar is what it is,” he said.
