Spain coach Luis de la Fuente is preparing to announce his squad for the 2026 World Cup, amid expectations of widespread controversy due to the intense competition among the players, particularly in defense. It is clear the Spanish coach will not be able to please everyone, as some players may find themselves left out despite their strong performances this season.<\/p>\n
Fierce Competition at Center-Back<\/p>\n
The center-back position is currently the most crowded in the Spanish national team. It is predicted that the final squad will include only four players in this position, while a large number of prominent names are competing for those spots.<\/p>\n
Among the top contenders are: Dean Huijsen, Aymeric Laporte, Eric Garc\u00eda, Pau Cubars\u00ed, Dani Vivian, Robin Le Normand, Marc Pubill, and Ra\u00fal Asensio. With eight defenders competing for only four spots, the exclusion of some names seems inevitable.<\/p>\n
A Strong Season for Ra\u00fal Asensio with Real Madrid<\/p>\n
The young Real Madrid defender, Ra\u00fal Asensio, has been one of the standout performers this season. The player has successfully established himself in the starting lineup under coach \u00c1lvaro Arbeloa, benefiting from injuries to some of his defensive teammates, such as Antonio R\u00fcdiger and \u00c9der Milit\u00e3o, as well as the decline in form of other players.<\/p>\n
Thanks to his consistent performances and tactical discipline, Asensio has become a key element in Real Madrid’s defense, managing to rediscover his best form after a shaky start to the season.<\/p>\n
Previous Opportunity with the Spanish National Team<\/p>\n
Ra\u00fal Asensio was previously called up to the Spanish national team camp about a year ago, but he did not participate in any international matches. Despite the coaching staff’s continuous monitoring of his development, the strong competition for this position may reduce his chances of making the final World Cup squad.<\/p>\n
Tough Decisions Before the Squad Announcement<\/p>\n
With the announcement of the Spanish national team’s World Cup squad approaching, Luis de la Fuente will face some difficult decisions, especially regarding the center-back position, which features a large number of talented players. While some names seem closer to securing a place on the list, Ra\u00fal Asensio’s future with the national team remains uncertain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente is preparing to announce his squad for the 2026 World Cup, amid expectations of widespread controversy due to the intense competition among the players, particularly in defense. It is clear the Spanish coach will not be able to please everyone, as some players may find themselves left out despite […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":20045,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[62,91,36,27],"class_list":["post-20044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-madrid","tag-62","tag-91","tag-36","tag-27"],"yoast_head":"\n