Luis De La Fuente Justifies Joan Garcia's Omission From Spain's World Cup Qualifying Squad

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Luis de la Fuente has justified his choice to exclude Joan Garcia, Barcelona's goalkeeper, from Spain's squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Despite Garcia's impressive performances last season, De la Fuente selected Unai Simon, David Raya, and Alex Remiro as goalkeepers for the matches against Bulgaria and Turkiye on September 4 and 7. Garcia had been expected to receive a call-up after his standout displays for Espanyol in the 2024-25 season.

Garcia made an impressive 146 saves in LaLiga last season, ranking second in Europe's top five leagues behind Mark Flekken. Despite this achievement, De la Fuente explained that he did not feel pressured to include Garcia. "If I'd felt pressure, I would have brought him in," he stated. He emphasised that players are chosen based on merit rather than club affiliation.

Returning to the squad are Rodri and Dani Carvajal, both recovering from anterior cruciate ligament injuries. The team also includes six Barcelona players: Pau Cubarsi, Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo, and Lamine Yamal. Gavi was initially selected but withdrew due to a knee injury that will also sideline him for Barcelona's match against Rayo Vallecano.

De la Fuente addressed Fermin Lopez's situation amid transfer rumours linking him with Chelsea. He advised Fermin to consider all factors carefully before making a decision. "It's very personal; he has to weigh up a lot of things," De la Fuente remarked. He expressed a preference for Spanish players staying in LaLiga to enhance its competitiveness.

The full squad features notable names such as Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), David Raya (Arsenal), Alex Remiro (Real Sociedad), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Pedro Porro (Tottenham), Robin Le Normand (Atletico Madrid), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid), Dani Vivian (Athletic Bilbao), Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Alex Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Rodri (Manchester City), Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal), Fabian Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain), Pedri (Barcelona), Mikel Merino (Arsenal), Fermin Lopez (Barcelona), Alvaro Morata (Como), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Dani Olmo (Barcelona), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Yeremy Pino (Villarreal) and Jesus Rodriguez (Como).

De la Fuente remains optimistic about Joan Garcia's future with the national team. "Joan could be here now, before, or in the future," he said. He reassured that club affiliation does not influence national team selection and believes Garcia's opportunity will eventually come.

The coach reiterated his commitment to selecting players based on their performance rather than their clubs' prestige. This approach underscores his dedication to building a competitive national team focused on talent and meritocracy over external pressures or expectations.