World Cup 2022
The captain of La Roja assumes that it is necessary to improve and that it is “very difficult” to repeat previous successes, but he invites optimism with a “young team that comes from doing a good Eurocup”
After the defeat against Sweden that complicates the World Cup in Qatar and a bad personal performance, the Barça midfielder Sergio Busquets acted as captain and gave his face in the preview of the clash against Georgia this Sunday at the Nuevo Vivero de Badajoz.
“You have to think about the next game and hope that Sweden can leave some point before the last day. We are not in the best situation because we are not dependent on us. But we want to be optimistic, and now it is our goal not to fail any more and hope that Sweden punctures. We are going to wait for the qualifying round to finish and then we will do the math.
-Are you afraid that with defeats like the one in Stockholm, people will disengage from the national team? The Catalan was asked in Las Rozas. “We are aware that it is our responsibility to play well and get results so that people are hooked. This is how it happened at the Eurocup. We ask people to support us, especially when things are not going well. Together we are stronger, and in difficult moments the plus is given by the fans.
Busquets, Jordi Alba and Raúl Albiol are the only survivors of the team that won the Euro 2012, the last great Spanish title, in this call. Will this team be able to repeat the successes of then ?: «Everyone knows that it is very difficult to achieve again what was achieved with the two Euro Cups and the World Cup. We come from having a good Euro Cup and we have a young team, so we have to be optimistic and hopeful ».
Luis Enrique noticed that few fouls were made in Sweden, but added that it is the manager’s responsibility: “Every game is different, we are a team with a lot of ball control and we don’t need to make many fouls. But you can always improve because no one has excellence. Surely Stockholm could have been done better and surely we could have done some more … but now we have to think about Georgia.
Criticisms of Eric García ?: When you lose, you always look for guilty parties, and I know well what I’m talking about. The criticisms of Eric García are not fair. He has started well with Barça, and he prioritizes the team. In Stockholm we had to stop some against, but it is also the merit of the rival. But putting the focus on a single player is not fair. Eric has a present and a future, and he is a great player.
Do you feel more responsibility for being the captain of the national team ?: For me it is a pride to be here and to be the captain of Spain. I enjoy it every time I come. I’ve been around for many years and it’s a pleasure.
Finally, he referred to FIFA’s idea of holding a World Cup every two years instead of every four. “Each time the calendars are loaded more and less is looked at by the player. I see a complicated World Cup every two years, and there will come a time when the footballer will explode. All of this can take its toll in the end. It is something to value from many points of view, not only from that of one of the parties.
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