Spain flies off for World Cup after friendly gives few answers to coach De la Fuente's plans
Madrid, June 5
The Spain national team flew to the United States on Friday to continue with its preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2026 finals, with a few questions still to be answered.
Spain flies from Santiago de Compostela (northern Spain) to Nashville after Thursday's 1-1 draw against Iraq, and from Nashville, the team travels to Baylor School in Chattanooga, which will be its base for the tournament.
It is hard to draw many conclusions from Thursday's game in which the Spanish were frustrated by a well-organised Iraq side, which was able to keep at bay a team that had little in common with the 11 that coach Luis de la Fuente will field when the World Cup kicks off against Cabo Verde on June 15 in Atlanta, reports Xinhua.
The coach made 11 changes during the game, and with key players such as Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Nico Williams, Martin Zubimendi, and Mikel Oyarzabal all either injured or resting, all nine of the support players he called up to help with this week's preparations played at least some role, including goalkeeper Leo Roman.
Speaking after the game, De la Fuente insisted that "we had some objectives against Iraq, but we are also looking to achieve several things in terms of physical condition."
"We have 11 days until the first World Cup game and another friendly in four days," he added.
The Spanish will make a brief visit to Mexico on June 8 to play a friendly against Peru in Puebla, where De la Fuente's side is likely to be much closer to the one to face Cabo Verde.
One major point of interest will be whether De la Fuente returns Unai Simon in goal, with the Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper, who has been his first choice since the coach replaced Luis Enrique after the 2022 World Cup, also rested on Thursday.
Garcia had a poor game and was out of position for Iraq's goal, which went in at his near post, while he also looked nervous while coming out and failing to get to a corner in the second half. "We are clear on who the goalkeeper will be and the other 10 players," said De la Fuente after the game.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As a football fan from India, I admire how Spain manages squad rotation even in friendlies. But Iraq giving them a scare? That shows the gap is closing. Spain's tiki-taka isn't as dominant as 2010 era. De la Fuente needs to get his first XI settled fast—11 days isn't much time. Goalkeeper situation is messy too; Simon should start.
Interesting that Spain is playing friendly in Mexico against Peru before World Cup. Good to get different playing conditions—humid Nashville, then high altitude in Puebla? That's smart preparation. But honestly, Garcia should have saved that near-post shot—basic goalkeeping. De la Fuente's "we know who the keeper is" comment suggests Simon is undisputed number one. Hope Spain do well, they're my dark horse pick! 🇪🇸
From Indian perspective, this is like our cricket team's warm-up matches before World Cup—testing backups but risking momentum. Spain has tremendous depth but over-rotation can disrupt rhythm. De la Fuente should have used this friendly to give game time to his likely starters, not chop and change so much. Also, why rest key players so early? Build match fitness now, not later. Garcia is clearly not ready for big stage.
Spain's approach reminds me of how MS Dhoni used to experiment in bilateral series before ICC tournaments. But here, De la Fuente might be over-thinking. Iraq is no pushover nowadays—they have some good players. The 1-1 scoreline without star players is not bad honestly. What worries me is the goalkeeper situation—if Simon gets injured, Spain could be in trouble. They need a reliable backup. Keep an eye on that Peru friendly—that will reveal real plans.
<
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.