Spain coach Luis de la Fuente says the onus should be on clubs to rest players, not national teams, amid an increase in injuries across European football.
Six of the Spain team that started the European Championship final win over England in the summer will miss this week’s UEFA Nations League games against Denmark and Serbia due to injury.
It has led to closer scrutiny of the game time being racked up by Lamine Yamal for club and country, but De la Fuente knocked back the idea of resting the Barcelona teenager this week.
“I speak with Lamine, he’s young and we have to manage everyone’s minutes, but it’s difficult with the national team,” the Spain boss said ahead of Saturday’s fixture against Denmark in Murcia.
“It’s easier to do if I have 70 games [a year] to coach, but I have two a month and we’re playing for qualification in every match.
“There’s a FIFA study that says just 3.5% of games played by [international] players are with the national team. So, I don’t think the responsibility for managing minutes or not falls on the national team. It should fall on those who spend more time with the players.”
Yamal, who has started 12 of a possible 13 games for club and country this season, has been handed the No. 10 shirt for Spain this week and the 17-year-old will lead a team missing some of its best players.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri and Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal have both been ruled out for the rest of the season, while Unai Simón, Robin Le Normand, Dani Olmo and Nico Williams are also absent for La Roja.
“It’s the ugly part of football, but it’s an opportunity for other players,” De la Fuente added of the injured players.
“Now those other players have the chance to prove themselves. They are all good players. We won’t miss anyone. We do what we have to do: build a competitive team to represent a county.
We are responsible for our decisions and look out for the health of the players. You can speculate [why there are so many injuries], but it’s a combination of factors. The number of games, physical preparation … All parties should sit down and talk and look for a solution.”
Rodri’s place in the side will be taken by Real Sociedad’s Martín Zubimendi, who came close to joining Liverpool in the summer, and De la Fuente said he has complete confidence in the midfielder.
“Martin’s been playing games of this caliber for a long time,” he said. “He is first class. If Rodri’s the best in the world in his position, Martin is second.
“We don’t have any doubts about Zubi, he is so reliable. These are the moments for players to take advantage of their chance and prove their potential. And he never fails.”
Ferran Torres, Bryan Gil and Yeremy Pino have all dropped out of the Spain squad in the last week due to injuries, too, while Gavi remains a long-term absentee due to an ACL tear suffered while representing his country last November.
Spain have four points from their first two games in Nations League A Group 4, while Saturday’s opponents Denmark sit top of the group with six points.
Serbia, Spain’s rival on Tuesday, are third with one point, ahead of Switzerland who are yet to get off the mark.
