Fernando Llorente will not attend the World Cup in Brazil. Spanish coach Vicente Del Bosque announced today the 23-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Reina, De Gea
Defenders: Ramos, Juanfran, Albiol, Jordi Alba, Pique, Azpilicueta.
Midfielders: Martinez, Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta, Silva, Cazorla, Koke, Mata, Fabregas.
Forwards Pedro, Torres, Diego Costa, Villa.
While it is completely understandable why the coach opted for Diego Costa (36 goals in 51 matches this season), who is apparently fit enough to play consistently, picking Villa and Torres instead of Llorente is debatable.
David Villa (15 goals and 5 assists in 47 matches) and Fernando Torres (11 goals and 6 assists in 41 games) have had a worse season than our Nando (18 goals and 6 assists in 45 matches). Evidently, Del Bosque privileged players who have a longer history with Spain than Llorente: Torres has 107 caps under his belt, while Villa has 95 and is Spain’s all-time leading scorer. Llorente has only 24 caps with Spain since 2008. Torres and Villa are part of the core of the recent Spain’s successes, while Llorente has blossomed in the last three years. Moreover, Torres is more technical than Llorente and Villa is an hybrid striker: both probably suit better Spain’s style.
this shouldn’t be seen as a slight to Llorente – He’s a good striker, but Span is just so stacked it’s ridiculous .. to be truthful, he doesn’t deserve a spot on that team, they’re just too good and too deep .. besides, there’s lots of big names that didnt make the team .. Isco, Illamarendi, etc .. Spain is the class of the world when it comes to football.