"Should have started Nacho", "Don't fail us" - Spain fans surprised by 27-year-old star's inclusion in XI for Euro 2024 final against England
Spain fans were shocked by the inclusion of 27-year-old centre-back Robin Le Normand in the starting XI for the all-important Euro 2024 final against England. This is especially true after Real Madrid veteran Nacho Fernandez played the full ninety minutes in their semifinal clash against Kylian Mbappe-led France.
Fans expressed their anxiety over Luis de la Fuente's decision on social media platform X. Here are some of the reactions:
"Please le Normand don’t fail us," commented one fan on X.
"Should have started nacho instead of le normand he plays against spain," wrote another.
"Le normand??????" exclaimed another.
Some fans declared that La Roja would lose the Euro 2024 final because of the surprise exclusion of Nacho Fernandez.
"Normand starting yeah Spain are losing," announced one fan.
"This Normand guy," wrote another fan.
"Nacho should have been there , even though I am a barca fan , but in a final we need some players who can play pragmatic football when needed," analyzed one fan on X.
However, most of the fanbase was confident that Spain would get past the English challenge despite Luis de la Fuente doing something unexpected with the lineup.
"Win already," declared a fan.
"As a Barcelona fan it pains me to say i feel safer with Carvajal in there, Last match was shakey. W Spain CONGRATULATIONS in advance," wrote one fan.
"The most balanced XI of the whole tournament," inferred another fan.
Besides Robin Le Normand, Al-Nassr's Aymeric Laporte, Dani Carvajal, and Marc Cucurella will form the defensive line for La Roja. The Spanish midfield comprises Rodri, Dani Olmo, and Fabian Ruiz while Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, and Alvaro Morata will complete the attack for De la Fuente's side.
Alvaro Morata was a doubt for Spain against England in the Euro 2024 final
The Spanish captain could've easily missed out on making the starting eleven in Spain's Euro 2024 final clash against England because of a peculiar reason. The 31-year-old striker was tackled by a security guard just after the final whistle of their semifinal clash against France.
After the match, a fan from the crowd breached security and entered the ground to take selfies. However, he was soon tackled to the ground by the security personnel. One guard accidentally hit Alvaro Morata, leaving him wincing in pain and limping afterward.
"With Alvaro, we are going to wait until tomorrow. We don’t think it was anything. It was during the celebrations. We think he’s going to be okay," commented the Spanish manager after the game (via Eurosport).
However, fans are excited to see the return of Morata in time to play the Euro 2024 final.