Strongest possible starting XI for Spain | UEFA Euro 2020
It's been nine years since Spain's last triumph at a major tournament as they head into Euro 2020. They have suffered underwhelming returns in every major cup competition following their win at Euro 2012. It marked the end of a four-year glorious period where they won two European Championships and a World Cup.
The old guard retired subsequently and their replacements couldn't replicate their success. Naturally, La Roja have had to undergo a transformation or a rebuild of sorts. They have tested out various combinations and tactics but none of them have really paid dividends so far.
Spain have a relatively young squad heading into Euro 2020
As they head into Euro 2020 though, Spain do have a young and promising core. They might not be at a level where they can browbeat the best in the business, but they have enough quality to put up a fight in any scenario. Luis Enrique will, however, have his work cut out trying to choose the strongest starting XI from an extremely talented group of players.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the strongest possible XI for Spain at Euro 2020.
Spain Goalkeeper - David de Gea (Manchester United)
Given his form over the past couple of seasons, Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea seems to have gone past his prime. But he is still Spain's best bet to guard the net at Euro 2020. None of Spain's three goalkeepers are in great form ahead of the tournament.
The other options for Luis Enrique are Athletic Bilbao's Unai Simon and Brighton & Hove Albion's Robert Sanchez. Unai Simon could get the nod ahead of De Gea as he had a decent outing with Athletic Bilbao in the 2020-21 season. But Luis Enrique will be well-advised to go with experience at Euro 2020.
De Gea will also be raring to finally put on a good showing at a major tournament for his national side. He has thus far been a failure at doing that and will be looking to change that at Euro 2020.
He was also in good form for Manchester United towards the end of the season. But he largely played in the Europa League after Dean Henderson replaced him as the first-choice in the Premier League.
He is also the most experienced of the three. However, David de Gea will need to be tidy with his distribution and it has become a weak point in his game. Given the kind of expansive game that Spain play, their forays forward will regularly be kickstarted by their goalkeeper.