Three names were selected to play as goalkeepers for Spain’s national team, among them was not Kepa Arrizabalaga. Some critics were harsh against Luis Enrique but he already made his decision and there is no going back.
Kepa is a talented Spanish goalkeeper who has struggled in England to earn the starting job, but due to some struggles he was never the first choice for his current team Chelsea.
Chelsea is the team that made Kepa famous around the world, but the Premier League is one of the toughest European leagues and he couldn’t fully earn the trust of his team manager.
Why is Kepa Arrizabalaga missing the Qatar 2022 World Cup?
Luis Enrique knows that Kepa Arrizabalaga was not the best option for the Spain’s national team, especially knowing that Kepa was not Chelsea’s starting goalkeeper, and it is very likely that Luis Enrique based his decision on that since Kepa is just playing as a starter again while Mendy recovers from an injury.
Kepa has 11 appearances for Spain since 2017, he was first called up for the national team during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, while his first game as Spain’s goalkeeper was on November 11.
During the 2018 World Cup in Russia he was called up and was part of the 23-man squad, this is the first time he has not been called up to play in a World Cup. Spain is likely to have weakness on their goal-line without Kepa, to learn more about Spain’s odds in the tournament check the World Cup predictor.