Pedri on the bench against Belgium: Unai Simon calms unease within La Roja

Pedri was not in the starting lineup on Friday for the World Cup quarter-final against Belgium, and his absence from the starting XI did not go unnoticed in Spain. Luis de la Fuente preferred Fabian Ruiz alongside Rodri in midfield, before bringing on the Barcelona midfielder in the 55th minute in a match that La Roja ultimately won thanks to an error by Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens, exploited by Mikel Moreno.

The victory was not enough to silence the questions. Spain, solid defensively with only one goal conceded since the start of the tournament, is struggling to recapture the brilliant collective play that had illuminated Euro 2024. Lamine Yamal, Inaki Williams and Pedri himself are below their usual standards, fueling debate over the coach’s tactical choices.

When asked about the subject, goalkeeper Unai Simon chose the path of appeasement. “We all want to play. Fabian is also an immense talent. He has won two Ligue des Champions in a row. In the end, there is not room for everyone,” he said. Simon broadened the discussion by citing the situation of the other goalkeepers in the squad: “How should David (Raya) and Joan (Garcia) feel, knowing they are world-class goalkeepers? Everyone wants to play, but everyone wants to win the World Cup. When it’s your turn to take on that role, you do it.”

The La Roja goalkeeper also assured that Pedri had “taken it well to be on the bench,” before downplaying the scale of the controversy: “On the outside, people attach great importance to it, because otherwise, what would there be to talk about? On the inside, no, we are a squad of 26 players and we all want to play. But when we are not in the starting lineup, we all want to come on and make our contribution.”

Spain will face France in the semi-final, and Luis de la Fuente will have to make another decision on the composition of his midfield against a team far more formidable than Belgium.