Del Bosque: Adrian's inclusion was unthinkable

Posted Sunday, May 27, 2012 by YAHOO Sport

Spain boss Vicente del Bosque has explained the reason he left Atletico Madrid striker Adrian Lopez out of his plans for Euro 2012.

The 24-year-old forward enjoyed a dream debut for La Roja on Saturday, netting one goal and winning the penalty which allowed Santi Cazorla to seal a 2-0 victory against Serbia.

Del Bosque was full of praise for the Atletico striker, but stated that he could not take any players who are new to the national team setup.

"We preferred other options, but we have to say that Adrian was brilliant," he told reporters. "The seven players who have been left out are a bit sad, but they are good sportsmen. It was unthinkable that a player who just had their debut would make the squad. But we are keeping an eye on him."

Valencia striker Roberto Soldado was also left out of the squad and Del Bosque gave the reasons for his omission.

"Alvaro Negredo and Soldado are two extraordinary players, but different," he explained. "One is quicker, but the other is more of a team player. David Villa is irreplaceable, because of his characteristics.

"We have to look for solutions, and we have them in every area of the field. But I have to say it: for all that Villa has given us, he cannot be replaced. The same thing can be said about Carles Puyol, whose absence is also a heavy blow for us."

Earlier in May, Del Bosque had hinted that Pedro could stay at home, but the Barcelona attacker has been included in the 23-man party for Poland and Ukraine.

"He had an irregular season, like many others did, but we tried to look at his path in the medium run," the Spanish coach explained. That is why we have called him up. We need people who can play out wide, who are effective and who can add quality to the bench."

There are only four changes to the list when compared to the squad which won the World Cup in South Africa, but Del Bosque insisted that this is not a veteran group.

"There is no reason to doubt these players," he added. "Not many players are aged over 30 and the rest are in their prime. "Groups must be pumped with new blood, but we must not make changes without any reason."