The Spanish hockey male coach on skates, Guillem Cabestany, said Monday that there is “a maximum equality between five selections” in the World Cup which will be played from September 16 to 22 in Novara (Italy).
“15 or 20 years ago there were two or three selections that started as favorites, but Now there is a maximum equality between five selections full of players competing in the best European teams. This makes international selections competitions more open than ever, “he analyzed.
Among these favorites, the coach placed the current world champion, Argentina, already Portugal, which he defined as “a team”, but also to Spain, Italy and France.
“Italy plays at home and has players in full form and maturity, while France is the last selection that has reached the World Top. They are no longer just the Di Benedetto, now they have a more complete squad“He reflected.
Spain, current European champion, is the most laureate selection of the competition with 17 world scepters, but does not win the title since 2017, after finishing third in 2019 and fifth in 2022.
“What we want is to win the World Cup, like everyone else. I don't think our style has changed much. My goal is for the team to play well, because this will bring us closer to win games, but we have learned that we also have to be consistent and balanced. We cannot only think about attacking, “said Cabestany.
In statements from the High Performance Center (CAR) of Sant Cugat, where the selection began on Monday the fifth week of training, The coach revealed that Ignacio Alabart is in the process of overcoming physical discomfort And he confessed that Xavi Barroso's last minute decline has been “a hard blow.”
“There is no other option to find solutions and the team has quickly left the two days of depression that we all pass. There is still a week, but the team evolves every day and we are quite prepared to compete at the highest level,” he concluded.
