Madrid-Khaled Youssef: Midfielder David Albelda was surprised by coach Luis Aragones' decision to exclude Valencia teammate Ruben Baraja from Spain's squad for the World Cup. "It's very strange," Albelda was quoted as saying by Spanish daily El Mundo on Tuesday. "The midfielders that are going like (Marcos) Senna, (Andres) Iniesta and Cesc (Fabregas) have very few caps between them," he said. Baraja, along with Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes, was the major absentee from the squad that Aragones announced on Monday.
Fernando Morientes "He's (Baraja) got more caps that all the other midfielders and his absence is the one that has most surprised me," Albelda said. "Luis is the one who decides and he will have his reasons, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth that Ruben won't be going because he deserves to go to this World Cup," he added. Liverpool's Luis Garcia was also unhappy with the omission of colleague Morientes. "It's a real shame for Morientes, because he is a great team mate and he's always ready to help the team," he said.
