The omission of captain Raul from the Spanish national team squad for the Euro 2008 qualifier in Sweden on Saturday has stirred controversy. Spain coach Luis Aragones dropped the Real Madrid striker when he named his squad on Friday. It was the first time the 29-year-old had been left out of the national team in 10 years for reasons other than injury. Raul's Spanish strike partner Fernando Torres has urged his teammates to drop the subject and attend to the job at hand. "It was the coach's decision not to bring Raul," the Atletico Madrid ace was quoted as saying by Spanish media on Tuesday. "We were surprised but those that are here must get on with the job in hand." Torres said that Raul's absence, even though shocking on part of the coach, should provide the team with a strong challenge. "After the game we will know if we have missed him. We know he's been a fixture for many years but the coach has made his decision and there is no point us worrying about it."
Morientes Raul's former Real Madrid teammate Fernando Morientes also felt the way Aragones made the decision was wrong. "Aside from the debate over whether or not he should have been included, the manner he did it was probably not the most appropriate," said the Valencia striker. "Given who it was, it would have been more logical to have rung the player before the announcement. "Everyone has their own opinion about the decision. He could be playing well or badly, scoring or not scoring, but he is the top goal scorer for Spain, he has been the captain for many years and has been one of the most capped players of all time," he added. Morientes himself was excluded by Aragones before the 2006 World Cup, and the former AS Monaco forward does not believe he will be able to work his way back into the national team. "Some time ago I said I thought the door to the national team was still open to me but now I think it is beginning to close little by little," Morientes told a news conference. Morientes, who scored 26 times in 43 appearances for Spain, has been impressive since joining Valencia in the close season. "If I'm not included in the side the way I'm playing at the moment then it seems very unlikely that it will happen in the future because I don't think I can maintain this sort of form forever."
