Spain midfielder Rodri admits there is a “fear” within the squad this week that a positive Covid-19 test could rule them out of the European Championship after an outbreak threatened to derail their preparations.
Midfielder Sergio Busquets and defender Diego Llorente tested positive and were forced to isolate, Llorente was soon able to rejoin the team after subsequently testing negative.
This has caused the rest of the players to worry that a flood of new positive tests will continue; This has not been the case until now.
The Spanish school in Las Rozas was closed in reaction to Busquets’ positive test, and all players were tested daily for the virus as a precautionary measure, while a “parallel bubble” of players was created on the occasion of a series of positive cases.
Rodri admits this created a tense atmosphere as they waited for the results, knowing that their tournament could end at any moment.
“For the last few days, every morning when we do the PCR tests, this concept crosses our minds: ‘Please, please, don’t let there be any positive results’. It would be very cruel,” he told The Guardian.
“There is fear, not so much for our health, because we are young and it is unlikely that anything bad will happen to us, but we will miss the Euros. Busi [Busquets] has stayed still, he doesn’t feel anything [symptoms] but you know it may mean he’s missing something. It happens to Diego, although fortunately it’s a false positive and he can come back, but this concept leaves you with a very bad feeling, a sadness. The scenario however, is what it is; We know that these are the times we live in, and thankfully, it now seems that we are moving forward.
With the drill court closed, players have not been able to work out or combine them as they prepare for Monday’s tournament opener against Sweden.
The team also agreed to get vaccinated against the virus after the outbreak, but they won’t have full coverage for the foreseeable future.
Rodri admits that the interrupted education regime has been frustrating, but he understands why each and every precaution will have to be taken for the safety of each and every one.
“In the last few days we haven’t gone to the pictures as we would like,” he said.
“We did individual workouts, which were more physical. It helps on a physical level, but we haven’t had the collective preparation we need: sessions of work with the ball, passes, possession, mini-plays, combinations. We didn’t do much with the ball, that’s what makes things work.
“In the residence, the usual spaces have been closed. We have been freed from any kind of contact. The meals have been arranged so that everything is done separately, the tables are distributed, we take turns to eat. Everything is done individually, everything we do, everyone is in their own room.
“It seems like a long time. It’s worth paying for, but we don’t care if that’s what it takes to stop there being no more [Covid] positives. Let’s go back to business as usual and start with the euro, which is what we all want.
Regarding the vaccine, he added: “We were vaccinated and I’m fine. I have no symptoms or side effects. It is good news that in the end we have all been vaccinated and we can have some peace of mind; We can all be. “quieter now.