Luis Enrique Denies Barcelona 'Taboo' After Jordi Alba's Spain Squad Omission

Spain manager Luis Enrique has said there is no "taboo" when it comes to former club Barcelona after Jordi Alba was left out of his most recent squad.

The national team's Twitter account relayed the 23-man group for the upcoming matches against England and Wales:

Alba, rated as one of the best left-backs in world football, has now been left out of two squads in succession by Enrique, with Sergio Busquets the only player from the Blaugrana to make the cut.

Speaking about the decision, the La Roja boss made it clear all the choices he made were based on sporting reasons only, per Miguel Angel Lara of Marca.

"I will not talk about those that are not here, it is not a taboo but I am not going to talk about those who aren't here," he said when asked about Alba. "This is all more to do with the press, no one in the street asks me these things. People want Spain to win, we have a 23-man squad which is my team and it is not about clubs."  

The decision from Enrique to leave Alba out is definitely a curious one, as the former Valencia man was a vital player for the coach during their time together at Barcelona, helping the team win the UEFA Champions League, two La Liga prizes and three Copas del Rey in their spell together.

Alba continues to impress for his club, too, and was especially effective on Wednesday night as Barcelona secured a memorable 4-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League:

Enrique has catered for a number of left-backs in the squad, including Valencia's Jose Gaya and Chelsea's Marcos Alonso. He has also called up Wolverhampton Wanderers man Jonny Otto for the first time, who has excelled in a more advanced role for the Premier League outfit as a wing-back.

With so many options in the position, the suggestion that Alba has been left out for sporting reasons is at least questionable, as he has been a mainstay for Spain and Barcelona for many years.

As relayed by Adriana Garcia of ESPN FC, there were reports in Spain that said Enrique and Alba did having a falling out during their time working together with the Catalan club.

While Alba will no doubt be disappointed at not getting the chance to represent his country, the TalkFCB Twitter account believes the decision will ultimately be to the benefit of his club side:

"

Jordi Alba is not selected for Spain once again by Luis Enrique... And after seeing what a rested, motivated Alba is capable of this season, I'm not disappointed in the slightest.

— TalkFCB (@FCBNewsRoom) October 4, 2018"

The 29-year-old has certainly started the season well. In recent years, there have been oscillations in form from the left-back, but in a campaign of inconsistency for the team so far, Alba has been one of the standout players.

Following the sale of Lucas Digne to Everton this summer, Barcelona don't have a natural replacement in the left-back slot, meaning Alba will have to get through a heavy workload. No international football should help him in that regard.

Enrique will point to the results the team are getting as justification for his decisions, as Spain have looked rejuvenated under his watch.

After beating England 2-1 at Wembley Stadium in his first match in charge, they hammered FIFA World Cup finalists Croatia 6-0 in their previous outing. Both wins secured them a place at the top of Group 4 in League A of the UEFA Nations League.