Even after finishing first in Group C and reaching the European Championship quarterfinals, Spain's doubters remain.
The defending champions
won two of their three games against defensive-minded teams, but
questions are still being raised as Spain coach Vicente del Bosque
experiments with a six-man midfield.
Spain, which will play either
France, England or Ukraine in the next round, may not have been
convincing against Croatia on Monday, but winning Euro 2008 and then the
World Cup has made it difficult to please everyone. Del Bosque said
Tuesday he had again watched the 1-0 victory over Croatia and, despite
so much pessimism, he thought his team had dominated.
“Even though
we won we’re left with the sensation that things went badly,” Del
Bosque said. “If you look closely, we performed well.”
Spain has
scored a tournament high six goals and conceded only one, yet apart from
a 4-0 win over Ireland the team has struggled to find the net without
the use of a traditional striker as a reference point. Del Bosque
preferred to start a six-man midfield against Italy and opted for it in
the second half against Croatia. While Spain managed to generate chances
against the Croats, it lacked that finishing touch in front of goal
until substitute Jesus Navas scored in the 88th minute.
“Things
have gone well with our defined style of play so we shouldn’t doubt it.
That would be the worst thing we could do. To have any doubts, within
the team or outside of it, would put something that has carried us to
where we are today under suspicion,” Del Bosque said. “We (became a
football power) so quickly that we don’t know how to appreciate what we
really have.”
Spain leads the tournament in shots on goal (39),
passes completed (1,978) and attempted (2,411), possession (62 percent)
and corners (26).
Andres Iniesta, Spain’s standout player so far,
said the players felt some fatigue against Croatia as Del Bosque’s
starting lineup has been relatively unchanged since the opening draw
against Italy.
“I suppose the match was marked by all kinds of
phases, moments when we were looking good with the ball and dominating
and also moments of doubt which come from knowing if you concede a goal
it could mean you’re out,” Iniesta said Tuesday. “I don’t believe our
level has dropped. I think we look strong even if we go through some bad
moments in games, just like all teams. We’re mistaken if we think we’ll
win each game 3-0.”
Croatia coach Slaven Bilic said Spain was no
longer the tournament favorite in his mind. Del Bosque, however, stepped
up to defend his lack of rotations with a bench that includes Juan
Mata, Santi Cazorla and Fernando Llorente, while warning his decisions
were taken in the face of opponents that afforded no luxuries.
“In
football nobody is unbeatable. Just a few days ago everyone was
complimenting us,” the former Real Madrid coach said. “We live in a time
of extremism, of the good and the bad. There’s no middle point.”
