“We can lose.” -Photo by Reuters

POLAND: Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said on Tuesday that no team is invincible, as his side look to defend their European Championship title.

The defending champions looked well off their usual exhilarating form as they managed to scrape a meager 1-0 win against Croatia on Monday, doing enough to win Group C and reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2012.

Del Bosque said afterwards his side had not reached the heights, as they thanked a late effort from reserve striker Jesus Navas for their win.

“In football, nobody is invincible. This goes for everyone and nobody believes differently - not the French, the English, not even the Germans,” announced Del Bosque in the Spanish base camp of Gniweino in Poland.

“We can lose,” he added bluntly, as he looked forward to a quarter-final, most likely against the formidable sides of England and France.

“Four days ago they were eulogizing us,” said Del Bosque, referring to a 4-0 thumping of Ireland.

“Against Croatia the game was neither bad nor good,” he insisted, adding that ‘all teams have Spain's respect.’

Had the Croatians won the game, the Spanish would have crashed out due to Italy's win over Ireland which gave the Azzurri the runners- up spot.

Del Bosque insisted that Spain were comfortable with their intricate yet high tempo style, and went on to say that they mustn't have doubts about it.

“It would be worse to have doubts,” he said.

“We have the resources to deploy against teams who keep it tight,” he insisted further.

“I have looked again at the Croatia match and I don't feel as I did at the end - we didn't play that badly,” he told reporters, adding that media talk in Italy of his side making a pact with the Croatians for a high scoring draw that would have put the Italians third and out, was an added unwelcome distraction beforehand.

Some observers in Spain believe Del Bosque should rotate his squad more - especially in attack, where he has relied on Cesc Fabregas and Fernando Torres. Both have responded with two goals each, however, it was Navas who finally made the difference on Monday after replacing Torres.

“Football is a permanent debate. We have 23 players and all of them can feature. People's tastes are different,” said Del Bosque, while stressing that Spain had a stable philosophy of how to play, and that the whole squad worked on that basis.

‘Confidence remains high’ said the Spanish boss - as well it might for a side which has won the last two major tournaments - although none has ever won three in a row, their obvious and current goal.

“We are not overly-optimistic but we have a chance at these Euros,” he observed, while insisting that he was not about to change the way the side plays by indulging in the “luxury” of extra strikers from the outset.

Finally, Del Bosque also added he was quite happy to take on sides that play it tight and try to close down space, as he said, “We have intelligent players to deal with these situations.”

“It saves more on energy than when you have to play across the whole pitch against more cavalier opponents.”

Opinion

Editorial

‘Source of terror’
Updated 29 Mar, 2024

‘Source of terror’

It is clear that going after militant groups inside Afghanistan unilaterally presents its own set of difficulties.
Chipping in
29 Mar, 2024

Chipping in

FEDERAL infrastructure development schemes are located in the provinces. Most such projects — for instance,...
Toxic emitters
29 Mar, 2024

Toxic emitters

IT is concerning to note that dozens of industries have been violating environmental laws in and around Islamabad....
Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...