KAMEN, June 11: Spain coach Luis Aragones is using his strong character and mischievous sense of humour to keep players on their toes during the long wait for their first game against Ukraine, says defender Michel Salgado.

“He told me off the other day and he gave Joaquin a dressing down too, but that's the way he is,” Salgado said on Sunday. “It isn't anything serious and he does it for the good of the team.

“In many ways it helps us because it breaks the monotony and it helps us keep our concentration. When you are together for such a long time, you can become bored or lazy and this sort of thing stops that happening.”

Aragones, who at 67 is one of the most experienced coaches in the World Cup, appeared to scold Santiago Canizares in training on Saturday but the coach and his goalkeeper played down the incident saying it was nothing more than a joke.

“We all know what the boss is like,” said Salgado.

Spain are unbeaten in their 22 matches since Aragones took charge after their first-round Euro 2004 exit. They open their World Cup campaign against Ukraine in Leipzig on Wednesday.—Reuters