SPAIN’S MATCHES MAY not have been the liveliest at Euro 2012 but, at the very least, their manager drew a laugh at the final pre-game press conference.
When asked whether he would actually play with a striker against Italy, Vicente Del Bosque only provided a deadpan response.
“We will play with three attackers, that’s for sure. There will be three men in the front who will be responsible for attacking. They will attack and not defend so much. But the whole team has their own tasks, their own missions.”
No answers there then. We don’t know whether Del Bosque will play Alvaro Negredo or Fernando Torres – as he did in the Portuguese and Irish matches – or a 4-3-3-0 with Cesc Fabregas as a false nine, as he did against Italy.
“We have lots of alternatives and so do Italy. We cannot really say if they will be defensive all the time because they know how to change. There has, for example, been a huge change in Italian football over the past few years.
“Even when Italy play with five defenders, they can attack. I think, in the final, they will play in the way they have done in the last matches.
“They have [Andrea] Pirlo, [Riccardo] Montolivo, they know how to play football. We know there is always debate, especially in an event such as this.”
As for Spain’s style?
“In sport, it’s sometimes impossible to convince everyone. Football is evolving. There has been a change and, also, our players have changed.”
Del Bosque was also pushed on who would be player of the tournament – Pirlo or, potentially, Andres Iniesta.
“It will be seen after who wins. I don’t think it will be somebody from the losing side.”
