Barcelona: World Champions Spain are not soccer’s rigid “Talibans” and can vary their trademark possession football if necessary, coach Vicente del Bosque has said. Spain begin their bid to retain the trophy on Friday against the Netherlands, their rivals in the final four years ago in South Africa when the Dutch used a physical approach to try and unsettle them.
The Netherlands now have a coach in Louis van Gaal who hopes to continue the Dutch traditions of total football but has also admitted that he will look to bolster the defence against Spain with five at the back in the Group B match at Salvadore. “We are not Talibans with just one way of playing,” Del Bosque said.
“Possession without having depth doesn’t have any point. For that reason we are working so that the team can pressure to win back possession and then as a group attack. “... Football is played in many different ways and there isn’t just one. We don’t have a magic formula, we have a plan based on the players that we have available. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t others who are just as good and give results.”
Del Bosque was prepared in case Spain’s group rivals, that also include Chile and Australia, opt to sit back. “It’s fine if they do. It suits us best being patient and looking for the gaps against teams that are defensive rather than being in games that are end-to-end and out of control,” he said.
