Real Madrid and Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso can’t wait to get La Roja’s defence of the World Cup underway.
Alonso has said in an interview published on La Seleccion’s official website that the Netherlands Spain will face tonight are a different team than the one beaten in the 2010 final.
“They’ve changed quite a lot and Louis van Gaal is a different Coach,” AS reports Alonso as saying.
“He is a hard worker and we are preparing for the variations we might encounter.
“Most of [the Spain team] has already experienced the final stages and as the game approaches we all know what to expect.
“We’ll face the Netherlands’ tactics and we’re eager to get started.
“The training sessions are always at a high level and now we need to demonstrate that we are prepared for the match and the have the desire and motivation to make the legs work.”
Alonso reflected on the 2010 final, sharing his emotions as the ball fell to Andres Iniesta to score what proved to be the trophy-winning goal.
“Remembering South Africa is so exciting, during these four years it’s been a recurring theme for me,” he admitted.
“I remember when the ball fell to Andres I knew it was our last chance to be champions.
“The emotions were close to the surface and over time continues to be emotional for all of us.”
Alonso was asked about Spain’s style of play and argued that there is no need to change a winning formula.
“Our style is well defined and we can’t be too overwhelmed or upset by the style we play,” he added.
“Everyone thinks the way to get the results in games is a lot of patience and concentration…the key to what has made us successful is to keep the attention and defensive focus, because in the final stages we conceded very few goals.”
