Spain boss Vicente del Bosque claims revenge will not be on his mind when La Roja face Holland at the Amsterdam Arena on Tuesday.
Del Bosque saw his Spanish side humiliated 5-1 by the Dutch at last year’s World Cup in Brazil but feels talk of getting one over their opponents on Tuesday is well wide of the mark.
“I don’t feel the need to get my own back on Holland. We’ll be trying to play an attractive game and be at the same level as them,” he told a Press conference.
“Holland have finished on the podium at the last two World Cup finals while Spain, who dominated world football for a few years, appear to have suffered a loss of form over the past few months.
“However, during that slump we’ve scored 14 goals and conceded just three. We’ve played four qualifying rounds, 31 games with a record of 28 wins, two draws and only one defeat. I don’t think that’s too bad.
“We acknowledge that after the World Cup we weren’t quite right but I can see good things now and we’re heading in the right direction.”
Del Bosque feels there has been a lot of negativity surrounding his players recently, yet still plans to make changes for the game against the Dutch.
“We used to get some positive vibes but now the emphasis is on all the negative aspects. The criticism has been unanimous so maybe they are right.
“However, I think this is a good time to field a new team because all the players who didn’t get a chance to play against Ukraine on Friday are all first choices with their clubs. They deserve to be given their chance bearing in mind the stage of the season we are at.
“The team we have is already constructed and in place but we can’t allow ourselves to dwell on what we’ve achieved in the past.
“We’ve not got many players who are getting close to 30, but those who are need to make sure they end on a high note.”
The 64-year-old believes his team are on the right road to qualify for the European Championship finals in France next year.
“Apart from England and Slovakia the rest of us are still competing for a place in France. We’ve maintained decent figures and are on the right path with five games left to play.
“If any teams go into these last few games thinking they are already there then they are going to have a difficult time,” he warned.
