Andres Iniesta is eyeing the “tranquillity” of an opening-day victory over Czech Republic when Spain begin their Euro 2016 campaign on Monday.
Spain avoided defeat in the first matches of their last two European Championships and went on to win both tournaments, prompting Iniesta to stress the importance of prolonging that run four years on.
“What the [new faces] provide is quality, regardless of their age. Like any national team, there are always changes and we hope to continue growing as a team,” the Barcelona midfielder said at a Press conference.
“The disappointment of Brazil forces us to concentrate more. Every tournament has its time, and I think we have a very good squad to make things right.
“We saw the defeat [to Georgia] as an accident. From there, we analysed what we did well and what we did wrong.
“[Monday] is a different game. Our mind is on Czech Republic. If we are at our best, our opponents will have to play very well to beat us. This Euro is a new challenge for us.
“I’d be happy to [win another Euro] for the national team. I always put the collective over individual successes. That’s what concerns me the most.
“At the end of the competition, we’ll see how important [the first game] has been. We started important competitions with defeats and ultimately won them, while we’ve started tournaments with victories and then went out.
“It’s true that if we lose the first match, we won’t have the necessary tranquillity in the following two. There’s no point winning the first game and failing in the other two.
“[Alvaro Morata and Aritz Aduriz] have their own characteristics and personality. We enjoyed the best strikers in the history of our country with [Fernando] Torres, [David] Villa … Now the scenario is different.
“We have Aduriz and Morata and fully trust them. We hope that they score at important moments.”
