Spain‘s Rodri was keen to emphasise that the Spanish players had learned their lesson from Wednesday’s defeat to Japan.
Speaking to the media ahead of Tuesday’s last 16 tie against Morocco, as per MD, the 26-year-old underlined that he and his teammates know what’s at stake, and that any mistakes will see them eliminated from the tournament.
“It was ten minutes of collapse. We have been warned that a goal can knock us out (of the World Cup). We have analysed the game and the coach has pointed out that it cannot be repeated.”
Rodri, who typically operates as a pivot for Manchester City but has been playing in central defence for La Roja, emphasised that despite the poor result again Japan, the team will not drastically change their tactics going forward.
“We will not change the way we play for the sake of failure. Football is failure and success. We will continue with our philosophy, knowing that in a match the details make the difference. We will play with a cool head, but without taking unnecessary risks.”
On Morocco, Rodri was impressed by them in the group stages, and he is expected a tough match on Tuesday.
“They were first in their group, knocking Belgium out. They have very high individual quality, and as a collective they work very hard. We will need to be at our best to beat them.”
