Spanish and Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes has come to the rescue of manager Vicente del Bosque, who has been criticised after the 1-1 draw with Italy in the opening group game of Euro 2012. The Spanish national team manager decided to replicate the Barcelona style of football by not using a traditional striker.
Instead, he used Cesc Fabregas has the false striker in a match. Even though Cesc Fabregas scored the equaliser for Spain, many criticised that they could have easily won the match had they used a proper striker like Fernando Torres. Victor Valdes, though, has said that Spain should be extremely happy with the 1-1 draw given that they were playing against the 2006 world champions.
Spain will now be facing France in the quarter-final stage of the competition after having qualified as the group winners. This is certainly going to be a tough match for Spain due to the fact that many are comparing France with Barcelona. Valdes acknowledges that France are looking to play the way Barcelona play their football, but reckons that Spain have enough quality in their ranks to get the result. He has also said that the team should be wary of the threat given by French striker Karim Benzema.
“I do not understand the criticism targeted at the coach, nor do I share it. In football, things can go better or worse, but the results are there. I think the coach has got everything right since he took charge of the national team. He is calm and seeing how we are working to prepare for the matches. He wants to protect the group and make sure we keep doing things well and secure the results like we did at World Cup 2010. He is one of the most dangerous strikers in the world,” said Victor Valdes.