Andres Iniesta trains with the Spain squad
Uncle Vicente can turn nasty if need be; last year he publicly rebuked his squad, questioning their hunger after a couple of stuttering performances in Africa. Only Koke, the youngest man in the party, had the right attitude said Del Bosque. They answered him with a comfortable qualification.
“We need to stick to the philosophy of playing style that has brought us so much success,” said defender Sergio Ramos. “We don’t need to change it.”
With Del Bosque and the significant rump of a real golden generation remaining, it offers Spain a tremendous sense of continuity. The 63-year-old has overseen the conquest of Europe and the world. Italy had that four years ago with Marcello Lippi still in charge but he had not completed his refresher course; eight of the squad had less than 10 caps and his defence had aged too far around the creaking Fabio Cannavaro.
The Azzurri experience in South Africa four years ago, and even more so that of France in 2002, stands as a lesson to Del Bosque’s men. Blue was the colour, the language and the aftermath. Italy finished bottom in a group consisting of Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia. They drew with New Zealand and conceded three goals in a World Cup finals for the first time ever to Slovakia. Lippi described how his side played with “terror in their heads, hearts and legs”
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