The ultimate second has arrived, and Spain need our second star.
To win this World Cup, we needn’t do something spectacular – we simply must hold calm and keep on taking part in the identical manner.
I’m again in Madrid now after engaged on the event for the BBC and I’d say the entire nation believes we are able to beat Argentina on Sunday and convey residence the trophy like we did in 2010.
That confidence comes from a number of locations – from successful Euro 2024, from our lengthy unbeaten run of 37 video games and naturally from the way in which we beat France within the semi-final.
The energy of this Spain group is within the group, and of their mentality. They’re a collective in the way in which all of them play collectively and so they have an id they imagine in, which implies they at all times hold doing the identical issues.
Our first sport of this World Cup was a 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, which was not the end result we anticipated – however they didn’t panic, and didn’t change their method.
It was the identical towards Portugal and Belgium within the knockout rounds once they needed to combat till the final minute to attain a winner and, another way, it was the identical once they went in entrance early on towards France within the semi-final.
France have been one of many large favourites to win the entire competitors and had scored a whole lot of targets of their different video games however Spain stayed optimistic, and didn’t change their method to attempt to dangle on to their lead.
Having that clear id and sticking with it’s an important factor, particularly now.
Spain can change some personnel inside the group however they at all times hold the identical form and their mindset is at all times the identical too – it’s about having the ball, and controlling the sport as a lot as attainable.
After all generally a sport can convey you completely different conditions however thus far Spain haven’t been behind in any of our seven video games at this World Cup, which is exceptional.
If that occurs within the remaining, and we go behind towards Argentina, we cannot change. We are going to hold that very same calmness we now have seen from the beginning, till the very finish.
