WORLD CUP 2006
Spain Interview Coach - Sergio Ramos
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What is your mood going into these final weeks beforethe World Cup?
I have my feet on the floor, but the greatest of confidence. Everyone is waiting for Spain to do something great, the fans want us to get beyond the quarter-finals, and my ambition – and what I am trying to get across to the players – is that we have to meet those expectations, that we will get beyond the quarter-finals. The legend ends here: this time we’ll get further.
Is that a key part of your job, making sure the players believe it?
That’s the way it has to be. To get through you have to overcome the obstacles – extra-time, penalties, bad luck, and so on. I’m convinced we can, and I think the players are starting to believe it as well.
You’ve always said that the psychological side of the game is as important as tactics or physical shape.
Right now I think it’s the most important part. A team that believes it is capable of winning will win more often than not. Either I’ll find a psychologist or I’ll do it myself – we have to make sure the players take that on board with the greatest conviction.
There are still some big selection debates – for instance, about Raul, because of his poor form.
I’m not so worried about Raul because I am convinced that he will be fine in a month. I know his mind, and I have complete confidence in him. People haven’t valued his role in Spanish football highly enough.
What is the situation with Xavi? He still hasn’t played a competitive game after his injury.
He’s back in training and I think he’ll play the final games of the season. We’ll watch him and see if he is going to be OK, see how his confidence is, how quickly he gets tuned in again. I think he’s confident. The other day I saw him training on television and he whacked in a cracker of a shot, so I rang him up and said: “Listen sunshine, if you can hit it like that already I don’t see why you shouldn’t be playing right now.”
So, both will be there at the World Cup?
Raul means goals. He’s sharp, he sees the chances coming and he was on the point of winning the Serbia game all on his own. Xavi
is a key player because of his control, his intelligence and his distribution. But we don’t have long to get everyone fit for the first match, against Ukraine, so we will see.
You have made it clear that Spain will play a technical game, with lots of possession and neat use of the ball.
Yes, because on a technical level Spain are one of the six best teams in the world, whereas physically we are not on the same
level as some of the African and European teams. We have the talent. Spain have been at eight consecutive World Cups, and very few countries can say that. People in Spain forget about our footballing history far too easily.
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