Following last night’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Bosnia, new Spain coach Luis Aragones has a long way to go if he is to restore the reputation of the national team.

Press reaction to the performance was muted, with most commentators suggesting that the team had not improved upon their dismal Euro 2004 showing.

“The national side shows no sign of improvement,” noted sports daily Marca.

“It is remains a team without personality, without creativity and without a leader.

“Experienced players appear to lack the ability to impose themselves on a team like Bosnia that was both technically and physically inferior.”

It was a disappointing first competitive match Aragones, who took over the national side when Inaki Saez resigned after Euro 2004.

“The new Spain of Aragones has the same problems as the old side under Saez,” said Spanish daily El Mundo.

“The team gets bogged down up front and seems incapable of finishing off the opposition.”

Aragones said that the players appeared to lack the necessary competitive edge.

“We started nervously and made life difficult for ourselves,” he said.

“We were the better side once we moved the ball around, but we have to learn how to compete. We cannot afford to let opponents score after losing the ball in midfield.”

“Bosnia are not the easy opponents that many people think,” he said. “They made life difficult for us with the way they pressured us in midfield and teams that come here are going to have a tough time.”