Madrid: Spanish left-back Jordi Alba believes the defending champions have the toughest group at Euro 2016.
The Spanish have to progress from a group comprising Croatia, Turkey and the Czech Republic if they are to have a chance of lifting a third consecutive European crown.
And Alba believes they will have to hit the ground running, reports Xinhua.
“First of all we have to focus on our group, which I think is the most complicated in the tournament. I hope we will be able to make it to the next ground, but there are some very good sides in the competition,” he said in a press conference on Sunday.
Alba looked back on Spain’s triumph in 2012 — in which the Spanish started slowly but improved over the competition before defeating Italy 4-0 in the final.
“That was a brilliant competition for me, because I had only played three games for Spain beforehand. Vicente del Bosque showed confidence in me when nobody else did, so I have to thank him for what he did. He showed a lot of faith in me and it was wonderful,” said the defender.
Alba also remembered the 2014 World Cup when the Spanish, who travelled to Brazil as world champions, crashed out in the first round.
“They are different competitions,” he said, explaining that in Brazil, “we were not at the level that people or we expected. That is history now and this is different. The players who are here are very optimistic and there is a different mentality. In football and in life you have to learn from the bad things,” he said.
Spain play their final preparation game on Tuesday when they take on Georgia in Getafe — just outside of Madrid — in a match that kicks-off at 10.45pm UAE time.
Alba’s manager Del Bosque, believes Spain can learn from their 2014 World Cup nightmare — and become the first side to win a third successive European Championship.
After capturing the European title in 2008 and 2012 and a first World Cup in 2010, Spain did not cope with the pressure of being favourites in Brazil.
“One has to differentiate between an aim and an obligation,” Del Bosque told Marca on Monday.
“To win the title cannot be an obligation. There is always an important lesson to be learned when you lose.” Spain lost their first two games in Brazil, including a 5-1 drubbing by the Netherlands who they beat 1-0 in the World Cup final in South Africa.
The players were accused back home of being complacent and overconfident.
“It was not a humility issue but a sporting one,” Del Bosque said.
“We lost against teams that were superior to us on the pitch. We never made excuses. We never thought we were superior or unbeatable.” Spain, who also won the European title in 1964, open their campaign next Monday against the Czech Republic in Toulouse.
“We go into the tournament with the maximum ambition and that is to defend the title that we achieved four years ago,” Del Bosque said.
“It’s the same situation that we were in at Euro 2012 but with a bit more responsibility because we now have to defend two straight titles.” Del Bosque picked out the traditional heavyweights as his team’s main rivals.
“There is World Cup holders Germany and tournament hosts France who have a very strong team,” he said. “Then there is Italy with their competitive gene. We cannot forget England, Belgium, Croatia, Poland.”
Spain take on Turkey on June 17 in Nice before ending Group D against Croatia in Bordeaux four days later.
