Mourinho: Spain are "hurting" but can bounce back
Monday, June 16, 2014 by Marca.comChelsea coach Jose Mourinho, formerly of Real Madrid, believes Spain have "more than enough quality" to win their remaining two World Cup group-stage fixtures against Chile and Australia, thereby keeping alive their hopes of reaching the round of 16.
As part of his regular video updates for Yahoo, the Portuguese tactician called the edgy mood around the Spain camp following the 5-1 trouncing by the Netherlands "normal".
While noting that 'La Roja' had a "very bad day at the office, a match to forget" and that the players' "pride has been wounded" and they will be "hurting", he added that the squad has to believe in its ability to turn things around.
"The best way to wipe the slate clean is to play again and win: to rebuild your self-esteem and confidence to face up to the future. This competition isn't about how you start, it's about how you finish; Spain got off to the worst possible start and now they are on the brink - they can't afford to falter again", he stated.
Mourinho went on to stress that what he described as an "incredible" Spanish squad has "more than enough quality" to bounce back, underscoring the fact that it includes a number of "top-class players who didn't even get off the bench" against the Dutch. He concluded that Spain have "everything it takes to win their next two games".
Legends pay tribute to Gerrard & Lahm
International retirements follow Wo...
- Year
- Winner
- Runner-up
- Third place