No specific anti-Sneijder plan, says Del Bosque
Sunday, 11 July 2010
Spain have not prepared a specific
plan to counter in-form Netherlands midfielder Wesley
Sneijder in Sunday's World Cup final, coach Vicente
del Bosque said on Saturday.
Sneijder is joint-top scorer with
Spain striker David Villa and Germany's Thomas Mueller
in South Africa with five goals and his incisive distribution,
ball-winning skills and long-range shooting have been
a major reason for his team's successful run.
"We have faced other good
players who play in that position," Del Bosque
told a news conference at Soccer City.
"We have a very good midfield
and they are very used to dealing with that kind of
player," he added. "So no we don't have a
specific plan to deal with Sneijder."
European champions Spain have had
to battle some defensive-minded teams at the finals,
enjoying long periods of possession but struggling at
times to create chances.
Del Bosque said he did not expect
the Dutch to switch to a more defensive style on Sunday,
when both teams will be bidding for a first World Cup
triumph.
"I don't believe Holland will
change their approach simply because they are playing
Spain," he said.
"They have a very well-defined
style, as do we. I certainly don't think they will change
the script. We have a lot of options and various solutions
for any problem that might arise."
The 59-year-old coach gave nothing
away about his starting 11 for the final, declining
to say whether he planned to select misfiring striker
Fernando Torres or stick with forward Pedro, whom he
fielded against Germany in the semi-final.
Torres returned from knee surgery
shortly before the finals and has yet to find the net
in six appearances. "I can tell you that we have
23 excellent players and any of them could be on the
pitch tomorrow," he said. "There is no problem
as far as I am concerned."
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