Sáez rues a wasted chance
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Article summary
Spain's Iñaki Sáez admitted his disappointment at the draw with Greece which has left his team needing a result against Portugal.
Article body
Iberian decider
Sáez's men go into their final group game against the hosts in Lisbon on Sunday level on points with Greece, and one point better off than Portugal. With the former facing Russia in their final fixture, Spain's all-Iberian showdown at the Estádio José Alvalade has assumed the quality of a winner-takes-all clash.
Usual occurrence
"I'm a little disappointed," the coach said. "However, it is not the first time this has happened to us, and in a championship like EURO 2004™ it is usual for everything to be decided in the last match of the qualifying group." Ahead of the neighbourly tussle, he added: "It doesn't matter that it is Portugal who are our opponents."
Missing pair
Sáez will be without two first-choice players at the home of Sporting Clube de Portugal. Defender Carlos Marchena picked up a second booking against Greece yesterday and is suspended, while winger Joseba Etxeberria is injured, having taken a blow to his right leg in the same game. "We will have to make two enforced changes," the trainer said.
Comprehensive victory
Here, Sáez will bear in mind Spain's 3-0 defeat of Portugal in a friendly last September. "I have to think about my lineup but the reference point is the friendly we played in Guimarães which we won 3-0," he said.
Midfield tandem
The coach also resisted any criticism of his selection policy, amid suggestions that new Real Madrid CF signing Xabi Alonso might have broken up the Valencia CF central midfield axis of David Albelda and Rubén Baraja that he deployed against Greece. "If I choose Albelda and Baraja, it is because I want them to do the hard work in the first half [of games]. They performed well. They pressed Greece and that was their job."
Staying put
Spain were ultimately denied the victory their dominance might have merited by Angelos Charisteas's second-half equaliser, but Sáez remains confident of progress. "I don't feel that we'll be leaving Portugal after Sunday. There is confidence in the camp. We only drew against Greece because we wanted to finish with a two or three-nil win. There was a chance of three teams finishing level on six points at the top of the group so that is why we wanted goals."
