Don't Give Portugal The Ball

Posted Tuesday, June 29, 2010 by Goal.com

The former Spain coach has declared what he believes might make La Seleccion slip up against Portugal...

As reported by Marca, former Spain coach Luis Aragones has commented on La Roja's play thus far in the World Cup, and failed to express too much confidence in the national team's chances of progressing to the quarter-finals.

"I am not very optimistic because I see Portugal as a very good national team. It will be difficult. Portugal have an extraordinary team and Spain are improving little by little. Our virtue is, fundamentally, to have possession of the ball. If Portugal figure out how to take that from us, they will be able to beat us."

Despite such negative comments, Aragones assured that this was the same Spain side we have seen over the past two years. "It is the same Spain, but in the beginning stages of the tournament, they have not been at their height. They have been missing speed of the ball and possession.

"Defensively, Portugal are nearly perfect. In attack, they could use a bit more. But we know they can score goals from their 7-0 win [against North Korea] and they need to be considered when talking about World Cup winners. Cristiano Ronaldo is great. He can win any match in one or two moments thanks to his ability. He is an extraordinary footballer.