Spain are back among the best: Carlos Queiroz [Interview]

MARCA – ISTANBUL, Spain will face Iran on their second World Cup game and the latter’s coach Carlos Queiroz pointed to the way La Roja were looking strong again.

Two weeks before the beginning of the tournament, the former Real Madrid tactician claimed that Spain were back among the elite of international football.

Carlos Queiroz faces his third World Cup finals, two with Iran and one with Portugal.

What do you remember of that elimination of Portugal in 2010 at the hands of Spain with David Villa’s goal?
A very difficult game for us, in which the best team won, but with a more attentive referee or if VAR had existed the story could have been different. But that is the past.

You haven’t had much luck with the referees, if we consider that penalty against Argentina in 2014…
They hurt us again. We played very well against Argentina, but [Lionel] Messi appeared with a magical pass and… Two people changed the game: Messi, with that fantastic pass, and the referee who didn’t see a scandalous penalty for [Dejagah] Ashkan, that could have been 1-0 for us and a red card for [Pablo] Zabaleta. You always have to continue though.

You have said in an interview with FIFA that Messi should be banned.
He does things, like that in 2014, that shouldn’t be authorized [laughs]. For me Cristiano Ronaldo is the best in the world, but Messi does things that are not human.What do you think about the group with Spain, Portugal and Morocco?It’s very difficult. Even the most complicated. But our attitude is clear: face things, move forward and always improve. That is the goal of Iran. Our classification was very good, with a very consistent team sensation. But we aren’t conformist, that is past. Our challenge is to leave the World Cup with a better, more competitive Iran and to honour the shirt.

Is it good that your first match is against Morocco?
Yes. The two favourites face each other in the first match and that is better for everyone, because Spain and Portugal aren’t going to play just to pass, they will do so to be world champions. Morocco and Iran will play to be in the last 16.

What do you think of this Spain?
The first thing I have to say is that Spain has returned. Their game is beautiful: control of spaces, time and the ball. At the same time, they are very consistent. They have the game always in their hands. With [Julen] Lopetegui they are one step ahead. They have the same freedom and creativity as in the fantastic era of [Vicente] Del Bosque, but now they have developed more intensity and they are more constant in every minute of the game. This Spain develops more moves, every 10 minutes of the match. That makes them a very complicated opponent. They don’t only control space and rhythm, they also apply very high intensity. That seems to me the main difference under Lopetegui.

Where do you think Spain might have their weak point?
They don’t have one! Against Spain, though, it will not be a basketball game, we are not going to play against an NBA team. Football is about the moment, the decision, the inspiration. It is a game in which everything can happen. It is a unique sport, that’s why it is the most attractive sport in the world. In soccer there are no winners beforehand. We are going to play every game, every minute, every second, every ball with that mentality and let the football gods do justice and the best win on the field.

Will there be a special plan against Cristiano Ronaldo or Iniesta?
No, surely not. Iran’s plan is to be a competitive team that tries to play to win for 90 minutes. We are aware that the change for us will be very big before the game against Spain. In our qualifying matches we had the ball 60 or 70% of the time, but before them we have to make the team aware that this is going to be just the other way around. We will need a change of mentality to face that. Our greatest adversary will be inspiration. Why make a specific plan against Iniesta when [David] Silva, Isco, [Marco] Asensio or [Gerard] Pique might appear? We can’t think of individuals. The first thing is to be well prepared and then work on special situations of each game. We must perceive in each game where problems might come from.

You are going to meet again with Cristiano Ronaldo.
It is special because we have lived many things together. He is the best in the world, but when the ball rolls the team is what matters most.

To conclude, this will be Andres Iniesta’s final World Cup.
It is bad for football that a player like Iniesta leaves Barcelona. He was part of votings that never did him justice. The world of football owes a lot to an extraordinary player like him. It is hard to believe that he has never been recognized as the best player in the world. These things happen in football sometimes.