Spain had World Cup campaigns to forget in 2014 and 2018 but the former champions have an opportunity to rebuild with a new-look team that has several promising youngsters, defender Cesar Azpilicueta said on Saturday.
Spain dominated world football between 2008 and 2012, winning the 2010 World Cup and two European championships, but they fell at the group stage of the 2014 World Cup and were knocked out of the last 16 in Russia four years later.
The veterans who won the trophy in 2010 have since left, apart from central midfielder Sergio Busquets, with coach Luis Enrique picking 14 players aged 25 or under.
“It is true that previous experiences were not the ones we dreamed of. Football is giving us an opportunity with a young team,” Azpilicueta, who is playing at his third World Cup, told reporters ahead of their Group E opener against Costa Rica on Wednesday.
“The big difference from the other World Cups is that only Busquets remains from the champions’ team. We have to be united, football is becoming more competitive every day. We hope to improve on those experiences.”
Azpilicueta highlighted Barcelona midfielder Gavi’s self-confidence after the 18-year-old helped Spain to top their Nations League group, as well as Ansu Fati, saying the 20-year-old forward could make defenders uncomfortable.
“He (Fati) brings a lot to the team. He’s very young and yet he is daring,” Azpilicueta said.
“He looks for openings, creates opportunities… Of course we have players with different characteristics and Ansu can be very important. He’s in great shape.”
Azpilicueta has won every trophy on offer with his Premier League club Chelsea and the 33-year-old said winning a trophy with Spain would be the icing on the cake in his career.
“I made my Spain debut in 2013 in Qatar against Uruguay so it would be a good story to win the World Cup here with an amazing group,” he said.
“It’s a tournament where we can’t make mistakes, we have to start well. Of course I would love to add this trophy to my cabinet.”
Spain also face Germany and Japan in their group.
Ageing Costa Rica dreaming big
Costa Rica captain Bryan Ruiz was confident the Central Americans will more than make up the numbers at their third straight World Cup and take inspiration from their historic 2014 campaign, having learnt from a disappointing outing in Russia.
Costa Rica only picked up one point four years ago, but enjoyed a shock run to the quarter-finals at the previous edition in Brazil, after topping a ‘Group of Death’ that included former world champions Italy, England and Uruguay.
This year, they are in Group E with 2010 winners Spain, 2014 champions Germany and Asian powerhouses Japan and open their campaign against Spain on Wednesday.
Six members of the Costa Rica squad, all now aged 30 or over, were part of that 2014 campaign, including striker Ruiz, goalkeeper Keylor Navas and forward Joel Campbell – all of whom will be featuring at their third World Cup.
“We’ve been together for 12 years, especially the captains. We are trying to lead our group which is very strong and this strength will make us keep on qualifying for World Cups,” Ruiz, 37, told reporters on Tuesday.
“For us as a squad, our first experience was when we qualified for Brazil 2014. We almost didn’t make it… What we did was to come together in unity so strongly that we all worked together and managed to qualify for at World Cup.
“We are in this together until the end. So in Brazil we achieved great things. There were things that we could have done differently and better (in Russia). But our team is very strong… The mentality has changed, we stopped thinking small and now we dream big.”
Costa Rica’s Colombian coach Luis Fernando Suarez is a World Cup veteran himself, having managed Ecuador at the 2006 tournament and Honduras at the 2014 edition.
Suarez took over at Costa Rica last year to guide them to Qatar and will be the sixth coach in history to manage a different team at three World Cups.
“If there is an emotionally strong group that I have led, it is this,” Suarez said. “We have very experienced players who can add a lot to the youngsters, both on and off the field.
“We have had a year of total learning… this group is very strong mentally and I have a good feeling about what they can do going forward.”
