Mikel
Oyarzabal, one of the protagonists of this new selection
Spanish Luis Enrique, has appeared at a press conference to talk about his moment, that of his teammates and that of Italy, rival of ‘semis’ in the Euro next Tuesday.
The Real forward scored the decisive penalty in the shoot-out against Croatia. “If I see myself in eleven? Willing to whatever the coach asks of me. If so, delighted, otherwise I will help from the bench. We all want to play, but only 11 or 16 do it ”.
Another Basque, Unai Simón, has remarked: “I have known him for a long time. We have played against the lower categories of Real and Athletic and in the Euskadi national team. I have a very good relationship with him, he is a partner and friend. He is trained to defend this goal and has worked hard for it ”, he highlighted.
Asked what he thought before throwing from eleven meters against the Croats, he explains that “the road to the ball was long and there you turn what you are going to do. When I put the ball on the penalty spot and take a run, I already know what I'm going to do. I was confident. Luckily it went well ”.
Oyarzabal, like Luis Enrique, does not believe that shooting from eleven meters is all luck. “These are things that are also being worked on and we have been doing it for a long time. At some point you may be lucky, but behind everything you see in matches there is a lot of work and that must be given value. There are a lot of people working for Unai to stop every penalty ”.
Regarding the criticism received by Luis Enrique's squad list and if he thinks they were fair, the txuri urdin stated that “you consider that. We trusted that this group is of level, united and solid. The comments from outside everyone will see. It is a form of football, but we have never had doubts ”.
In any case, the forward congratulates himself on the choice of ‘Lucho’, with so many young people. “There are times when you have to make changes and it is logical that people who have given a lot in this selection are missed, but the generational change is logical. Talk about the level there is. This team has the level to face anyone ”.
Does not fear the experience of the Italian defense
On Tuesday, the rival will be important. A plethora of Italy awaits Spain. “It is going to be a very difficult game. He has shown the level he has and they come at a great moment, but so do we. If we are correct, we have a better chance of winning. We must continue to trust us as before. Am I afraid of the experienced Italian defense? What I hope is to be able to overcome them and score one more goal than them. They have high-performance players who play in great teams, but we are no less “.
Oyarzabal lives a sweet and happy moment that perhaps he had not even imagined not so long ago. “If I have assimilated it? In football, you don't choose when they come and when they don't and you have to adapt. It is a learning process that does not stop and I am delighted. I am fortunate to live what I am living ”, he says.