Recife (Brazil), June 16 (IANS) Veteran midfielder Xavi said Spain will not accept anything less than victory at the Confederations Cup as the reigning World Cup champions begin their quest for the only major trophy that has eluded them.
La Roja start their Group B campaign against Uruguay at the Arena Pernambucoon Sunday and Xavi says his team will not be short of motivation, reports Xinhua.
“I’m not getting any younger and you have to make the most of your opportunities,” the 33-year-old said, adding he had not forgotten Spain’s 0-2 defeat at the hands of the United States in the semi-finals of the 2009 tournament in South Africa.
“We are in a country that has a rich football history with five World Cups. That makes us even more motivated to play well here,” he said.
The Barcelona star admits his teammates will need to pay particular attention to the threat of Uruguay’s Liverpool striker Luiz Suarez.
“He is a player that can be the difference between the teams. In one individual move he can change a match and it’s very difficult to man-mark him. But our philosophy is always the same, irrespective of who we are playing against. We always aim to control possession and to take the initiative. That’s what we’ll be trying to do again,” he said.
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