Denia urges Spain take it 'one step at a time' ahead of Morocco semi-final

Spain's Olympic football coach Santi Denia highlighted the "work" and "enthusiasm that Fermin Lopez, scorer of the first two goals against Japan (0-3) in the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games, is putting in".

"I am delighted that he is here and that he is managing his moments. The coaches are also helping him but, after a European Championship and the time he has spent focused, those emotions also have to be managed and he has to help the team. If the team plays well, he is also going to find situations where he is comfortable, to go into space, to turn it and to go into space to shoot from long range. We are delighted with his work and the enthusiasm he is putting in", he said in the mixed zone.

In addition, he assessed next Monday's semi-final against Morocco. "They won 4-0, they're doing well and they're a very good team. It's a semi-final of an Olympic Games and we're going to recover first and then try to strengthen and correct things," he said.

Finally, he did not want to talk about whether he sees his team as favourites for gold. "I don't think so. What we want is to improve our game, to strengthen the way we have defended as a group. That, for me, is the most important thing. We need to improve and believe that we're going to have a great semi-final and that we can reach the final. But one step at a time", he concluded. 

 

August 2, 2024