Alonso: Spain unhappy to lose against 'lucky' England
Published 22:25 13/11/11 By John Cross
Xabi Alonso admitted Spain were frustrated by “lucky” England’s defensive tactics.
The former Liverpool midfielder claimed Spain should have won and be able to cope better against opponents who sit deep to frustrate them.
Real Madrid star Alonso said: “We should have expected this kind of performance. We had control, most of the possession.
“But it was difficult to create chances because England defended so deep, and they were lucky enough to score from a set-piece.
“We had a few chances at the end but we were not happy with the result. We will learn from this performance.”
But Alonso insisted Spain will not be affected by the defeat and will not change their style because teams sit deep against them.
He also claimed England can be a danger at Euro 2012 even if he warned they may have to go defensive again to get results.
“I don’t think this will have a big impact on us,” said Alonso. “Most teams will play the same way against us. The style is not going to change.
“We have an idea how we want to play most of the games. We were unlucky to lose but we congratulate England.
“We weren’t surprised by how they played. Most of the teams we play sit deep against us. We saw that in the World Cup.
“We know that if we score first, most of the job is done. We didn’t score first here. I think that England are improving. They are doing some things better and they have new players coming in.
“Can England win the Euros? Of course, if they play [as well as they can], they have a chance.”
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