JOIN USSpain has never won the FIFA Under-17 World Cup but their head coach Santiago Sanchez stressed that the side was under no pressure to deliver the title this time.
“We see no pressure. I see an opportunity for the boys to test themselves at this level,” he said addressing the media on the eve of their semifinal clash against Mali.
“There’s no pressure we coaches are putting on the players or that we receive from the federation. Yes, we would like to win the U-17 World Cup and we are working towards that.”
Though the La Rojita started the competition with a loss against Brazil, they bounced back well to make it to the last four. And on Wednesday they will be up against a Malian side that’s known to use their physical strength to use. But Sanchez wasn’t too concerned about that.
“We know what we are up against. We cannot play a counter attacking game against them. We will have to adapt to the situation.”
Like the Spaniards, even Mali tasted defeat in their opening game. But since that loss against Paraguay on the opening day, the African champions never looked back and now sit on the cusp of making it to their second successive final at this level. “That loss made us realise that we had to raise our game another level,” said Mali head coach Jonas Komla.
“I wanted the boys to play every game as if they were playing a final, and they responded well. Tomorrow too, it’s a final for us. Let’s see what the Spaniards can throw at us,” he said.