Relaxed Aragones laughs off Ramos disco picture

Spain coach Luis Aragones was in relaxed mood on the eve of his team's Euro 2008 Group D clash against Sweden here on Saturday.

Aragones laughed off suggestions his team weren't taking the tournament seriously when he was shown a picture from a Swedish newspaper of right-back Sergio Ramos in disco with a Sweden fan.

“It was his day off, he can do what he wants on his day off,” said Aragones before taking another look at the picture and adding: “Is that all he's doing, I thought it would be worse.

“I could have been there as well but you didn't see me.”

Aragones suggested that his methods were working given the fine start his team got off to on Tuesday in thrashing Russia 4-1.

“We've been been gaining confidence, we've just won a match so why have they taken this picture,” he said.

“It would be boring to always be fully concentrated. We work in a four day cycle so in four more days you can take another picture in a disco and maybe I'll come with them to the disco too.”

And when asked what type of music he'd like to listen to at the disco, Aragones replied: “I like every kind of music but if it's flamenco then so much the better.”

On the playing side of things, the coach said the two sides were blessed with the best set of forwards in the tournament.

Sweden can call on Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrik Larsson as their first choice pairing with Johan Elmander as back-up.

Spain have a lethal partnership of Fernando Torres and David Villa with Daniel Guiza itching to come off the bench.

Aragones said you could not single out any individuals for special praise.

“Sweden are a team and like us, we don't just have Villa and Torres, we have Guiza but I can't play with 23 players,” he said.

“It's the same in Sweden, they have excellent forwards. Of all the teams I think these six with Guiza and Elmander are the best.”

Aragones was in confident mood and even allowed himself to look forward to a potential quarter-final match-up with Romania, should Spain win their group as expected.

Having held both France and Italy to draws, Romania could snatch second place in Group C, which would pit them against the Group D winners in the quarters.

“I said before that Romania are dangerous, they have a great chance of progressing, they're a great team.

“Romania might be there and we would have to be careful because they really are playing very well.”