Del Bosque: There is no magic formula

Vicente del Bosque insists there is no secret to Spain’s success, and shuns the idea of his side being favourites for the FIFA World Cup.

Spain have been the outstanding team in international football in recent years, winning three consecutive major tournaments, including the World Cup in South Africa four years ago.

They have achieved that success with their ‘tiki-taka’ brand of football, which is based on keeping possession for large periods and wearing their opponents down.

But Del Bosque, who oversaw Spain’s triumph in 2010 as well as their UEFA European Championships success two years later, told Marca that Spain’s gameplan is not dogmatic and exists only because it suits the strengths of their squad.

“Football can be played well in many different ways,” he said. “We do not possess a magic formula; we have an idea based on the players we have available.

“This doesn’t mean that there aren’t other teams who are just as good and who could get excellent results. Possession without depth has no meaning.

“And that’s why we are working hard on being a side which is aggressive in fighting back, compact and capable of putting the pressure on.

“From the idea of being favourites, it is best to turn away, and it is my experience in this whole question of football that tells me this.

“A World Cup final is far too big an event to start sticking these kinds of labels on to.

“It will be on the field where things will make themselves known. We believe we’ve worked hard to get things right, but football is what in the end shows whether things have been done right or not.”