Sergio Ramos gives his view on Spain’s Euro 2016 exit
Sergio Ramos gives his take on Spain’s Euro 2016 exit against Italy, by saying ‘Some will be glad we weren’t at our best, but you can’t always be’.
Spain eight years European domination came to an end following their 2-0 defeat to Italy, and Real Madrid star has suggested that whole cycle should be considered as success, rather than talking about just one tournament.
Sergio Ramos gives his view on Spain’s Euro 2016 exit
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“We lost, but we tried and we have to be calm. We know what we’ve done. We’ve had a wonderful era in recent years, losing seemed far away, but there are great national teams and you have to appreciate what was in front of us.
“I hope we return to a great time, and you have to trust the players who are coming through,” Ramos said.
“All the players have always shown respect for the Coach. I don’t know what he wants, he is the one who has to make a decision together with the President [of the Spanish Football Federation],” Ramos noted.
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“I don’t know whether [the generation] will change or not. It’s easy to talk on the couch with a bag of chips. I’ve seen players perform very well even as they get older. I have the hope intact. Of course we can qualify for the World Cup. Some rejoice that we haven’t been at our best level, but you can’t always be at your best.”
While, Gerard Pique has rejected the notion that Spain’s cycle of success has came to an end, but believe Lo-Roja doesn’t have the quality of 2010 and 2012.
“After we lost that friendly I warned we weren’t the favourites for the championship. We have to recognise we’re not the best national team. Ivan Perisic’s goal [the winner for Croatia in the final group game] hurt us. Not just the defeat, but it made our journey into a mountain,” he recalled.
“People always talk about intensity. It wasn’t a question of that, though they seemed more intense. We like having the ball more. They were effective in their pressing and that bothered us a lot and they went at us. They were superior.
“The Coach’s future? He’s earned the right to decide. He’s a very important person and he’s the best to decide. If he has the strength to continue then I hope he does. Now is the time for us to reflect.”