World Cup:Bossing the midfield with experienced, talented players was the decisive factor in Spain's deserved 1-0 win over Germany in the World Cup semi-final last night according to coach Vicente del Bosque.
As in their previous matches in South Africa, Spain attacked relentlessly and clung on to the ball as the German midfield struggled to repeat the flowing moves that had crushed England and the widely fancied Argentina.
"It is always based on the quality of the people in the midfield. It is a good organised midfield and if you have order then you can really showcase individual talent," Del Bosque told a news conference.
"We have great players, excellent players, good substance and that makes everything easier," he said. "I'm running a group of young men who are very experienced in the world of football."
Man-of-the-match Xavi was at the heart of Spain's best attacks, spraying the ball to the flanks and firing long penetrative, passes as German heads sagged.
He also delivered the corner that Carles Puyol headed powerfully past Manuel Neuer to hand Spain their first World Cup final appearance in 13 campaigns.
"We looked for the best way to play, take the ball, keep it, and to keep the ball during the entire match. Our players fulfilled this job in a magnificent way," Del Bosque added.
German manager Joachim Low was the first to predict Spain would be crowned world champions.
Low, whose side were also beaten by Spain in the European Championship final two years ago, said: “Spain are a wonderful team. They are the masters of the game. You can see it in every pass. They can hardly be beaten. They are extremely calm and convincing. Spain were just better than we were and they deserved to win.
“In 2008 they won the European Championships in a very convincing way and they have been unchanged over the past two or three years. They play in an automatic way and I am confident they will win the title.
“They have put on top performances in all matches they have played and they can beat everyone. Over the past two or three years they have been the most skilled team of all. They circulate the ball quickly and we were not able to play like previous matches. We were not able to get rid of our inhibitions.”
It was generous praise from the German boss, whose own side were a pale shadow of the vibrant team which had demolished England and Argentina in back-to-back matches.
But while Spain manager Del Bosque was delighted with his side’s performance he was taking nothing for granted where Sunday’s final is concerned.
Del Bosque said: “You must celebrate victory but with moderation and don’t forget your responsibilities. We are sportsmen and we want to reach out for the World Cup.
“Our players know what football is. The defeat against Switzerland (in the group phase) was tough on us. We didn’t deserve it. We have been growing and this brought us to the final.
“There is hardly anything more precious than to win the World Cup. We should not be bragging and too conceited, let’s just play the next match.”