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Luis de la Fuente: We want to be the team who takes the initiative

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The national team coach is ambitious ahead of the clash against the five-time world champions at the Santiago Bernabeu: "Against Brazil it's usually the details that decide the match".

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO WHAT SPAIN INTERNATIONAL DANI CARVAJAL HAD TO SAY AHEAD OF THE SPAIN-BRAZIL GAME

On the day that marks one year since his first game in charge as national team coach, Luis de la Fuente took advantage of his press conference ahead of the match against Brazil to take stock of the intense twelve months he has spent at the helm of the national team: "What has shocked me most during this year has been the media coverage, because I knew the day to day and the footballing aspects of the game. There is still a long way to go and a lot to learn".

The Riojan coach has an important test on Tuesday against Brazil in the run-up to the European Championships, with a powerful Brazilian team, who he knows well from the final of the Olympic Games, as his opponents on the Bernabéu pitch: "In the final of the Olympic Games the details were fundamental in deciding it: Bryan Gil shot against the post near the end and in extra time they scored against us on the counter after we had taken a corner. Tomorrow we have to continue to be ourselves and make as few mistakes as possible.

Despite the fact that it is the five-time world champions up next for Spain, De la Fuente has been ambitious, stating that "our approach will be to focus on our strengths, controlling the conditions of the opposing players and we want to be the ones who take the initiative".

All 26 called-up players are in perfect condition for the game, including Rodrigo Hernández, who was absent from Monday's official training session, but who "will be at the game. He will join the rest of the squad this afternoon".

Against Brazil, Spain will finish their first international meet up of the year, less than three months before the European Championships, and for the coach "it has enriched us a lot because we have very few opportunities to establish different playing styles. I'm very calm and happy with everyone's behaviour. You learn a lot from defeats and the match against Colombia was very good for us. Tomorrow's match is an important one, as it's the tenth time Spain and Brazil have played each other. We are facing a rival that has a great following and now my concern is to strengthen our idea and try to be a little bit better every day," he said.