Oyarzabal: “We have 100% confidence in ourselves”

Mikel Oyarzabal sat down in the press room of the Allianz Arena in Munich, the venue for the UEFA Nations League final, to speak to the media ahead of the showpiece continental final.

“We’re clear that we’re capable of competing against any team and we have the confidence to play against anyone. We’re good at what we do, even though there are other very strong teams. What we have is confidence, and sometimes that’s very important,” said the star regarding Spain’s run of three consecutive finals in the UEFA Nations League.

On the Nations League final between Spain and Portugal, an all Iberian clash, Oyarzabal reflected: “Spanish and Portuguese football have both had moments of success and operate at high level. Our job and what we want is for that to continue. I think it’s clear from these semi-finals that everyone wants to win this competition.”

“Less than a year ago we were European champions, so we must be doing something right to achieve that. Football goes beyond names and individual players. We’ve all understood that we have to put ourselves at the disposal of the team to move forward. We’re on the right path and we want to keep going,” said the star of the European Championships final.

When asked about future challenges, he insisted: “Our minds are focused on tomorrow, on Portugal, on trying to do things as best we can. We’re on the verge of competing for another title, and we have to value all of this. We need to focus on tomorrow and on these last remaining hours of preparation.”

“We’ve been with Luis for many years, we know him very well. The way he deals with players and everything that doesn’t appear on camera—he handles everything perfectly. Behind the scenes, he knows how to manage footballers very well. He knows how to deal with those who play and those who don’t, and that’s very important,” he said in praise of Luis de la Fuente.

About Lamine Yamal: “Everyone is surprised by what he does on and off the pitch. He fully trusts in his abilities and that’s a good thing. So far, he’s had very good moments, but the bad ones will come too, and that will help him grow. People don’t realise what it means to be 17 years old and playing for the national team and for Barça. He handles it all very naturally, he just loves to play football and that’s what he shows every weekend.”

“We have 100% confidence in the team. The level of our national team is very high. In the Euros and now here we’re seeing that nobody makes it easy for you. We know we can beat anyone. It’s going to be a really exciting match for the neutrals. There are top-level players in both teams,” Oyarzabal concluded.

FULL PRESS CONFERENCE