Spain’s national team is not the ‘Taliban’ of football, says coach

Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque said on Monday that his team was not “the Taliban of a certain style of play” and can adapt their way of playing to win the World Cup.

“Football can be played well in many different ways. We do not possess a magic formula … We are not the Taliban of a certain style of play,” Bosque told the Spanish sports newspaper MARCA.

“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,” he said.

The 63-year-old coach, who led his team to win the previous World Cup, also said that Spain cannot rely on past victories to win the football tournament.

Speaking about other international teams, Bosque said: “This doesn't mean that there aren't other teams who are just as good and who could get excellent results.”

The Spanish team landed in Brazil on Monday morning and will face Holland, Chile and Australia in Group B.

The World Cup's opening ceremony is scheduled for June 12.