Shropshire Star

Roberto Moreno urges Spain to win final three Euro 2020 qualifiers

A 1-1 draw against Norway on Saturday frustrated Moreno with him feeling it was an uncharacteristic performance.

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Spain coach Roberto Moreno has set his side the target of winning their final three Euro 2020 qualifiers despite needing only a point in Sweden to book their place for next summer.

A 1-1 draw against Norway on Saturday frustrated Moreno with him feeling it was an uncharacteristic performance from them and he called on the players to “restore their identity”.

“I want three victories in what we have left to be the top seed because only the best six will be so,” he told a press conference in Solna, near Stockholm.

“What we did in Norway does not satisfy me. I think what I should value is what I can do to improve. We attacked in order but we did not press well.

“(We need) more percentage of the ball, longer possessions and more aggressiveness in defence.

“If we enter into a fight for long balls we will lose them to teams like Norway or Sweden. When a game becomes chaotic, little can be done by a coach.”

Spain will be without defender Sergio Ramos, who is suspended after his third yellow card of the campaign in Oslo – a match in which he broke Spain’s appearance record.

“Too bad he can’t play game number 169,” added Moreno.

“He contributes a lot. He is one of the best central defenders in the world. Another team-mate will come out and try to do just as well.

“Sergio has stayed (with the team) because he wanted to do it because they are free to do what they want when they can’t play the second game.”

Sweden have not beaten Spain since 2006 but coach Janne Andersson is looking to exploit the absence of Ramos and a few other big names to change that.

He is also hoping to have Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof available after he trained on Monday following a back problem which saw him miss the 4-0 win over Malta.

“We will need to get to our highest level in order to have an opportunity against Spain but we have done this in the past against similar opposition,” he told a press conference.

“If a very good player is missing from the opponents then it is an advantage for us.”

Captain Andreas Granqvist believes the absence of some key players could affect Spain.

“The fact that their best main players both defensively and offensively are not included will certainly create some concern in their national team and we will try to exploit it,” he said.

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