Del Bosque hails Pedro after Spain win over Uruguay

6 Feb 2013 22:35:00

The Roja boss praised the pace that the Barcelona attacker brings to his team, while insisting that their 3-1 victory was hard-fought against the resilient South Americans

Vicente del Bosque has hailed Pedro in the aftermath of Spain’s 3-1 friendly triumph over Uruguay.

A horrible error from Fernando Muslera allowed Cesc Fabregas to open the scoring and, though Christian Rodriguez pulled a goal back for the Copa America winners, Pedro’s two second-half goals sealed the victory for the World and European champions.

Del Bosque told reporters after the game: "It is clear what he brings [to the team]. He's a dynamic player and has that top speed required in football today.

"We had moments of good football, but they were well armed defensively, and it was not easy to get past them.

"With their counterattack in particular we had to be careful. We were threatened with danger."

The head coach also praised the trio of debutants - Isco, Cesar Azpilicueta and Mario Suarez after all three adapted well to the demands of international football.

He added: "They are players that are going to increase our squad numbers, who have adapted to the group without problems.”

With this summer’s Confederations Cup not too far away, Del Bosque believes the current squad’s blend of experience and youth will serve them well in the build-up to the tournament.

“We have players that have played for a while, a fairly stable squad and the important thing is that we incorporate new players without losing the spirit within the team, whether playing in a friendly or competitive game," he said.

"We know that we have to compete, but our players play in very strong leagues. Time together is important to the national team, and they know it.

"It’s been two and half months since we got together to play a game and now we have six weeks until we play against Finland. It was necessary to have contact for the preparation.”

Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets

Inside Goal.Com

Player Ratings: Siena 1-2 AC Milan
Goal was on hand to judge all the players as Allegri's men finished third in Serie A and secured a Champions League berth next season
Player Ratings: Barcelona 2-1 Valladolid
Goal rates the players on show as the newly-crowned Liga champions cruised past the challenge of Miroslav Djukic's men to keep up hopes of reaching 100 points
Arsenal hold their nerve in top-four battle
Arsene Wenger's side produced a clinical performance to secure a top-four Premier League finish but now they must kick on if they wish to challenge for honours next year
Player Ratings: Newcastle 0-1 Arsenal
Laurent Koscielny's 52nd-minute volley secured the Gunners the win over Alan Pardew's side and made sure they would be playing Champions League football next season
Player Ratings: West Brom 5-5 Man Utd
Sir Alex Ferguson was given a farewell to remember, but certainly not for the right reasons as the Romelu Lukaku-led hosts battled back from three goals down to earn an unlikely point