Del Bosque refuses to punish Pedro

Andy West 07:54 21/06/2016
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  • Critical: Pedro.

    Spain head coach Vicente Del Bosque sees no reason to reprimand winger Pedro following his complaints at having to sit on the bench for the national team.

    The Chelsea forward has played less than 10 minutes so far in the tournament, his only appearance being as a late substitute in La Roja’s opening 1-0 win over the Czech Republic.

    In an interview with Movistar, Pedro claimed “it is not worth me turning up just to be part of the group”.

    The versatile forward has always been a firm favourite of Del Bosque thanks to his ability to fill any position across the forward line, winning more than 50 caps since making his debut in 2010. But the emergence of Alvaro Morata and Nolito, who both capped eye-catching performances with goals in the impressive 4-0 victory over Turkey, means Pedro has been clearly relegated to a substitute role.

    Although he was obviously keen to ensure Pedro’s unexpected outburst does not disrupt the team’s increasingly convincing challenge to retain their European title, Del Bosque could not hide his frustration at the winger’s complaints.

    He said: “I was surprised by what he said. But we have talked and he explained himself. He apologised and told me he doesn’t want to upset anybody. I think his subconscious let him down and now he’s paying for it.

    “We are a family, we have created a good atmosphere and this isn’t going to bother us. There is no ill feeling, but you have to understand that we always have 12 players who won’t start. I don’t think it will have a lot of repercussions.”

    Pedro used Monday’s press conference to tackle the issues over his comments head on.

    The 28-year-old said: “I am not sorry exactly. If you asked me about my future in the national team, I would say the same. I have spoken to Vicente, I have spoken to the players and they understand what I was saying, so I do not really understand while this has happened.

    “I am very grateful to be here and be part of this team. I have been here for six years, I am not attacking the manager or other things that have been said.

    “I assume the responsibility of what I have said, if I have to say sorry to someone because I haven’t liked it, I will say it. Now the most important thing is to be calm.”

    With La Roja already qualified for the knockout stages, Del Bosque is likely to make several changes for Tuesday’s meeting with Croatia.

    But Spain still need a point to finish top of the group, and secretive Del Bosque was evasive over his plans as he added: “I don’t know if it’s a good idea to rest players. They get used to playing and resting them can be counter-productive.”

    Croatia are likely to be without midfielder Luka Modric and first-choice striker Mario Mandzukic as the pair haven’t trained since Saturday due to knocks.

    Coach Ante Cacic hasn’t ruled either out but at the same time doesn’t want to risk his star duo ahead of the knockouts.

    Meanwhile, UEFA’s disciplinary committee on Monday fined Croatia €100,000 (Dh415,000) for flares thrown on the pitch by its fans that halted their match against the Czech Republic which finished 2-2.

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