Spain face Bosnia-Herzegovina in Valencia on Wednesday, and Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso may get a recall to the starting line-up. Spain laboured to a 1-0 over Lithuania on Saturday in a game which saw Alonso kept on the bench.
Alonso’s Liverpool team-mate Luis Garcia came on midway through the second half of the game, which was played in front of a half-full Mestalla Stadium. Now Spain’s coach Luis Aragones has pleaded for more suporters to make the journey to watch the game tomorrow night. He said:
"We were all surprised that the Mestalla didn’t fill up, but it’s what we have and we will have to win the fans back by winning matches. I think the disenchantment comes as a result of several factors. First of all that Spain is not a country where people support the national team and maybe because we have not had many successes to get the fans enthusiastic. It is harder for us to win over the fans than to score goals."
The scorer of Liverpool European Cup equaliser, Xabi Alonso, thinks Spain would benefit if their supporters could try and match the passion of Liverpool’s fans. He said: "In England the people have a passion for football, be they fans of Liverpool, Everton or West Bromwich. The fans don’t stop cheering, the grounds are always full and the players notice that. Maybe we have to learn from that in Spain."
Alonso will have to wait and see if he plays a part in tomorrow night’s match, but is confident Spain can do well whoever plays: "I always believe in our chances, even though you sometimes get disappointed. We have to always think it is possible."