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Spain not complaining about less rest

SoccerNews in General Soccer News 24 Jun 2012

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Spain physio Javier Minano says Portugal’s extra preparation time hands them an advantage ahead of the Euro 2012 semi-finals.

Paulo Bento’s men, who beat the Czech Republic 1-0 on Thursday, have had two more days to prepare for their semi-final against Spain, who beat France on Saturday.

Despite this, Minano says Spain must not use the scheduling of fixtures as an excuse with most players in the tournament performing at the required grade despite already having played a large amount of domestic football.

“There is no doubt that it has an impact but then again we had a day longer than the French to prepare for the quarter-final so we can’t use it as an excuse either,” he told reporters.

“A few years ago it was unthinkable that a player could play 5,000 minutes of football in a season, which is the case with some of these footballers.

“It’s a challenge for them no doubt but it’s the same for other teams and the response has been good.

“Based on that response, the coach is picking the players who he believes can perform the best.”

Another issue the Spanish are facing is whether or not to return to their base at Gniewino in the north of Poland if they qualify for the final on the July 1, or head straight to Kiev.

Many teams have had to make huge journeys during the group stage, but Minano hinted the atmosphere back at base may make up for the negatives of travelling time.

“The calm and the excellent facilities we have found here (in Gniewino) will certainly play a major role in the decision,” he said.

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