Cazorla and Bartra give backing to Del Bosque

Both Santi Cazorla and Marc Bartra insist Vicente del Bosque is the right man to lead Spain into Euro 2016 after they sealed qualifiication on Friday.

Cazorla scored twice as the reigning European champions won 4-0 against Luxembourg to guarantee their spot in France with a game to spare, with Paco Alcacer netting the other two goals.

There were numerous calls for Del Bosque to step down when Spain limped out of the group stage of the 2014 World Cup and were then beaten by Slovakia last October, but Arsenal’s midfield star says the entire national team is behind the 64-year-old.

“We’re all very happy with Del Bosque and he has the confidence of the entire squad,” he said.

“You have to credit what we’ve done. We’ve had a tough road. In a match, anyone can get the better of you.

“That Slovakia defeat was a tough day, but we knew we had to stick together and stay calm and that’s what we’ve done.

“Brazil is forgotten now. We have to learn from our mistakes. We’ve got a new generation and we’re thinking about the future.”

Bartra added: “I’m happy. We’ve reached our objective. We deserved to qualify. 

“Del Bosque has been fundemantal to my improvement. He’s the best national team coach that I could have. 

“Any team can make things difficult. It’s not been an easy road. We’ve achieved our main ojective of finishing first and we can be satisfied.”

Spain visit Ukraine as guaranteed group winners, and Monday’s hosts could yet snatch an automatic qualifying spot if they better Slovakia’s result.