Spanish manager Vicente del Bosque denied suggestions it was an end of an era for Spanish football in the aftermath of their exit from Euro 2016 at the hands of Italy.
The European Championship holders were outplayed and outfoxed by the Azzurri and continued their underwhelming recent history at major tournaments, following their group stage exit at the World Cup in 2014.
“No, I do not think the era is over,” he said.
“There are good youth academies and good players. The work of the clubs is good so this era will not finish.”
“We have Italy ahead of us for the World Cup qualifiers in Russia and we have to prepare for that.”
“This shows us how difficult it is to win a major championship. Only one can win – the other 23 will be eliminated.”
Del Bosque lamented Spain’s slow start to the match, with Italy dominating the entire first-half and if not for the heroics of David De Gea, Spain could have been three or four down at the break.
Spain grew into the match in the second-half, but it was always the Italians in control despite a few moments of panic.
“I think the first-half we were a bit timid, we did not play with enough bravery or decisiveness,” he said.
“In the second-half, we took a lot of risks to try and get the equaliser.”
“Italy were better and I wish them all the best. They play well, very effective. It is a very difficult style to play against. They deserve to be in the last eight.”
As for his future in the role, del Bosque said he would await a meeting with the Spanish FA despite it being muted that he would part ways with the role following the tournament.
“Personally, I have to speak to the President and we will have a think about it. We will decide the best thing for the future of the team,” he said.
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