Concentration key for Javi García
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Article summary
He might have scored twice in the 5-0 semi-final win against Austria but Spain's Javi García wants to ensure his team-mates do not lose focus for the final.
Article body
He might have scored twice in the 5-0 win against Austria in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship semi-final but, for Spain's Javi García, now is not the time to dwell on what has already been achieved.
Dominant presence
The Real Madrid CF midfielder, a dominant presence at the heart of a hugely impressive Spanish side at the finals in Poland, effectively settled the game before half-time in Wronki when his 42nd-minute free-kick gave Spain a two-goal cushion. With Austria forced to push forward in the second period, the powerful midfielder strolled through their back line to score his second goal, and Spain's fourth, ten minutes from time.
Double delight
"I'm very happy that my team will play the final of this tournament, of course I am," he acknowledged. "Now we have two days to prepare and we need to concentrate to make sure we get our hands on the trophy. I'm particularly happy with my performance against Austria because I scored twice and it's difficult to score goals in my position; you don't get many chances playing in the centre of the field."
Free-kick expertise
Javi García's principle threat came from set-pieces; in addition to his successful free-kick, he also forced Austrian goalkeeper Bartolomej Kuru into a fine block from another curling effort. The Spaniard's free-kick prowess is the result of many long hours spent on the training field. "I always try to practice free-kicks during training and it's always nice when that pays off," he went on. "It worked well against Austria, so that's nice for me and for the team."
'Play our own game'
Having run in 15 goals in their first four matches here, and already defeated semi-final opponents Scotland 4-0, Spain – bidding for a third U19 crown after also taking the title in 2002 and 2004 – are most people's favourites to prevail in Poznan on Saturday night, but their No8 is taking nothing for granted. "It's true that our team has always the respect from the other teams in these youth competitions in the sense that we have built a good name," he said. "What we need to do in the final is concentrate on the match itself and make sure we play our own game."
