Álex asks Spain to hit top gear

Part of the Spain side that has secured their passage through to the UEFA European Under-19 Championship semi-finals with a game to spare, Álex has warned the other tournament contenders that his team are still looking to improve.

La Roja scored four times for the second match in succession on Saturday night, this time sweeping aside Serbia in a 4-0 win. Yet despite his side entertaining the local fans inside the Concordia Stadium in Chiajna with some slick football and well-taken goals, Álex was by no means satisfied.

"It wasn't our best game; we can still improve in all areas," the midfielder said. "Maybe there were times in the game tonight where we were too relaxed, but if this team is noted for anything it is that we are always looking to learn. We're not afraid to stand up to any challenge."

A hat-trick from Álex's Real Madrid CF club-mate Álvaro Morata brought his tournament tally to four goals and Juanmi grabbed the other goal as Spain booked a place in the last four as winners of Group B with a game to spare, a fact that pleased the 18-year-old Álex. "I see this latest result in a positive light as it means we have already advanced to the semis and have done so as winners of our section," he said. "The team should be congratulated for that."

Ginés Meléndez's side found the net three times in the first 22 minutes to effectively end the contest, yet Álex insisted the task had been harder than it possibly appeared. "It wasn't an easy game, Serbia have a very good team," he said. "What happened was that we found the target many times in a short period and that made us relax a lot which in turn allowed us to play as we like to. We demonstrated quality up front and in general the overall work rate we put in was very good."

With a game against Turkey to come next Tuesday, the Madrid native has predicted Meléndez will opt to make some changes to his starting lineup. "Obviously as we've qualified now perhaps the coach will consider giving some more playing time to some of the other players who haven't been involved so much up until now," he said. "That's only my opinion of course. The boss is the man who will decide what he wants to do."

Having represented Spain in UEFA competition at U17 level in the past, Álex – who made his Liga debut for Madrid last season – explained that participating in youth competitions is an important part of a player's education. "These types of tournaments are crucial for us as they give you the chance to know and learn more about the world of football," he said. "My experiences [in Romania] up until now have only been positive and I am thrilled to be representing my country. The only thing I wish for is to get to a big final here, and to win it."