Los 40 USA
NewslettersSign in to commentAPP
spainSPAINchileCHILEcolombiaCOLOMBIAusaUSAmexicoMEXICOlatin usaLATIN USAamericaAMERICA

WORLD CUP 2018

Spain must be prepared for VAR, says coach Lopetegui

The Spain coach said that his players must be prepared for the psychological impact of frequent stoppages at the World Cup due to Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.

Update:
Spain must be prepared for VAR, says coach Lopetegui
SUSANA VERAREUTERS

Spain coach Julen Lopetegui has said that his players must be prepared for the psychological impact of frequent stoppages at the World Cup due to Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.

Spain squad to receive VAR lessons before travelling to the World Cup.

Stops and starts

Most of the squad play in La Liga where the system is not used and have therefore not had the experience of frequent pauses in play which are likely at the finals in Russia, where VAR will be rolled out for the first time at a World Cup. 'We need to prepare for it (VAR) because there will be moments that we are not used to, we have to be prepared for stoppages and restarts,' Lopetegui told reporters at a roundtable with international news agencies. 'We need to understand what the rules are, what the referee's priorities are so we can act accordingly. This is something new to us as it doesn't exist in Spain and we need to be ready for it at the World Cup where it will exist.'

Spain have been drawn in Group B at the World Cup and face Euro 2016 winners Portugal in their first game in Sochi before playing Iran and Morocco. 'We'll be meeting the champions of Europe, the best team in Asia and the best team in Africa,' added the coach. 'It's a difficult group but every group is going to be tough. After all, this is the World Cup.'

Full screen
Aurelien MeunierGetty Images

A new lease of life

Spain had started to stagnate under Vicente Del Bosque after winning their first World Cup in 2010 before their triumph at Euro 2012 but they have been on a resurgent run since Lopetegui became coach in July 2016. They breezed through qualifying to top their group and are unbeaten in 18 games, while they outclassed Italy 3-0 in qualifying and hammered 2014 World Cup runners-up Argentina 6-1 in their last friendly outing in March.

 'Our success has been the fruit of work over these two years but the people responsible for that are the players,' said Lopetegui. 'The players have shown passion, determination and conviction for the way we want to play, everyone wants to be part of this team and we want to build on that sentiment. 'The first stone was cast by the players and we have tried to design how we want to play and what team we want to be and the players have shown a lot of determination to keep growing as a team.'