Spain captain Sergio Busquets said on Tuesday he was ready to channel his experience as the only remaining World Cup winner in the national team into helping his young teammates overcome their nerves at the tournament in Qatar.
A day before Spain open their campaign against Costa Rica, Busquets said he hoped to be a role model to the young players in the squad, including his Barcelona teammates Pedri, aged 19, and Gavi, 18.
“The World Cup is unique,” Busquets told a news conference.
“It’s the biggest sporting event and sometimes the nerves get the better of you when you’re young and you don’t have much experience. I tell them we have to be faithful to our style of play and everything that we’ve been working on with our coach.”
Coach Luis Enrique said striker Alvaro Morata and defender Dani Carvajal both had colds which he attributed to the air conditioning in Qatar, but said they were both likely to be available to play on Wednesday.
⚫ Match starts: 9.30pm IST
