Not withstanding his sides all-win record and spectacular display in the ongoing U-17 FIFA World Cup, England coach Steve Cooper does not consider his team as favourites for the final against Spain today.
Cooper says the boys have left behind the anguish of the UEFA European championships title round defeat earlier this year. "We will never class ourselves favourites. It doesn't suit our mentality. We are humble, respectful of the opposition. We treat every opposition with the same respect, same focus," Cooper said. "It's flattering if anybody thinks we are favourites. But we are not going to get carried away. We won't be complacent. And definitely not against Spain," he added, referring to their 1-4 loss to Spain on penalties in the UEFA European tourney final in May.
Meanwhile, Spanish coach Santiago Denia said the England team playing in the current tournament have improved a lot after their loss to Spain for the same age group earlier this year. "I believe England have improved in every aspect of the game. Defensively they are much better. In the offence, they speak for themselves through their game, they are much better than how they were during the Euro U-17 championship," Denia told the media.
Asked whether he had devised any plans to stop English striker Rhian Brewster, who has fired back-to-back hat-tricks, the Spanish coach said: "He is a good player. But my job as a coach is to defend against the English team rather than against any individual player," Denia said.
