Fabian Ruiz is confident Spain are gaining momentum as the European champions aim to end a 16-year hiatus to win a World Cup knockout game against Austria on Thursday.
One of the pre-tournament favourites, La Roja got off to a slow start with a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, but bounced back to beat Saudi Arabia and Uruguay to top Group H.
“The first match didn’t go the way we wanted. It was a game about finding our feet and Cape Verde made things difficult for us,” Ruiz told AFP.
“I believe the team has been gradually getting better over the last few matches.
“We know that the World Cup is very tough, but we have a lot of confidence in ourselves and in our work.”
Since winning the World Cup for the first time in 2010 during a run of three consecutive major tournament wins for a golden generation, Spain have struggled on the global stage.
Eliminated at the group stage as defending champions in 2014, they crashed out on penalties to Russia and Morocco in the last 16 at the past two World Cups.
“We’ve seen that nowadays, any team can beat you,” added Ruiz, just a day after Paraguay eliminated Germany.
“I think we’re ready for it and looking forward to the match.”
Despite winning a second consecutive Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain at club level, the 30-year-old has paid the price for Spain’s slow start.
A star of La Roja’s triumph at Euro 2024, the midfielder has been dropped to the bench by Luis de la Fuente for the past two games.
“What matters is winning; what matters is the team,” he said. “Right now my role is to support and help them and to do my best so that I’m ready whenever the coach wants me to play.”
Ruiz could be called upon for an unfamiliar role out wide with De la Fuente’s options on the flanks decimated by injuries.
Nico Williams and Yeremy Pino will miss the Austria clash after being injured in a bruising encounter with Uruguay, who lost their discipline in the final stages as a shock group stage elimination loomed.
New Liverpool signing Victor Munoz has also not featured at the World Cup due to a muscle problem and Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal’s minutes have been carefully managed on his return from a hamstring injury.
Lenient refereeing has been a common theme throughout the World Cup, but Spain were left furious at the challenge that caused Williams another injury setback after a disrupted season.
“The referees are letting the game flow. It’s true that we like play to be interrupted as little as possible, but only up to a point,” said Ruiz.
“We suffered a bit more than usual in the last match. There was a bad tackle, but there’s nothing we can do about that.
“It’s up to the referees to intervene and set the limit. I’m sure they’ll improve in the upcoming matches.”
