Thiago: "De Gea works like a freaking animal!"
The midfielder asked for everyone to band together ahead of Spain's match against Russia in the Last 16
Thiago Alcántara was clear and concise in his press conference at Krasnodar. The midfielder was clearly agitated by the atmosphere and criticism surrounding the team and asked for the press to back them, as well as defending his teammate David De Gea.
In regards to the keeper situation he said this: "The goalkeeper is the position which carries the most risk. If you watch United's matches, David is an incredible goalkeeper. You need to have a look at yourself if you don't see that he's the best goalkeeper in the Premier League. To criticise him, you first need to see how David works like a fucking animal. Our trust is David is gigantic. We have three great goalkeepers."
union
As for Thiago's thoughts on the press, he asked them to reflect on their role and the words they use. "You should also have a look at yourself, being Spaniards too. You are miles away from home supporting Spain. For us the most important thing is to win. You aren't at every training session to see how we are preparing. Then there's a bad match or two, with rivals who sit deep and make it complicated for us, but we all need to say, 'Damn it, we're going to win!'"
Thiago continued his speech towards the media by adding: "I'm not asking you to hide anything, but there are also things that you can do better. Nothing was said about the way we fought back against Portugal. You talk about Iran's goal even though it was ruled out before VAR looked at it. We're here together. If the public opinion is against us, it's more complicated."
The midfielder was also open and honest about his own World Cup experience to date. "I'm realistic about the situation. This might be my first and last World Cup, the same as it could be for others. We're going to have fun, fight and whatever happens, happens. We're in the Last 16 and we need to win."
'23 animals'
Thiago was honest and said: "The World Cup isn't something you lose, it's something you win. It's the calmness to go for it. The sensation is to enjoy and fight for it, to do it with joy."
On a personal level, Thiago expressed his desire to get past Russia and make it to the next round. "We're 23 animals ready to play against Russia and it'd be a real shame to go out at this stage."
