Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso isn’t really too thrilled about his team being the favourites when they take on Holland in the World Cup Final in Johannesburg on July 11, when both countries will be attempting to lift their first World Cups. Alonso points to England as being a perfect example of the favourites having a hard time of it and believes Spain shouldn’t be taking anything for granted on Sunday.

England was favoured to beat the USA, Algeria, and Slovenia to win their group, but things didn’t turn out that way as they struggled to draw the Americans and Algerians, before beating Slovenia to advance to the playoff round. However their World Cup run came to a sudden halt as they were dismantled by Germany 4-1.

Alonso said England ended up in tough games and their expectations were quite high. He added if you have one bad game in the tournament you may be knocked out and Spain has already had a bad game as they lost 1-0 to Switzerland in the group stage. He points to that game and England’s situation as a warning his teammates must heed.

Alonso, who spent five years in England with Liverpool, now plays soccer in his home country with Real Madrid and has been in good form during the tournament. He doesn’t usually get the attention his fellow midfielders with Spain do, such as Andres Iniesta and Xavi, but he’s just as revered by his teammates for his excellent skills. Alonso reads the game very well, is an excellent passer, and possesses the ability to hang onto the ball even in the trickiest situations, which fits the mould of the Spanish team perfectly.

He stated that it’s a privilege to play with his teammates as they have a great deal of quality and said he always tries as hard as he can so doesn’t really worry about his spot in the team. Alonso thinks the competition between players brings the best out of them all. He added that all players need to be ready to perform at any time during a match, including the substitutes and they have to support each other to create a good atmosphere.