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MY BEACH SOCCER 
Interview with the Spanish National Coach
The Spanish Beach Soccer National Coach took stock of the 2011 season, in which his team participated in some of the most important Beach soccer tournaments, although being sidelined from the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2011. Getting back to the Global showpiece is precisely Alonso’s main goal, as he himself highlighted in an interview to the RFEF (Spanish FA).
?How do you evaluate this 2011?
?Well it’s been a bit of everything… We began the season playing the BSWW Miami Cup, and immediately afterwards we got started with the first stage of the Euro Beach Soccer League, in Bern, where we managed to win the tournament. Later, we went to the stage of The Hague and finally the EBSL Superfinal in Moscow, where results were not that good. It has been a hard year, as we found ourselves out of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, held from September 1st to 11th in Ravenna, Italy. Russia were also the winners there, just confirming their achievements at a continental scale.
?2011 was a really intense year, indeed, in which the team took part in competitive tournaments such as the Euro Beach Soccer League – Bern 2011, facing the likes of Italy, Switzerland and Turkey. What are your memories from that tournament?
?It was probably the best performance of the National Team. We are acknowledging that competitions are really leveled and it is the little details what makes the difference. We managed three wins out of three in Bern, but always with tight results. In the Superfinal, fate made us face hosts and later-champions Russia, losing the game 4-2 and seeing our options to the cup vanish.
?Spain took also part in the BSWW Miami Cup, although Spain lost three games against Brazil, Mexico and the USA. Despite the defeats, what learnings did the team get in that competition?
?We are trying to renew the team, and that was precisely the moment to give some youngsters the chance to play for Spain. Matches were again battled and we got defeated for 3-1against Brazil, a match we never lost face to. Against Mexico, the result was not satisfactory at all, and in our last game we lost to USA on the penalty-kick shootout. To put it briefly, it was a difficult beginning of the season, in which we could not count on some players and in which, at the same time, we began trying to give room in the team to a new breed of specifically-beach soccer players, a necessary first step to lay the foundations of a brighter future for the National team.
?In Moscow, the defeat against the hosts in the first match left you without any option to the Continental throne… How did the team stomach that?
?Quite badly, indeed, as when we hit a tournament, whichever it may be, we do it with our eyes on the cup. But it was not possible this time, as we lost the first match against Russia. We aimed then for the third place, but Romania blocked us the way, and in our last fixture, we never found our place against Italy. But we need to be confident regarding the future, as there are good elements in the team.
?What did you learn from this year?
?The most important thing is to have a solid continuity, both in training and in the competitions. Our problem is basically finding this continuity in competitions. We are living difficult times and in the Federación Española (Spanish FA) we are working hard to solve this…
?After this 2011, what is the level you think Spanish Beach Soccer is to be found in?
?Our level is high, there can be no doubt about it. There are important players in our team who are taking part in competitive leagues such as the Italian or the Russian championships. Our next step is to find that competition that gives us ground to consolidate more players in the future.
?And what are the goals for 2012?
?Undeniably, the main objective is qualifying for the next FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2013, as we need to fight to make Spain one of the candidates for the World Cup. It was our first time out of the tournament this year and we do not want to see it happen never again. We will begin the season in full excitement and we will work a lot. Our desire is to reach the places other Spanish National teams are reaching.
