Spain coach Vicente del Bosque expressed satisfaction on Wednesday at his side's ability to win matches by instinct.

The former Real Madrid boss inherited the Spain side from Luis Aragones after its triumph in last June's European Championships.

The change in coach has hardly been noticed, as Spain remains unbeaten in the six months Del Bosque has been in charge and has already taken several big steps towards qualification for the 2010World Cup finals.

Speaking in Wednesday's edition of sports paper DiarioAS, Del Bosque looked back over his first six months in charge and was optimistic about Spain's chances in South Africa.

"Spain has a big advantage in that it is already well formed as a group. The players are in good form and they have picked up the habit of winning matches, while other countries are still looking for their ideal team," he explained.

Del Bosque added that although he was not closing the door on any players who might force their way into his plans, the backbone of his team was already in place.

"The main part of the squad will come out of the group of players who won the European Championships, but there will always be a place in the national team for players who are in good form."

"The opposite to that could mean us resting on our laurels, to be overconfident and to become weaker and we have to try and avoid that," he said.

Nevertheless, Del Bosque hinted that he expected his side to reach at least the semifinals of the World Cup, although he did highlight other sides that would mount a serious challenge.

"Spain is now at the head of the group along with countries such as Argentina and Brazil, but we are not on our own. Other teams such as Germany, Italy, England, Portugal and Croatia are also there."

"However, the fact that we now get calls from Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Italy is a sign that we have made a leap forward," he concluded.

(Xinhua News Agency January 8, 2009)