Striker question for Spain will be answered vs. Ireland

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This article was published 14/06/2012 (5204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GDANSK, Poland — Spain coach Vicente del Bosque didn’t flinch when asked time and again about the big question: Will he or won’t he field a striker against Ireland?

In Spain’s first European Championship match against Italy, Del Bosque faced some criticism for deploying midfielder Cesc Fabregas in an advanced attacking position in a 4-5-1 formation. The match ended in a 1-1 draw with an equalizer from Fabregas, but it was the first time in five years the defending champion failed to start with a traditional striker with Fernando Torres, Fernando Llorente and Alvaro Negredo all available. Del Bosque did acknowledge he had indeed already selected his team to face Ireland, but insisted on keeping it a secret despite repeated attempts by journalists to coax it out of him.

Today, anything less than victory against Ireland could jeopardize the world champions’ chances of advancing. Croatia leads Group C with three points. Spain and Italy each have a point and Ireland is at the bottom with zero.

— The Associated Press