'We are going to make them look like clowns' were the rather surprising comments that were attributed to Nico Williams after a 2-2 draw in Rotterdam on Thursday evening. Spain had initially taken an early lead by the Athletic Club wing player, but had to trust a late equalizer via Mikel Merino to save a draw.
“We always want excellence, we want to win. This team brings it in. Now we really want to go to Valencia and win. We have shown that we are compromising and that we are not giving up,” he told RTVE as quoted by sport after the game.
In the mix zone, however, Williams raised a few eyebrows with the following words.
“It is a very difficult stadium. They have printed from the minute and maybe they have surpassed us in intensity, but in Spain we will make them look like clowns.”
It was not long before those comments went to the Dutch side of the affair. RB Leipzig Playmaker Xavi Simons seemed just as surprised as the media.
“He said that? Well, okay, we'll see on Sunday. If they say those things, it's because they are self -confident, but that's fine, they are the current European champions and we have to respect that. On Sunday, when the referee whistles, we will see.”
The Dutch manager Ronald Koeman, never afraid of strong words himself, decided not to go the offensive, as paid back by Marca.
“What he says comes down to him. As a Dutch coach I am proud of our game. We know that a very tough game is waiting for us, but we are not going to make it easy on Sunday.”
The same exhaust valve then quoted Williams' later in the mix zone, where the Basque star withdrew from his earlier remarks. “I didn't say it that way,” he told journalists when they told the reaction of Koeman and Simons. He was even told that it had gone well in Spain, but Williams again confirmed that he did not mean in that sense and 'good, but I am not like that partner'.
Undoubtedly, the temptation will be there for Koeman to place his words in the Dutch dressing room in Mestalla, as a way to motivate his side. It certainly seemed of character for Williams, and his answer certainly suggests that he did not want to support the comments. Spain will sweat on the fitness of Pau Cubarsi for the second stage, after he had come up with an ankle injury.
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