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          Joaquin Caparros says he would retain Spain coaching model

          • ESPN staffJul 12, 2016, 12:06 PM ET

          Former Granada coach Joaquin Caparros said on Tuesday that he feels qualified for the open job to manage the Spanish national team.

          Caparros, who spoke at a forum sponsored by Spain news agency Efe, said that "as with any coach in [Spain] football, I am qualified and am eager to do the job."

          Former Spain coach Vicente del Bosque resigned following Spain's Euro 2016 exit at the hands of Italy in the round-of-16 stage. The 65-year-old guided Spain to wins at the World Cup in 2010 and Euro 2012, but also oversaw their shock group-stage exit at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014. He has said he will take on a role within the federation.

          Caparros said that Spain's model continues to work and added that he has no plans to change it should he take over.

          "This model has worked for us and with it we have won titles and become a reference point for the world," he said. "We can't change it. The key to success is to get the best performance out of each player based on their skills."

          Caparros insisted that he was just one of many candidates.

          "Because of their formation, all of Spain's coaches are well prepared for the job," he said. " I have coached about 500 matches in La Liga and I have coached at all levels. Most of the other coaches who have come up in Spain have similar backgrounds and we are all ambitious."

          Caparros admitted that it would be tough for any coach to succeed Del Bosque.

          "He is very intelligent and he balanced the team using veteran players and new ones as well," he said. "He also instilled values in the players. We appreciate him for more than just the titles he won."

          He said that Luis Aragones, who coached the team that won the European Championship in 2008, was by contrast more "temperamental."

          "He was the best example of a coach who knew how to adapt to his players," Caparros said. "He saw all the talent and he made the shift."

          Caparros defended Spain's performance at Euro 2016 and said he felt Spain, Germany and Croatia played the best football.

          "There has not been a team better than Spain, but errors cost us," he said. "We have seen physical players but not too much talent. And the best players in the tournament came from our league: Cristiano [Ronaldo], [Antoine] Griezmann, [Gareth] Bale, [Toni] Kroos."