Alvaro Arbeloa says Liverpool and Spain teammate Fernando Torres is the best striker in Europe.

"I believe Fernando has had no rival in Europe this season," said Arbeloa. "Cristiano Ronaldo is more of a midfielder than anything else, but there is no striker who can get near Fernando.

"He has been the best in Europe and I am not saying that just because of his numbers; I say it because of his importance to the team. He took Liverpool to the semi-finals of the Champions League, scoring against Inter, Arsenal and Chelsea. He is always there.

"We need to take advantage of Fernando like we have been doing at Liverpool. I have noticed that at Liverpool we have been able to make the most of Torres' qualities. When he gets away from his marker, we send the ball forward without doubting it.

"In Spain, there is more possession. I think if we risk those long balls for Fernando we can achieve the ideal mix. At Liverpool, we play very differently to how they play in Spain. In England, the football is more physical, with more contact and fight.

"That can only help the national team because we will have the same technically good players, but they are also used to more physical play and contact. You can see it at Liverpool. We have players with a lot of quality like Xabi Alonso and Torres, and they don't shy away from the physical contact.

"They are very good players, but they fight for every ball. That makes us (Spain) more complete. There is youth and experience, and above all, good football. Why not this time?"