The Manchester City midfielder defended his national team's performance in the 1-1 draw with Italy, and stated that he has no preference as to where he plays on the pitch

David Silva admits that he does not mind if he plays in midfield or up front for Spain at Euro 2012.

Coach Vicente del Bosque received some criticism for starting the draw against Italy without a recognised striker, but the former Valencia man believes it was a solid start to the competition, and stated that he is happy to fulfil any role in the side.

"It doesn't matter whether I play as a striker or a midfielder," he told assembled reporters at a press conference.    "Starting as a forward just means I have more chances on goal. It's entirely up to Del Bosque.

"I thought we made a good tournament debut. Both the opponent and the grass stood in the way of us achieving victory, though that is no excuse. Italy played very well."

After Sunday's draw, the Manchester City playmaker knows that La Roja will likely have to beat both Croatia and Republic of Ireland, and hope that the Azzurri drop points, if they are to qualify in first place for the quarter-finals.

"How this group pans out depends entirely on us. We are looking for two wins in our next two games to try to finish top of the group," he continued.

The 26-year-old warned his team-mates to approach their next encounter against Ireland with caution, despite the Boys in Green's 3-1 loss against Slaven Bilic's side on Sunday night.

"The Irish may sit back a little more, but they can field several players who have English Premier League experience. We would do well to watch out for Robbie Keane, who is experienced. He won't be alone, however."

The game against Ireland kicks off at 20:45CET on Thursday.