Spain thinks big | Women’s Soccer World Cup 2023

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Spain will fight at dawn from Thursday to Friday (3.00, La 1) to win a place in the semifinals of a women’s soccer World Cup that is, this time, arousing passions among fans from half the world.

After the bad experience against Japan in the group stage, a duel in which Spain paled to conceding four goals, the team recovered in style against Switzerland (1-5), once again with punch and effervescent football, a triumph to taste Also an unprecedented success, as it was the first time they had overcome a tie in a major tournament and reached the quarterfinals, where they face the Netherlands. “We are going to win”, resolves Luis Rubiales, president of the federation. An expansive feeling in the expedition, even though it is known that the rival is strong, a team that has not had cracks so far, perhaps a tie with the United States. “I don’t think we have to stop the euphoria. We have made history and we want to continue doing it”, said Athenea del Castillo after the penultimate training session at Newton Park, a stadium at the foot of the Wellington hills. “But any team can get you out of this dream, we must have our feet on the ground,” Alba Redondo clarified.

In order not to take off the boots of the green, the team welcomes the work. Like the analyst of the national team, Rubén Jiménez, who has seen hundreds of videos from the Netherlands for days. His job is to try to break down a team that they knew would put up a fight in the World Cup because with the passage of time and with Andries Jonker on the bench the mix of generations has been curdling. But after the Netherlands beat South Africa, work intensified as the suspended Van de Donk lost place. So in the coaching staff they proposed two scenarios, because it will not be the same as Damaris Egurrola -she played in the lower ranks of Spain because her father is from Bilbao, but since Vilda did not summon her, she chose to choose the absolute Netherlands, nationality of his mother—, that Victoria Pelova; the first with more touch, the second with more physicality. Although the Dutch proposal does not change too much.

It is known that they will play with three center backs and two long-light lanes, always with the idea of ​​generating superiority inside to find the speed of the forwards and the holes for their shot. A patient football at the start and hectic at the end. “It is a team that accumulates a lot of people in the middle and we will have to counteract their speed up top, in addition to the square they make in the center of the field when Martens gets in there,” reflected Athenea, already recovered from the blow, finally freeing the Spanish infirmary because Ivana Andrés has already joined the group work after overcoming a microtear in the soleus.

Spain also has a mordant: 13 goals in three stakes, in addition to the blunder against Japan. It remains to be seen what Vilda does, an interventionist coach by definition, who does not renounce the Cruyffian essences of touch and possession, but who does remove the team with ease, even in goal. If Misa played in the previous phase, Cata Coll did it against Switzerland and it may return to its origins against the Netherlands. “A matter of nuances”, exposes the technician. Although also in a state of mind because Misa has not had a good time in the same way that Cata is more carefree, just as professional. The other big doubt is Alexia Putellas, who arrived just physically after overcoming a torn ligament, only starting half of the duels so far, La Roja’s tuning fork. With her on the field, Jenni Hermoso would return to the lead and Esther González would wait on the bench.

And if everything ends as it begins, with a draw, they say that Spain is prepared to define from 11 meters. “We have been taking penalties since the preseason in Benidorm. It is important to have confidence in hitting, in addition to the fact that we have great kickers and three goalkeepers with very good hands”, Athenea agreed. They will all be necessary. These are the quarterfinals of a World Cup, the opportunity to continue writing history.

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2023-08-10 03:15:00
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