MADRID, 29 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish women’s soccer team will put an end to its concentration in Spain this Wednesday to prepare for the European Championship in England next July, a tournament for which it has positioned itself as one of the applicants, backed by a greater maturity both competitive level as well as experience, and with an eleven that is almost prescribed by heart, except with the doubts that there may be now on the offensive front.
Last Monday, Jorge Vilda announced his 23 final picks after the first warm-up friendly against Australia and after two weeks of concentration marked by the loss of a key player like Jennifer Hermoso, a striker with a goal, quality, leadership and experience, and the last minute of the young Salma Paralluelo.
In fact, the Madrilenian, recently signed by the Mexican Pachuca, was going to be one of the survivors of the 2013 European Championship, a tournament in which she was together with the goalkeeper Lola Gallardo, the defender Irene Paredes and the midfielder Alexia Putellas, the which will play their fourth consecutive major tournament. These three, in addition to the goalkeeper Sandra Paños and the midfielder Ivana Andrés repeated two years later in the historic World Cup in Canada, where Hermoso was also.
And regarding the 2019 World Cup in France, Vilda has had more than half of the internationals she called up by then. Paños, Gallardo, Paredes, Putellas and Hermoso were joined by Andrea Pereira, Mapi León, Ivana Andrés, Leila Ouahabi, Patri Guijarro, Lucía García, Aitana Bonmatí and Mariona Caldentey.
Thus, in the list for England, the ‘rookies’ in a major tournament with the Absolute are goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez, defenders Ona Batlle, Sheila García, Olga Carmona and Laia Aleixandri, midfielders Irene Guerrero and Teresa Abelleira, this substitute for Salma Paralluelo, who had been the big surprise, and forwards Claudia Pina, Marta Cardona and Athenea del Castillo. In addition, forward Esther González returns to a great date after having been at the EURO in 2017.
With these wickers, Vilda will have to put together a team with which to rub shoulders with the ‘greats’ of the continent and demonstrate the competitive capacity of the national team to dream. The coach, during this period from France, has designed a very recognizable block and for which only the loss of Jennifer Hermoso opens any doubt in the offensive trio of his 4-3-3.
NINE PRACTICALLY ‘FIXED’
Thus, in goal, except for surprise, the starter seems almost certainly to be Sandra Paños from Alicante, while the most likely defensive line is the one formed in the center by Irene Paredes and a Mapi León at a high level, with Ona Batlle , another runner-up in the U-20 world, established on the right side, and Leila Ouahabi, despite her irregular season and not losing prominence in the final stretch with Barça, on the left.
Sheila García and Olga Carmona are the alternatives on the wings, although both can also be wingers, while Ivana Andrés and Andrea Pereira are the replacements for the two central defenders.
In midfield, it doesn’t seem like there will be any surprises either, and except for injury, its three components can be said to be ‘untouchable’ for Vilda because of what they give her at a football level and because of their mutual understanding. Alexia Putellas will lead the ‘machine zone’ together with her teammates from FC Barcelona Patri Guijarro and Aitana Bonmatí on the rise.
Vilda has blind faith in this trio and in fact she had perhaps left that part a little ‘lame’ in the face of possible inconveniences since the other natural midfielder that she had mentioned is Irene Guerrero until the loss of Salma Paralluelo has opened the doors to Tere Abelleira. Laia Aleixandri is central and would be the most ‘natural’ replacement for Guijarro, while although Claudia Pina was among the midfielders, her profile is almost more like a striker.
And finally, in the offensive part, it is where there may be more doubts. Jennifer Hermoso was emerging as the starter and her position now has many applicants, and although the ‘normal’ would be for a purer ‘9’ like Esther González to occupy it since Amaiur Sarriegi had not entered, Vilda warned that she also handles Lucía García’s options and Athena del Castillo.
On the sides, Mariona Caldentey and her talent should be the ones chosen on the left, while on the right the coach also has to decide between his many alternatives, joined by a Marta Cardona who was the main owner of that position until he was injured earlier in the season.