Jorge Vilda (Madrid, 1981) is the Spanish women’s coach. After two experiences at Euro 2017 and at the 2019 World Cup, he is looking forward to a year in which the Euro marks the calendar. Spain will go with all the illusion to do something great.
In July there is a European Championship …
Very high expectations have been generated and it has been for the good work of the players, not for anything else. We, despite the good numbers, are still contenders. There are other teams that are favorites. Favoritism would be left to them. We are aspirants.
The big favorite?
It is difficult to say one, but England as hosts are sure to go for it all. Every day France is more team, there are no longer so many individuals. It has very different players. Germany is the team that has won the most Euro Cups. Sweden comes from being Olympic runner-up. Not forgetting Norway or Denmark, who have a player who can win a match on her own. I think it will be an even tournament.
Will Germany be the great rival to beat in the group?
Yes, they are experiencing a transition. They won six Euro Cups in a row and now they are in a moment of change. But their coach knows what she’s got in her hands and I’m sure they are going to make it difficult for us in the group stage.
What is the objective of Spain?
Prepare very well and go as far as possible. We don’t set a goal. We have to isolate ourselves from all that and be able to show the world the team that we are.
Do you talk about the Euro?
Yes, yes, they talk about it. About the Euro, the World Cup and even our great dream, which is to play the Olympic Games. But in the end we put the greatest pressure on ourselves …
There will be few calls between now and summer …
There is the February list for the friendly tournament in England, the April list for another friendly and the official one against Scotland and now the final one. Nothing remains. Every day is more complicated. The players increasingly give a higher level and it is small details that decide.
Is there a parcel of the field with more doubts? Could it be up front?
There are players in all the demarcations that can sow doubts. We are well covered in the goal, also in defense and in the center of the field. Up front we don’t just look at whether they score goals, but how they help in other aspects. We like to push high and that has a very high demand.
A while ago, Nahikari or Lucía García were indispensable and now they don’t seem so …
Every time the competition is greater. The little details mark whether to be there or not. It is very good news that there are young people who enter this hard. They come to the National Team and they are themselves. They are not shy, they say here I am.
The World Cup is just around the corner, in 2023. Is it going to be good that it is so often?
When the news came out that the Euro was postponed for a year due to COVID, it was a downturn, really. We wanted to compete now. But making it positive and with perspective, we think that we have had a year to prepare ourselves better. We arrived in a better position, I think so.
You arrived in 2015, things have changed a lot. How do they look now?
There are many expectations, not only in Spain, outside our borders as well. It is a pride that they recognize all our work, not only with the absolute, but also with the lower categories. There is a very well formed structure from the U-15 and it works.
Something similar happened in the male …
I would love to see the same thing happen again. I see a certain similarity, I also experienced it at the RFEF. When Xavi’s U-17 and U-19, Piqué, Iniesta and Busquets reached the absolute top and reached the top.
Who would those Xavi or Iniesta be among the girls?
We have midfielders who look a lot like them. They have that quality, but above all I prefer that they have something that they have also had: humility. You keep talking to Xavi or Iniesta and, after having won everything, they are very normal people, very close.
Alexia Putellas has just won the Ballon d’Or, what does this mean?
A brutal impact not only for Spanish women’s football, but for the entire world. It was something magical, I was lucky enough to experience it in the first person. The day after we were out for a walk before we measured in Scotland and many girls came to celebrate. They got out of the cars to congratulate her. It was very exciting.
Will there be more Alexias?
The profile of a Spanish player has suddenly burst onto these lists. There have been many and there could not be more this time. But more young players will come.
How is Alexia? He has known her since she was very little …
From the age of 14. Her way of being has always led her to want to improve and play for the group. And what stands out the most is what he liked about football. She is a soccer patient, she is thinking about soccer for 24 hours. At first, when all this came, she thought how much flattery could weaken her. It has not been so.
What do you think of Real Madrid, once its women’s football section is established?
He has achieved a historic pass in the Champions League and that is already a success. The project is very well laid out. They have opted for a hard core of Spanish players who are going to create costumes, as has already been seen.
How did you experience the Damaris case?
As a coach, I want the best for the team and for the players. For us, the U-23 team is very important, and players who sometimes go up to the senior team have to go down again. We are the ones who decide.
What do you ask of 2022?
That the injuries respect us, that we continue with enthusiasm and that we get to the Euro well. And that people follow us.