The total football of Spain, champion of the League of Nations | Soccer | Sports

Cata Coll, the Spanish goalkeeper, was seen more on social networks than on the pitch. The federation published a video of the footballer’s day during concentration, from the moment she opened her eyes until she curled up in bed. On the mat, however, he only made three saves in the Final square of the League of Nations, barely demanded by the Netherlands and France. He was there but we didn’t need him, a sign of the superiority of the team, world champion and now also in Europe, with the ticket for the Games. “Spain is playing the football we love again,” says Jennifer Hermoso. “This team is for big things, it has no ceiling,” adds Laia Codina. Even if Markel Zubizarreta, sporting director of the national team, adds: “Whoever says we are perfect is lying. Not one, but several steps are missing. But it’s about being better every day. » Something that, once the foundations have been laid, footballers demonstrate in every match, with every title won.

The ball is for Spain

Since the start of the last World Cup, the ball has been red. Infallible axiom when the national team plays, also expressed in the Nations League, since against the Netherlands the team had 57% possession and against France it reached 60%. “These players allow us to play this associative game that the spectator loves so much, in which he believes and thanks to which we manage to control the game,” explains coach Montse Tomé. “We have a very good generation who have the same way of approaching football,” recognizes Paredes. “In the context of Spanish football, which is so associative, we have small players who play in restricted spaces and we are differential,” analyzes Markel. Although the requirement is a diploma. “France took the ball away from us a bit in the second half…” says Hermoso. “Maybe it wasn’t the best game with the ball,” adds Codina; “but we had more and France was running and exhausted.” Oihane concludes: “When we started to have the ball and control the game, we took a breath because we saw that it was going to move forward.” No sooner said than done.

Controlled pressure

Having the ball hasn’t always been a sign of success: at the World Cup, Spain had 77% of the ball against Japan and lost by four goals, a slap in the face that allowed then second-placed Tomé behind Jorge Vilda, to take the upper hand. . “When we don’t have the ball, we are a team with a lot more intensity and the players clearly know where, when and how they have to run. Before, it cost us a little more,” says the coach. The more intense we are, the more we push the teams and the more chances we have to win,” explains Oihane. “We want to bite, we are strong to recover the balls from above and that, even if sometimes it is a job that is not visible, gives us life”, slips Codina. It also happens that the pressure varies. “We adapt and do it well”, confirms Paredes. “The Netherlands came out with three central defenders, they wanted “Press higher and tried to filter passes from the middle; and France did it with four and didn’t care about not having the ball,” Markel collapses; “We wanted them to come out from the right , not that they passed either, and it worked well, which allowed us to defend from the front and not back down.”

Government in the regions

All the balls sent by the Netherlands and France into the area were cleared by Paredes and Codina, perhaps caught by Cata. Furthermore, Spain defended as a unit. “On one of the last counter-attacks they gave us the ball behind the defense and we were all in the box after we got back into the area. sprint“, praises Codina. The defensive generosity, punctuated by pressure, led Spain to close the ramps towards the goal, to the point that France did not shoot on goal; Holland made three in the half -final. “We have very strong central defenders, with good foundations. Furthermore, when we can pass, it allows us to defend outside the area and that is a luxury,” explains Markel. on the other hand, Spain had 10 shots on goal and managed five. Salma runs like no one in space, Athénée is the break and the center, Mariona the filtered pass inside, Jenni the art on a tile and the shot, Aitana the arrival of the second line and, if all fails, the corridors are long lights. Many efforts complemented by the substitute players, like Eva Navarro or Vicky López. “Those who come off the bench always contribute . Especially since everyone knows their role. “We are all important,” explains Codina. And Jenni resolves: “We all know each other and we know what the other player needs without almost speaking, and that’s what that a powerful team has at the top.”

physical equality

For decades, Spain played well, but couldn’t do anything against much more physical and professional rivals. “I was a player on that team that played Germany and I said, ‘My God, our physicality is our Achilles heel.’ Now, not only has this fight been matched, but we are with the best,” says Tomé. “I remember Barça’s first matches with PSG and we didn’t win a duel by running, crashing, by anything. A brutal step was taken at the conditional level, it was enough to see Aitana with the ball in the 90th minute and she left her French rivals behind,” notes Markel. “Or Mariona, who flew away in the last minutes. “All of them,” said Codina. “Physics is something we have worked on a lot in recent years. Against France, one of the most powerful, we noticed; We have nothing to envy physically,” concludes Paredes. But Markel, in accordance with the requirements of a champion team, completes: “It has served us until today, but it will not serve us tomorrow, so we must continue to improve.”

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