Jorge Vilda: "We have to match England in intensity"
Spain's Women's national team coach previewed this evening's 2017 Women's EURO clash with Mark Sampson's England in Breda.
Spain's Women's national team coach Jorge Vilda noted the difficulties that his side will face in this evening's clash with England - a key match for both teams who are hoping to progress from the group stage at Women's EURO 2017. One of areas which Vilda says his side must get spot on, is matching their opponents in intensity and not giving the Lionesses a chance to dominate possession.
Victory or nothing, says Spain's Women's coach Vilda
Speaking to reporters in Breda on the eve of the game, Vilda said: "I think all of the other teams know Spain and our style of football. Our philosophy is very clear. We have several systems which we can vary, and against England we will use the one which we feel is the most appropriate to beat them. That's what we are aiming for. Our national team never goes into a game looking for a draw. We will be going out for the win - that's firmly in our minds".
Spain's women are more experienced and more competitive
Vilda admitted that England go into the game, the second in Group D, as favourites but pointed out that Spain have virtues of their own which they must call on. "We have to be aware of their strengths and weaknesses to be able to boost our options. We have full respect for all of our opponents but we do know how to attack England", the coach explained. "England's players are very fast and athletic and that makes them capable of punishing any team. We will need to neutralize their aerial play to be able to play our own game. In intensity and contesting 50-50 balls we have to be at the same level as England. We met them last October and it wasn't our best performance; after the eight qualifiers we have played since then they are without any doubt the toughest team we could face - I am expecting it to be the most difficult game we have played but we have come on a lot and improved in experience and competitiveness. We have played against the best sides in the world and that's helped us to improve tactically and evolve as a side. Now we are at a stage where we can compete with anyone".
England and Spain go into tonight's game level on 3 points with Mark Sampson's team topping the section on goal difference. The match kicks off at 20:45 CEST at the Rat Verlegh Stadion in Breda