Barcelona overshadow Real Madrid

Spain’s kryptonite awaits. The national team gathered in Madrid with its focus already fixed on the World Cup qualifier against England. Spain has five days to put together a plan to storm Wembley – a stadium regarded, for good reason, as the temple of soccer. Sonia Bermúdez is going all in with a squad full of guarantees. Once again, La Masia is setting the tone in the call-up. Of the 25 internationals selected, 10 play for Barcelona: Cata Coll, Irene Paredes, Mapi León, Ona Batlle, Patri Guijarro, Alexia Putellas, Vicky López, Salma Paralluelo, Claudia Pina and Clara Serrajordi.

Presumably, the starting lineup on Tuesday at the London stadium will be overwhelmingly Barcelona-based. Coll is expected to return in goal, with Paredes and León paired in central defense. Batlle would slot in at right back. Midfield would likely be made up of players from Pere Romeu’s squad: Putellas, Guijarro and López. And Pina, because of her scoring impact, will be a key piece. It is no coincidence. The team is in a rich vein of form across every competition. In Liga F, Barcelona is running away with it, holding a 13-point lead over Real Madrid. In the Champions League, it sealed its place in the semifinals with authority and now faces Bayern Munich. The same goes for the Copa, where it has already reached the final. That Barcelona dominance will have a direct effect on this Spain window, just as it has in recent years.

You have to go back to the era of “Las 15” to find a squad list dominated by Real Madrid. The scent of La Masia in Spain right now is undeniable, and not only because of the 10 Barcelona players called up. Others also came through the club’s system, including Jana Fernández, Lucía Corrales, Mariona Caldentey and Laia Codina. The total would be even higher were it not for injuries to two key players – Laia Aleixandri and Aitana Bonmatí.

By contrast, the team losing ground is Real Madrid, which is becoming less and less present within Spain. For this two-game set against England and Ukraine, only four Madrid players were called in: Misa Rodríguez, María Méndez, Athenea del Castillo and Eva Navarro. None of the four is expected to start, and they will have to earn their opportunity, even though Athenea and María both turned in strong performances in the last window. The Canary Islands goalkeeper also impressed on her international return against Ukraine. The defender from Asturias could challenge León for a place. Outside Barcelona, there are only three VIP seats for Wembley: Olga Carmona, Mariona and Esther González, Spain’s starting No. 9. Breaking into the world champions’ lineup is expensive. The Barcelona stamp carries weight.

Already in Las Rozas

Sonia Bermúdez welcomed the 25 internationals yesterday at the Soccer City complex in Las Rozas, and that same afternoon they were already at work on the training field. Spain now has four days in the capital to prepare for the game against the Lionesses. On Sunday afternoon, the group will travel to London. The players have had a few days off after playing league games with their clubs last weekend. Esther, who traveled from the United States, is also now fully available to the coach. The Gotham FC forward returns after missing the previous window while on maternity leave. Spain gets its No. 9 back.

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