WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Spain women’s national team manager Jorge Vilda says all the players in his squad are “totally committed” to playing
The head coach spoke before the game against China which will help Spain prepare for the upcoming World Cup.
Spain women’s national team manager Jorge Vilda sat down in front of the press before the game against China. The Spanish national team has been embroiled in controversy ever since 15 players wrote to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) asking not be selected for the squad while Vilda was in charge, citing their “emotional state and as such my health”.
Spain, as such, have had a strong churn of players in their recent squads, with Jenni Hermoso and Irene Paredes returning in sensational fashion to the fold ahead of the tournament. The FC Barcelona core is now gone, but Spain have a depth of talent and, despite rumours ahead of the announcement for the latest squad, none of the 15 self-excluded players returned to Vilda’s side.
‘We want to put the cherry on top of the call-up in terms of the atmosphere’
Vilda recognised the good atmosphere surrounding the squad and the training camp in general, saying that he even wishes it could have gone on for longer: “It’s been super short. I would have loved for it to be 10 days longer and to have had 20 days together. In the environment we’ve been in, the games we’ve played, how everyone has treated us [has been great].”
“But we know that tomorrow it’s finished and we want to put the cherry on top of the call-up in terms of the atmosphere”, he continued, “the cohesion of the group from a football perspective, as tomorrow we have to reaffirm the good feelings from the game (a 4-2 win) against Norway.”
The manager also confirmed that another game is in the works, meaning that the team will have more time to prepare before the first ball is kicked in July. “We’re thinking about playing another friendly [before the tournament begins]. But this is the last game before the World Cup squad list is confirmed, which comes out in June. So, we’re very excited and we want to finish in the best way possible.”
‘All 23 players are totally committed’
Finally, Vilda chose again to talk about the positive feelings that he has experienced in Ibiza, while also adding a potential wink to the players who have chosen not to represent Spain: “All of the 23 players are ready to play, to perform and give their all. It’s an attractive team in terms of the style and we are creating a very cohesive group with players who are totally committed. If we all go in the right direction and we all try our best, playing how we want to play, which are bigger than some irrelevant things, I’m sure we will achieve all the objectives that we set ourselves.”
- Spain take on China on 11 April at 12p.m. ET in Ibiza. Find out how to watch here.