Spain goes to the European Championship in England in search of the definitive step

Alexia's boots lead the ambition of Vilda's group, who has tried to reduce the euphoria in the preparation phase

MADRID, 5 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Spanish women's soccer team will face as one of the candidates to fight for everything in the European Championship in England, which begins this Wednesday and in which it will debut on Friday full of both enthusiasm and caution to try to make history after the step forward since the 2019 World Cup in France.

With a year of delay due to the entire reorganization of the calendar that the coronavirus pandemic entailed in 2020, this continental event of women's teams arrives, which is presumed very even and with the Netherlands defending the crown from five years ago at home.

Between July 6 and 31, the date of the final in an emblematic setting like Wembley, the 16 classified will focus attention during this month in which they will want to show the continuous evolution that women's football is undergoing.

And a good test can be the Spanish team, which will play its fifth consecutive major international tournament willing to demonstrate its competitive growth and greater maturity, supported by the statistics that say that no one has been able to beat them in the last 23 games, 19 with victory , to improve or match the best historical result, third place in the 1997 edition. In 2013 and 2017, the fourth places were the 'wall'.

The current world champion, the United States, in March 2020, was the last one to defeat her and since then other powers such as England, Germany or the Netherlands have not been able to beat her. But the internationals do not want to pay attention to the numbers or the 'siren songs' and prefer to be cautious about their options.

Thus, the message from the locker room has been to reduce any type of euphoria in order not to put too much pressure on a EURO that could be another boost for a national women's football that continues to grow.

However, the entity and history of the rivals means that Spain wants to cede that role to Germany, eight times champion and within the same group of the first phase, the host England, who will have prepared this championship with care, France, the Netherlands or a Sweden that, quietly, is number two in the ranking.

Jorge Vilda has opted for this challenge by the block with which he has been working practically for the last three years and led by Alexia Putellas, the brand new 'Golden Ball' and surely the leader of a team that has a clear game idea, very reflected in what FC Barcelona does, a team that already rubs shoulders with the important ones in Europe and that made history in 2021 by winning the Champions League.

In total, 12 soccer players repeat with respect to the last World Cup and 10 debut in a great tournament where the great absence will be that of striker Jennifer Hermoso, a loss due to a major injury that can reduce the offensive network, in which the national team has also given an important step when it comes to increasing its effectiveness, as in the defensive, with greater solidity in the face of its greater risk.

But Spain will not be able to relax in a complex group stage where they will have to deal with two high-level teams like the aforementioned Germany, which they have never been able to beat in their history, and Denmark, a team with quality and which is also the current runner-up .

The first block is completed by the theoretical 'Cinderella', Finland, which will test the aspirations in the premiere next Friday in Milton Keynes. The first two of each group go to the quarterfinals and the theoretical crossover would be against Group A where England, Norway, Austria, executioner on penalties in 2017, and Northern Ireland are.

The ball will begin to roll this Wednesday (9:00 p.m.) in a very symbolic place of football in the country such as Old Trafford, Manchester United's stadium. The hosts will open the European Championship against the Austrians, with Spanish leading role in the figure of Marta Huerta de Aza from Tenerife, a referee selected for this tournament and in charge of directing the opening match.