Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What an incredible semi between Australia and England...can't wait for the final on Sunday!

+1 I was hoping Australia would move on, but England were the better team today. They dominated physically and took advantage of the opportunities they were given. It was unfortunate that some of Australia's usually steady core had off games (Ellie Carpenter and Steph Catley, for example), but hats off to the Lionesses on their first World Cup final. Their coach deserves so much credit for steering them there, especially given the key players who were out with injuries.

While it's not the outcome they wanted, the Matildas could still win the third-place game, which would still be a great outcome for the nation.

England’s coaching staff is really really good. Wonder if Sarina Wiegman would take the US job? She has a lot of connection to the US. England coaching staff came up with the game plan and the players executed it. They took out Australia core players. Very physical game by England by design.

Physical game is what is typically associated with english football from what I understand. It will be interesting to see that style vs the tiki taka that Spain tends to play.

Spain does not really play Tiki Taka. They keep possession but they turn and go a lot and do not take the easy possession passes. Most teams are scared to press them. So they their possession stats are very high. They have the skill to beat really good defenders 1v2 and they do it. That first 1/2 against Sweden could have been 3 - 0.

If you are accustomed to watching Tiki taka they skip a lot of passes. They are super aggressive with their passes in the final third. The timing and weight on the ball plus the first touch is incredible. When you watch Barca women play you will see them get pressured. They will make two or three pass to escape pressure, the next 2-3 pass they are taking it to goal. It’s a very modern game.

Should be a very good game.

Can't wait!!

I noticed that the English team does a lot of high long passes, I guess because they have tall strong forwards. It's going to be great to see two different styles at play.

It’s the OG English style. Before Pep moved in, that was predominantly Premier league play.

Spain vs Sweden semi-final sets attendance and TV audience records
A total of 43,217 spectators watched the semi-final at Auckland’s Eden Park, while in Spain, television audience figures peaked at 3,755,000 - a 53.6% share.

Television audience record smashed

La Roja’s resounding victory was also closely followed by hundreds of thousands of fans on television and social media. In Spain, the match was broadcast live on state television RTVE’s La 1 channel. Helped by the fact that 15 August is a national holiday, viewing figures exceeded all expectations, drawing an average audience of 1,921,000 - a 45.4% share. It was the most watched program during the whole of Tuesday and the most watched football match in the history of the Women’s World Cup.

At one point, 3,755,000 spectators were tuned in. The golden minute was registered at 11:53 hours, with an audience of 2,776,000 - a 53.6% share of all television viewing figures in Spain.

https://en.as.com/soccer/spain-vs-sweden-semi-final-sets-attendance-and-tv-audience-records-n/

The dream of winning the World Cup may have come to an end, but Australia’s love affair with the Matildas reached new heights on Wednesday night as the semi-final clash with England drew a record average audience of 7.13 million viewers nationally on Seven and its streaming service 7plus.

That number does not include those who watched on Optus Sport or in the many public venues around the country that hosted mass viewing events.

https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/matildas-semi-final-fever-scores-another-tv-viewing-record-20230816-p5dwxm.html

These are big numbers. Usually it is only the USWNT who gets number. This wil” be really good for the sport outside of the US.

Women’s World Cup: Australia v England scores 11.1m viewers for BBC
Seven's FTA semi-final coverage is Australia's most watched TV broadcast since viewing figures were recorded.

https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/matildas-lionesses-2023-womens-world-cup-semi-final-viewers-seven-bbc/?zephr_sso_ott=PG4vyL

Anonymous wrote:Interesting article in Economist “Why sex matters in football”.

“Feminists have long argued, correctly, that women are not just men with long hair. The unthinking assumption that men are the “default human” means that everything from drugs and smartphones to stab vests and airbags has been designed in ways that are inconvenient or dangerous for their female users.

“One paper calculates that a pitch scaled for them would be two-thirds as big as it is now. Goals would be slightly smaller and the ball would be smaller and lighter. Expecting women to play on the same-size pitch as men, the researchers point out, means asking them to play a game that is different from the one the men play—and harder.”

That helps explain how come England's goalkeeper allowed Australia's goal...

Interesting article in Economist “Why sex matters in football”.

“Feminists have long argued, correctly, that women are not just men with long hair. The unthinking assumption that men are the “default human” means that everything from drugs and smartphones to stab vests and airbags has been designed in ways that are inconvenient or dangerous for their female users.

“One paper calculates that a pitch scaled for them would be two-thirds as big as it is now. Goals would be slightly smaller and the ball would be smaller and lighter. Expecting women to play on the same-size pitch as men, the researchers point out, means asking them to play a game that is different from the one the men play—and harder.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The greatest story of this World Cup is Vilda and the Spanish Federation. No other country could leave 13 national team players home and still make it to the finals. They are undoubtedly the next world power.

Welcome to World Cup final.

Wow. So most players are new to a World Cup?

Last year 15 national teams players submitted a letter saying they will no longer play for the national team unless the coach is fired. This was the federations response

The players will not be allowed to return to the national team in the future unless they apologized to the RFEF and “asked for forgiveness,” the statement reads.
“The RFEF is not going to allow the players to question the continuity of the national coach and his coaching staff, since making those decisions does not fall within their powers,” the statement reads, according to The Athletic’s translation. “The Federation will not admit any type of pressure from any player when adopting sports measures. These types of maneuvers are far from exemplary and outside the values ​​of football and sport and are harmful.”

Wow again.

I guess they knew they had a whole new generation ready is needed.

Oh Spain is loaded. Their youth national teams have been kicking it. If this had been one or two players that happens. It was 15 players and the coach has been there for a long time. Spain does not have a shortage of really good coaches,

Now about 7 of the players who did not come are better vs what is on the team now. Three would be starters- goalie, center defender and holding midfielder.

Spain has had break downs in their back line. It has been mental mistakes and being beaten physically. If the other players were on the field Spain’s defense would be a lot better. The speed, technical skill, soccer iq plus the familiarity with the other players in the defensive(they play on the same club team) would have really improved the defense. Plus the subs availability would allow better matches.

I was very impressed by the holding midfielder for Spain in their last 2 games. This is #3 Teresa Abelleira (age 23), who probably wouldn't be starting if Patricia Guijarro (24 yo from Barca) was in the team, but she was one of the 12 who weren't selected. Guijjaro is one of the best midfielders of the world. But her replacement is no slouch. Starting CM for Real Madrid, Abelleira was also a member of the Spain squad for U17 European Cup in 2016 (Spain was a finalist) and the U-19 Euro in 2018 which Spain won. When a team has replacements of such quality in key positions, it can be a great team even when 3 of their best players are missing.

Since I am used to clueless TV experts hardly ever noticing players in deeper positions like holding midfielders, I was paying special attention to this player as I know how crucial the #6 is in the classic 4-3-3 that Spain plays. Also knew that Guijarro, who I have seen a bit of, was not going to be there. I was just so impressed by Abelleira in the last 2 games (even though not a single commentator drew attention to her). Just to confirm that I wasn't seeing something wrong, and because CDMs are so difficult for a casual watcher to evaluate, I went and checked the stats. Turns out that the stats confirm my intuition. Abelleira has been the highest rated player in the Spain squad on the average and consistently for most games by several football stat websites, such as this one https://www.whoscored.com/Teams/26886/Show/Spain-Spain .

She is all of 5' 3", 110 lbs. Guijarro, who she has replaced, is 5′ 7″ and 141 lbs. Against England, maybe they will miss Guijarro. But the small Abelleira is quite something, and I will be rooting for her to play her usual game, with her passing, ability to hold the ball and win it from much larger opponents. I hope all small midfielders in girls soccer teams up and down this country will be watching her as well.

I have watched Barca for a few years now. The difference I see in the holding midfield play is Guijarro is a calming presence and reads the other players better. It’s a subtle thing. It just reduces the pressure on the backline. Also the size makes a difference special against bigger players and later in the games. She is also just 25!

I wish Putellas was 100%. She is fun to watch.

Watch the game and you will not see Guijarro. Watch Guijarro and you will see the game.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What an incredible semi between Australia and England...can't wait for the final on Sunday!

+1 I was hoping Australia would move on, but England were the better team today. They dominated physically and took advantage of the opportunities they were given. It was unfortunate that some of Australia's usually steady core had off games (Ellie Carpenter and Steph Catley, for example), but hats off to the Lionesses on their first World Cup final. Their coach deserves so much credit for steering them there, especially given the key players who were out with injuries.

While it's not the outcome they wanted, the Matildas could still win the third-place game, which would still be a great outcome for the nation.

England’s coaching staff is really really good. Wonder if Sarina Wiegman would take the US job? She has a lot of connection to the US. England coaching staff came up with the game plan and the players executed it. They took out Australia core players. Very physical game by England by design.

Physical game is what is typically associated with english football from what I understand. It will be interesting to see that style vs the tiki taka that Spain tends to play.

Spain does not really play Tiki Taka. They keep possession but they turn and go a lot and do not take the easy possession passes. Most teams are scared to press them. So they their possession stats are very high. They have the skill to beat really good defenders 1v2 and they do it. That first 1/2 against Sweden could have been 3 - 0.

If you are accustomed to watching Tiki taka they skip a lot of passes. They are super aggressive with their passes in the final third. The timing and weight on the ball plus the first touch is incredible. When you watch Barca women play you will see them get pressured. They will make two or three pass to escape pressure, the next 2-3 pass they are taking it to goal. It’s a very modern game.

Should be a very good game.

Can't wait!!

I noticed that the English team does a lot of high long passes, I guess because they have tall strong forwards. It's going to be great to see two different styles at play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty1ARZuepfA

‘22 euros Spain vs England. This is what the US women do not have each year.

Thanks, great to watch!!

Somehow Spain seems to have improved its defense a LOT in just one year and with so many new players. Surprising, isn't it?

PS: true that US women don't play Euros but they must play Lat Am or something

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What an incredible semi between Australia and England...can't wait for the final on Sunday!

+1 I was hoping Australia would move on, but England were the better team today. They dominated physically and took advantage of the opportunities they were given. It was unfortunate that some of Australia's usually steady core had off games (Ellie Carpenter and Steph Catley, for example), but hats off to the Lionesses on their first World Cup final. Their coach deserves so much credit for steering them there, especially given the key players who were out with injuries.

While it's not the outcome they wanted, the Matildas could still win the third-place game, which would still be a great outcome for the nation.

England’s coaching staff is really really good. Wonder if Sarina Wiegman would take the US job? She has a lot of connection to the US. England coaching staff came up with the game plan and the players executed it. They took out Australia core players. Very physical game by England by design.

Physical game is what is typically associated with english football from what I understand. It will be interesting to see that style vs the tiki taka that Spain tends to play.

Spain does not really play Tiki Taka. They keep possession but they turn and go a lot and do not take the easy possession passes. Most teams are scared to press them. So they their possession stats are very high. They have the skill to beat really good defenders 1v2 and they do it. That first 1/2 against Sweden could have been 3 - 0.

If you are accustomed to watching Tiki taka they skip a lot of passes. They are super aggressive with their passes in the final third. The timing and weight on the ball plus the first touch is incredible. When you watch Barca women play you will see them get pressured. They will make two or three pass to escape pressure, the next 2-3 pass they are taking it to goal. It’s a very modern game.

Should be a very good game.

Can't wait!!

I noticed that the English team does a lot of high long passes, I guess because they have tall strong forwards. It's going to be great to see two different styles at play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty1ARZuepfA

‘22 euros Spain vs England. This is what the US women do not have each year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The greatest story of this World Cup is Vilda and the Spanish Federation. No other country could leave 13 national team players home and still make it to the finals. They are undoubtedly the next world power.

Welcome to World Cup final.

Wow. So most players are new to a World Cup?

Last year 15 national teams players submitted a letter saying they will no longer play for the national team unless the coach is fired. This was the federations response

The players will not be allowed to return to the national team in the future unless they apologized to the RFEF and “asked for forgiveness,” the statement reads.
“The RFEF is not going to allow the players to question the continuity of the national coach and his coaching staff, since making those decisions does not fall within their powers,” the statement reads, according to The Athletic’s translation. “The Federation will not admit any type of pressure from any player when adopting sports measures. These types of maneuvers are far from exemplary and outside the values ​​of football and sport and are harmful.”

Wow again.

I guess they knew they had a whole new generation ready is needed.

Oh Spain is loaded. Their youth national teams have been kicking it. If this had been one or two players that happens. It was 15 players and the coach has been there for a long time. Spain does not have a shortage of really good coaches,

Now about 7 of the players who did not come are better vs what is on the team now. Three would be starters- goalie, center defender and holding midfielder.

Spain has had break downs in their back line. It has been mental mistakes and being beaten physically. If the other players were on the field Spain’s defense would be a lot better. The speed, technical skill, soccer iq plus the familiarity with the other players in the defensive(they play on the same club team) would have really improved the defense. Plus the subs availability would allow better matches.

I was very impressed by the holding midfielder for Spain in their last 2 games. This is #3 Teresa Abelleira (age 23), who probably wouldn't be starting if Patricia Guijarro (24 yo from Barca) was in the team, but she was one of the 12 who weren't selected. Guijjaro is one of the best midfielders of the world. But her replacement is no slouch. Starting CM for Real Madrid, Abelleira was also a member of the Spain squad for U17 European Cup in 2016 (Spain was a finalist) and the U-19 Euro in 2018 which Spain won. When a team has replacements of such quality in key positions, it can be a great team even when 3 of their best players are missing.

Since I am used to clueless TV experts hardly ever noticing players in deeper positions like holding midfielders, I was paying special attention to this player as I know how crucial the #6 is in the classic 4-3-3 that Spain plays. Also knew that Guijarro, who I have seen a bit of, was not going to be there. I was just so impressed by Abelleira in the last 2 games (even though not a single commentator drew attention to her). Just to confirm that I wasn't seeing something wrong, and because CDMs are so difficult for a casual watcher to evaluate, I went and checked the stats. Turns out that the stats confirm my intuition. Abelleira has been the highest rated player in the Spain squad on the average and consistently for most games by several football stat websites, such as this one https://www.whoscored.com/Teams/26886/Show/Spain-Spain .

She is all of 5' 3", 110 lbs. Guijarro, who she has replaced, is 5′ 7″ and 141 lbs. Against England, maybe they will miss Guijarro. But the small Abelleira is quite something, and I will be rooting for her to play her usual game, with her passing, ability to hold the ball and win it from much larger opponents. I hope all small midfielders in girls soccer teams up and down this country will be watching her as well.

I have watched Barca for a few years now. The difference I see in the holding midfield play is Guijarro is a calming presence and reads the other players better. It’s a subtle thing. It just reduces the pressure on the backline. Also the size makes a difference special against bigger players and later in the games. She is also just 25!

I wish Putellas was 100%. She is fun to watch.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The greatest story of this World Cup is Vilda and the Spanish Federation. No other country could leave 13 national team players home and still make it to the finals. They are undoubtedly the next world power.

Welcome to World Cup final.

Wow. So most players are new to a World Cup?

Last year 15 national teams players submitted a letter saying they will no longer play for the national team unless the coach is fired. This was the federations response

The players will not be allowed to return to the national team in the future unless they apologized to the RFEF and “asked for forgiveness,” the statement reads.
“The RFEF is not going to allow the players to question the continuity of the national coach and his coaching staff, since making those decisions does not fall within their powers,” the statement reads, according to The Athletic’s translation. “The Federation will not admit any type of pressure from any player when adopting sports measures. These types of maneuvers are far from exemplary and outside the values ​​of football and sport and are harmful.”

Wow again.

I guess they knew they had a whole new generation ready is needed.

Oh Spain is loaded. Their youth national teams have been kicking it. If this had been one or two players that happens. It was 15 players and the coach has been there for a long time. Spain does not have a shortage of really good coaches,

Now about 7 of the players who did not come are better vs what is on the team now. Three would be starters- goalie, center defender and holding midfielder.

Spain has had break downs in their back line. It has been mental mistakes and being beaten physically. If the other players were on the field Spain’s defense would be a lot better. The speed, technical skill, soccer iq plus the familiarity with the other players in the defensive(they play on the same club team) would have really improved the defense. Plus the subs availability would allow better matches.

I was very impressed by the holding midfielder for Spain in their last 2 games. This is #3 Teresa Abelleira (age 23), who probably wouldn't be starting if Patricia Guijarro (24 yo from Barca) was in the team, but she was one of the 12 who weren't selected. Guijjaro is one of the best midfielders of the world. But her replacement is no slouch. Starting CM for Real Madrid, Abelleira was also a member of the Spain squad for U17 European Cup in 2016 (Spain was a finalist) and the U-19 Euro in 2018 which Spain won. When a team has replacements of such quality in key positions, it can be a great team even when 3 of their best players are missing.

Since I am used to clueless TV experts hardly ever noticing players in deeper positions like holding midfielders, I was paying special attention to this player as I know how crucial the #6 is in the classic 4-3-3 that Spain plays. Also knew that Guijarro, who I have seen a bit of, was not going to be there. I was just so impressed by Abelleira in the last 2 games (even though not a single commentator drew attention to her). Just to confirm that I wasn't seeing something wrong, and because CDMs are so difficult for a casual watcher to evaluate, I went and checked the stats. Turns out that the stats confirm my intuition. Abelleira has been the highest rated player in the Spain squad on the average and consistently for most games by several football stat websites, such as this one https://www.whoscored.com/Teams/26886/Show/Spain-Spain .

She is all of 5' 3", 110 lbs. Guijarro, who she has replaced, is 5′ 7″ and 141 lbs. Against England, maybe they will miss Guijarro. But the small Abelleira is quite something, and I will be rooting for her to play her usual game, with her passing, ability to hold the ball and win it from much larger opponents. I hope all small midfielders in girls soccer teams up and down this country will be watching her as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What an incredible semi between Australia and England...can't wait for the final on Sunday!

+1 I was hoping Australia would move on, but England were the better team today. They dominated physically and took advantage of the opportunities they were given. It was unfortunate that some of Australia's usually steady core had off games (Ellie Carpenter and Steph Catley, for example), but hats off to the Lionesses on their first World Cup final. Their coach deserves so much credit for steering them there, especially given the key players who were out with injuries.

While it's not the outcome they wanted, the Matildas could still win the third-place game, which would still be a great outcome for the nation.

England’s coaching staff is really really good. Wonder if Sarina Wiegman would take the US job? She has a lot of connection to the US. England coaching staff came up with the game plan and the players executed it. They took out Australia core players. Very physical game by England by design.

Physical game is what is typically associated with english football from what I understand. It will be interesting to see that style vs the tiki taka that Spain tends to play.

Spain does not really play Tiki Taka. They keep possession but they turn and go a lot and do not take the easy possession passes. Most teams are scared to press them. So they their possession stats are very high. They have the skill to beat really good defenders 1v2 and they do it. That first 1/2 against Sweden could have been 3 - 0.

If you are accustomed to watching Tiki taka they skip a lot of passes. They are super aggressive with their passes in the final third. The timing and weight on the ball plus the first touch is incredible. When you watch Barca women play you will see them get pressured. They will make two or three pass to escape pressure, the next 2-3 pass they are taking it to goal. It’s a very modern game.

Should be a very good game.

Can't wait!!

I noticed that the English team does a lot of high long passes, I guess because they have tall strong forwards. It's going to be great to see two different styles at play.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What an incredible semi between Australia and England...can't wait for the final on Sunday!

+1 I was hoping Australia would move on, but England were the better team today. They dominated physically and took advantage of the opportunities they were given. It was unfortunate that some of Australia's usually steady core had off games (Ellie Carpenter and Steph Catley, for example), but hats off to the Lionesses on their first World Cup final. Their coach deserves so much credit for steering them there, especially given the key players who were out with injuries.

While it's not the outcome they wanted, the Matildas could still win the third-place game, which would still be a great outcome for the nation.

England’s coaching staff is really really good. Wonder if Sarina Wiegman would take the US job? She has a lot of connection to the US. England coaching staff came up with the game plan and the players executed it. They took out Australia core players. Very physical game by England by design.

Physical game is what is typically associated with english football from what I understand. It will be interesting to see that style vs the tiki taka that Spain tends to play.

Spain does not really play Tiki Taka. They keep possession but they turn and go a lot and do not take the easy possession passes. Most teams are scared to press them. So they their possession stats are very high. They have the skill to beat really good defenders 1v2 and they do it. That first 1/2 against Sweden could have been 3 - 0.

If you are accustomed to watching Tiki taka they skip a lot of passes. They are super aggressive with their passes in the final third. The timing and weight on the ball plus the first touch is incredible. When you watch Barca women play you will see them get pressured. They will make two or three pass to escape pressure, the next 2-3 pass they are taking it to goal. It’s a very modern game.

Should be a very good game.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The greatest story of this World Cup is Vilda and the Spanish Federation. No other country could leave 13 national team players home and still make it to the finals. They are undoubtedly the next world power.

Welcome to World Cup final.

Wow. So most players are new to a World Cup?

Last year 15 national teams players submitted a letter saying they will no longer play for the national team unless the coach is fired. This was the federations response

The players will not be allowed to return to the national team in the future unless they apologized to the RFEF and “asked for forgiveness,” the statement reads.
“The RFEF is not going to allow the players to question the continuity of the national coach and his coaching staff, since making those decisions does not fall within their powers,” the statement reads, according to The Athletic’s translation. “The Federation will not admit any type of pressure from any player when adopting sports measures. These types of maneuvers are far from exemplary and outside the values ​​of football and sport and are harmful.”

Wow again.

I guess they knew they had a whole new generation ready is needed.

Oh Spain is loaded. Their youth national teams have been kicking it. If this had been one or two players that happens. It was 15 players and the coach has been there for a long time. Spain does not have a shortage of really good coaches,

Now about 7 of the players who did not come are better vs what is on the team now. Three would be starters- goalie, center defender and holding midfielder.

Spain has had break downs in their back line. It has been mental mistakes and being beaten physically. If the other players were on the field Spain’s defense would be a lot better. The speed, technical skill, soccer iq plus the familiarity with the other players in the defensive(they play on the same club team) would have really improved the defense. Plus the subs availability would allow better matches.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The greatest story of this World Cup is Vilda and the Spanish Federation. No other country could leave 13 national team players home and still make it to the finals. They are undoubtedly the next world power.

Welcome to World Cup final.

Wow. So most players are new to a World Cup?

Last year 15 national teams players submitted a letter saying they will no longer play for the national team unless the coach is fired. This was the federations response

The players will not be allowed to return to the national team in the future unless they apologized to the RFEF and “asked for forgiveness,” the statement reads.
“The RFEF is not going to allow the players to question the continuity of the national coach and his coaching staff, since making those decisions does not fall within their powers,” the statement reads, according to The Athletic’s translation. “The Federation will not admit any type of pressure from any player when adopting sports measures. These types of maneuvers are far from exemplary and outside the values ​​of football and sport and are harmful.”

Wow again.

I guess they knew they had a whole new generation ready is needed.

It's actually quite a story. Here is a good source: https://justwomenssports.com/reads/spain-womens-soccer-world-cup-jorge-vilda-controversy/

The key thing here is that they have an amazing pipeline, which means no player is indispensable.

"Spain has developed one of the most elite pipelines of talent through the country’s youth development system and top domestic clubs. They have won the last two iterations of the U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022, as well as the U-20 World Cup in 2022. FC Barcelona, a club from which much of the Spanish first team is drawn, has won the UEFA Champions League twice out of the last three seasons. Barcelona also dominates the Primera División, Spain’s domestic women’s football league, despite the ongoing rise of Real Madrid.

All of these ambitions are perhaps best represented by Salma Paralluelo, the 19-year-old Barcelona winger who has provided the spark in the last two knockout-round games to lift Spain to the final. Paralluelo was a part of both the U-20 World Cup-winning side and one of the U-17 World Cup-winning teams. She has come off the bench in Australia to unlock a new level for a Spanish side that historically hasn’t always been able to capitalize on its style of play."

Only some of the missing 13 players would have been starters. It's clear however that they are missing at least 3 likely starters, and have only a half-fit Alexei Putellas, probably the best player in the world before her injury, to call on. When you have a pipeline as strong as theirs and the style of play they employ, bringing up players from the champion youth sides is not that difficult. It's a pity though that the Federation cannot sort out the issues with the players, who by all accounts raised some legitimate issues about the coaching staff and general environment.

"With the World Cup on the horizon, players like Bonmati and Caldantey returned to the fold, and Putellas returned from injury without any official comment on her stance. But Barcelona standouts Mapi Leon, Patri Guijarro and Claudia Pina stuck to their principles and withdrew their names from World Cup roster selection."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The greatest story of this World Cup is Vilda and the Spanish Federation. No other country could leave 13 national team players home and still make it to the finals. They are undoubtedly the next world power.

Welcome to World Cup final.

Wow. So most players are new to a World Cup?

Last year 15 national teams players submitted a letter saying they will no longer play for the national team unless the coach is fired. This was the federations response

The players will not be allowed to return to the national team in the future unless they apologized to the RFEF and “asked for forgiveness,” the statement reads.
“The RFEF is not going to allow the players to question the continuity of the national coach and his coaching staff, since making those decisions does not fall within their powers,” the statement reads, according to The Athletic’s translation. “The Federation will not admit any type of pressure from any player when adopting sports measures. These types of maneuvers are far from exemplary and outside the values ​​of football and sport and are harmful.”

Wow again.

I guess they knew they had a whole new generation ready is needed.