by Ben Carey
Above: Spain enter the World Cup with a number of key players missing. Photo: FourFourTwo.
Spain are a very complex team to preview for the World Cup. Technically speaking, they have one of the most fearsome lists of players of any nation in the world. However, due to internal politics, a large number of their best players will not be a part of the squad. In essence, Spain will be sending their B-Team.
Squad
Spain’s provisional squad was announced on June 13, 2023. These 30 players will be refined to 23 in the coming weeks.
Goalkeepers: Cata Coll, Elene Lete, Misa Rodríguez, Enith Salón
Defenders: Ivana Andrés, Ona Batlle, Olga Carmona, Laia Codina, Jana Fernández, Rocío Gálvez, Oihane Hernández, Irene Paredes
Midfielders: Teresa Abelleira, Fiamma Benítez, Aitana Bonmatí, Marta Cardona, Sheila García, Irene Guerrero, Maite Oroz, María Pérez, Alexia Putellas, Claudia Zornoza
Forwards: Mariona Caldentey, Athenea del Castillo, Inmaculada Gabarro, Esther González, Jennifer Hermoso, Alba Redondo, Eva Navarro, Salma Paralluelo
Head Coach
Jorge Vilda is Spain’s head coach. He has led the team since 2015. In the past year, Vilda has been the subject of criticism from a number of highly regarded Spanish players and worldwide media outlets. Many of the players who criticised his coaching practices have refused to play for Spain while he is in charge. This will have severe implications for Spain’s World Cup campaign.
World Cup History
This is the third time Spain have qualified for the Women’s World Cup. Their first qualification came in 2015 where they were unable to make it out of the group stage. In 2019, Spain put in their best performance yet, making it to the Round of 16 before losing 2-1 to the eventual champions, the USA.
How They Qualified
Spain qualified for the World Cup in a very strong fashion, winning all eight of their matches in Group B against the likes of Scotland, Ukraine, Hungary, and the Faroe Islands. The only other teams in Europe that qualified without losing or drawing a match were England, France, and Demark.
Strengths
Spain are a possession-based team. Their strength is dominating possession, passing the ball quickly, and creating lots of opportunities. Despite the lack of squad depth, Spain still has a lot of attacking options.
Development Areas
As many of Spain’s best players will not be in the squad, several weaknesses will be exposed. All of the goalkeepers are woefully inexperienced; only Rodriguez has any meaningful experience for the national team. The defensive line will have a couple of veterans but will be mostly composed of newcomers. The midfield is a bit better off, but they will still be lacking a lot of quality without the likes of Patri Guijarro and Claudia Pina.
Key Players
Spain’s key players are Alexia Putellas, Jennifer Hermoso, and Irene Paredes. Putellas was recently voted the best player in the world (2022 FIFA Best Player and 2022 Ballon d’Or), and she is also Spain’s most experienced player. She will provide much-needed leadership in the midfield. Hermoso will be key up front. Paredes will be critical in the back line.
One to watch
Salma Paralluelo is a star of tomorrow. She’s 19 years old and has already won the U17 Women’s World Cup and the U20 Women’s World Cup representing her nation and the Liga F trophy and the Women’s Champions League (just this month) with Barcelona. She’s fast, tenacious, and a good finisher. She has a very bright future ahead of her, and she might make her mark at this World Cup.
Success Would Be
Success for a full-strength Spanish side would be a place in the Semi-Finals to set up a showdown with a nation like USA or Japan. But for this Spanish squad, making the Quarter-Finals would be a success.
Prediction
Quarter-Finals. Spain should fare well in the group stage. Japan will be their biggest challenge and might even prevent them from topping their group. Spain will most likely struggle in the knockout stages because once fatigue and injuries come into play, the lack of depth in their squad will haunt them.
Group C Fixtures
21st July – Costa Rica, Sky Stadium, Wellington.
26th July – Zambia, Eden Park, Auckland.
31st July – Japan, Sky Stadium, Wellington.
To read the other World Cup nation previews published so far, click on this link: https://impetusfootball.org/international-football/
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