The national team coach Montse Tomé has called up 25 footballers to compete in the Final Four of the Nations League, that recently created continental tournament that for the first time the Spanish women’s team can win, as their male colleagues already did in the final in Rotterdam from last summer. The coach’s list is a continuous list, in which the two usual goalkeepers Cata Coll and Misa are established, the defenses led by Irene Paredes or Laia Aleixandri, a midfield in which Aitana shines and an already usual forward: with Salma, Jenni Hermoso or Alba Redondo, who returns to Las Rozas after falling off the list after the World Cup last summer. Among those 25 is also the great reference of the national team, captain Alexia Putellas, although her participation in the tournament remains to be seen, given her physical condition and the fact that she has not yet played with her team, Barcelona, since joining. His left knee hurt after a blow and he had to have an arthroscopy. It is likely that she will travel with the rest of the team but she will not play for a minute. Among the 25, another name of hers also stands out, that of Vicky López, 17 years old, Barça player and one of the great promises of Spanish football.
Putellas participated this week in the group dynamics in Barcelona, where they planned for him to return to the competition after this national team break. And her call has generated some noise. However, both the player and the club had the option of joining the team’s routines despite the fact that the soccer player is immersed in a recovery process. This is how Tomé explained it: “Alexia is an important player for the team. She is our captain. She always has been. We know that she is in a readaptation process with her club. Our intention is that all of this continues to be worked on with great care with the selection. And we are confident that she can be there. The first intention whenever we call a soccer player is that she can play, but Alexia is in a special process, there is nothing strange in her call nor are we going to do anything crazy.”
The national team coach did not go into detail, but the player’s environment confirms that during these months the federation has been in contact with Alexia and many of the soccer players, also in contact with the clubs. In fact, this very Wednesday, and aware that Tomé could call her up, Putellas notified Barcelona and expressed her willingness to go. Now for her specific training plan she needs a lot of training volume and with Barça there will be a break, as many of the players leave with the national team. In Las Rozas and Seville you will have more work intensity than in Barcelona. Although, the initial plan is for her not to play, but for her to continue training as much as possible. Furthermore, on the other hand, her presence with the world champions not only responds to a purely sporting issue, but also to a leadership issue. The federation has let her know that she has been missed in recent months, after falling out of the last call. Putellas is a strong figure in the locker room and the federation wants him to continue being that way. The soccer player, who is also active and confident, experiences her return to Las Rozas with optimism after spending a difficult Christmas due to the uncertainty surrounding her injury.
Real Madrid player Teresa Abelleria finds herself in a similar situation to Putellas. And the coach’s response was similar. “One of our intentions is that these protocols [cuando una jugadora está recuperándose con su club] are getting better and better, like the relationship with the clubs. “We have started this Nations League with them and we want to finish it with them.”
The players will arrive on Monday in Las Rozas, where they will be summoned before traveling to Seville, the scene of the national team’s matches, which will try to liven up La Cartuja on school days. Spain will face the Netherlands on Friday the 23rd, at 9:00 p.m. The final will be played, also in Seville, on Wednesday the 28th against the winner of the other semi-final: France – Germany.
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— Spanish Women’s Soccer Team (@SEFutbolFem) February 15, 2024
It is the first call-up of the year for the women’s team and the first big event for Montse Tomé since she took the reins of the national team last September in the middle of the crisis after the kiss by the now former president Rubiales to the soccer player Jenni Hermoso and in the middle of reconversion of the federation, which, along with Rubiales, gave way to some of his most like-minded collaborators. Not all.
Although the transformation is not complete and the federation is immersed in the organization of a complex electoral process, with various internal issues and an interim president like Pedro Rocha who wants to run for president, the women’s team has found tranquility in the football and under the orders of Tomé. And next week they will face the Netherlands. They fight to be in the final of the Nations League, the first title within the reach of Tomé’s team. But they are also fighting for a place in the Paris Olympic Games this summer, a stage where the Spanish women’s team has never been before.
The complete list of Montse Tomé:
Ported: Cata Coll, Elene Lete and Misa Rodríguez.
Defenses: Ona Batlle, Olga Carmona, Oihane Hernández, Laia Codina, Irene Paredes, Laia Aleixandri, María Méndez, Sheila García.
Midfielders: Maite Oroz, Maria Perez, Teresa Abelleira, Fiamma Benitez, Aitana Bonmati, Vicky Lopez.
Front: Salma Paralluelo, Jenni Hermoso, Lucía García, Alba Redondo, Eva Navarro, Mariona Caldentey, Athenea del Castillo and Alexia Putellas.