This Wednesday, coach Montse Tomé revealed the list of players for the Spanish team’s upcoming matches to qualify for the 2025 Euro Cup in Switzerland. La Roja will be up against Belgium and the Czech Republic on April 5 and 9, respectively. The match against Belgium will take place at Den Dreef (Heverlee) at 8:45 p.m., while the game against the Czech Republic will be held at El Plantío in Burgos at 7 p.m.
The reigning world champions are back in action after winning the UEFA Women’s Nations League on February 28. They are now gearing up for the first two qualifying matches for the ‘Euro’ in the summer of 2025.
Tomé addressed a recent controversy in women’s football, discussing the concerns at Barça regarding the lack of competitiveness in the Women’s League following a dominant win in the Classic.
“It’s true that Barça has shown a clear superiority recently. It’s important for us to have competitive matches (in the F League) because the international level demands more. The more competition we have, the better we can assess it. I see this as part of a process that will improve and lead to different scenarios where we can evaluate players, which is what we aim for,” shared Tomé, echoing Barcelona’s worries.
Looking ahead to the upcoming matches against Belgium and the Czech Republic to secure a spot in Euro’25, Tomé emphasized the team’s ambition and the need to focus on new challenges despite recent successes.
“We’ve always emphasized the team and staff’s ambition, that’s our mindset. We’ve won the World Cup and Nations League, but that’s in the past now. We’re looking forward to new goals. We have a talented group of players who are already looking ahead to other objectives. These matches are crucial for Euro Cup qualification and also help us prepare for future competitions,” he pointed out.
Two familiar names were highlighted in the coach’s recent comments, those of two Barça players Alexia, who has been called up again, and Salma Paralluelo. “One of the topics that sparked a lot of discussion in the previous selection was the situation with Alexia and Tere. I can confidently say that they left in better shape than when they arrived. Alexia has been consistently training with her clubs, has started competing with her club, and has even scored two goals. Her performance has been impressive, which has earned her a spot on the list,” he explained. The coach also had high praise for Salma, who is currently in a great form.
“We are well aware of her talents; Salma is a unique and impactful player, she possesses great skills and has been finding the back of the net. As a person, she embodies strong values and has a winning mentality. There’s still room for growth, and we are thrilled with her progress,” he shared.
Tomé also discussed Spain’s upcoming opponents in the Euro qualifiers: Belgium and the Czech Republic. What challenges lie ahead for the team?
“We will find very defensive structures from now on. Belgium uses a 5-4-1 positioning and a lot of speed on the counterattack, they are a strong team. We have prepared the action plan. We expect defensive structures from now on and We can definitely improve,” he highlighted.
This content has been translated and adapted from the Spanish version of the digital newspaper
