Spain’s coach, Jorge Vilda, announced a group of 23 players for the upcoming women’s World Cup. Despite previous conflicts, the team aims to set aside their differences and concentrate on the tournament taking place in Australia and New Zealand next month.
Due to their dissatisfaction with Vilda’s approach, around 15 players had previously considered leaving the team, resulting in their exclusion from the squad.
The players who were forced to leave their team expressed their dissatisfaction to the Spanish Football Association regarding the way injuries were managed, the atmosphere in the changing room, and Vilda’s approach to selecting the team and conducting training sessions.
However, out of the 15 players who were excluded from the national team, Mariona Caldentey, Aitana Bonmati, and Ona Batlle were initially included in a temporary squad earlier this month.
Eventually, Vilda decided to remove seven players from the squad, finalizing the roster with 23 players. Elene Lete, Jana Fernandez, Fiamma Benitez, Maite Oroz, Inma Gabarro, and Marta Cardona did not make the final cut, while Sheila Garcia had to withdraw from the provisional squad due to an injury.
Alexia Putellas, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner, was unable to participate in the women’s European Championship last year due to a knee injury. However, she has now recovered and made her comeback for Barcelona in April. Putellas showcased her skills by scoring in Thursday’s friendly match against Panama, which ended in a 7-0 victory.
Esther Gonzalez also had an impressive performance, scoring two goals. Spain’s next match is against Denmark on Wednesday, after which they will travel to New Zealand. In the European Championship, Spain is placed in Group C and will begin their campaign against Costa Rica in Wellington on July 21st. They will then face Zambia and Japan in subsequent matches.
Spain Women’s World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Cata Coll, Misa Rodriguez, Enith Salon
Defenders: Ivana Andres, Ona Batlle, Olga Carmona, Laia Codina, Rocio Galvez, Oihane Hernandez, Irene Paredes
Midfielders: Tere Abelleira, Aitana Bonmati, Irene Guerrero, Jenni Hermoso, Maria Perez, Alexia Putellas, Claudia Zornoza
Forwards: Mariona Caldentey, Athenea del Castillo, Esther Gonzalez, Eva Navarro, Salma Paralluelo, Alba Redondo.
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