The seventh FIFA Women’s World Cup officially kicked off on Saturday as hosts Canada took on China in Edmonton and this year, will see the debut of eight new sides with Cameroon, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand.
Out of all eight new sides, the Spanish team should raise the most eyebrows considering the form they are bringing into this tournament. Spain have modestly been getting on with their own business behind Europe’s leading lights for a while but there are indications that they cannot be ignored from mounting a serious threat in the championship as they are becoming a proposition that many teams will hope they can avoid.
Spain Women’s National Team Hoping For a Fiesta in World Cup
Years of painstaking youth development is starting to pay dividends following a quarter final finish at Euro 2013 and successive titles at the UEFA Under-17 Championship at the turn of the decade shows there is only more potential to add to the squad in coming years. Of course, the squad is already flourishing with talent. Creative midfielder Veronica Boquete, who was a candidate for FIFA player of the year in 2014, is the primary example of this ability. She scored arguably Spain’s most famous goal with a strike against Scotland that was virtually the last kick of the game that qualified La Roja for the 2013 European Championship. Furthermore, leading the line will be the most experienced of the team, Sonia Bermudez, the most capped Spanish player with 41 appearances and her experience should guide the team through the competition as well as add to her already impressive 26 goal tally for her country.
Nonetheless, they do have stern opposition to make it to the knockout stages. In group E, they are joined with fellow debutants Costa Rica, who have been instilled with a well-drilled 4-3-3 formation, featuring a high-energy pressing game, which the likes of wunderkind Gloriana Villalobos and Melissa Herrera thrive upon. The injection of young blood in the squad is countered by the experience and nous of Paris Saint-Germain’s talismanic figure of Shirley Cruz as well as fellow midfielder, Katherine Alvarado. Also in their group is the Korea Republic, making their second World Cup appearance. The Koreans boast one of the most formidable attacking lines in the continent, led by prolific striker Park Eunsun who won the golden boot with six goals at Vietnam 2014. Reigning six-time Copa America champions, Brazil, will complete the extremely tough group. And they will also welcome back five-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year winner Marta after missing last year’s Copa America victory through injury, which will only strengthen a side that have already been firing on all cylinders. At Vietnam 2014, Brazil enjoyed an average 62.5 per cent possession throughout the tournament and ended it as the highest scorers with 22 goals. A Canarinha also had the tightest defence, conceding only three goals.
However, Spain only dropped two points in qualifying for the finals. In fact, their general form has been something to behold – boasting only one loss in 15 games since losing to Norway in that European Championship tie. Considering their form, Spain should defeat their fellow debutants Costa Rica, but how well they cope against Brazil will give a better understanding of their longer-term prospects.
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