2023-07-31 12:27:52
Spain will be in the round of 16 of the Women’s World Cup and will face a solid Switzerland next Saturday (7:00 am/La 1). So far the data that can lead to a certain optimism with Jorge Vilda’s team in the Australia and New Zealand event. The sensations are already something else, since the harsh corrective received against Japan (4-0) in the last game of the first phase took away some illusion from those who saw in this group a team with a license to dream of great goals in the tournament.
La Roja has arguments to compete against anyone but they did not show it in the match against the Japanese that decided which of the two teams would be first in group C. Jorge Vilda repeated his untouchable 4-3-3 in Wellington, with a gala eleven without captain Ivana Andrés, who with muscular problems did not want to risk against the ‘Nadeshiko’ (champions in 2011 and runners-up in 2015).
Vilda has a team of touch and possession, of which there is plenty, so from the beginning Spain took the initiative and treated the ball as if it were their own against an opponent with whom they have similarities in terms of philosophy of play despite the fact that today they preferred to go under other parameters. After facing low-level rivals and tight defences, it was clear that against the girls led by Futoshi Ikeda the paths were not going to go the same way as against Costa Rica (3-0) and against Zambia (5-0). . The Spanish coach already warned of the great quality of the Japanese, who after resorting to high pressure managed to open the scoring with an excellent team play. Miyazawa, the star of the ‘Nadeshiko’, surpassed the hitherto unbeaten goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez. The plan worked out perfectly for Japan and it was difficult for the Spanish women to connect easily.
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The script continued as the duel began, controlling possession (above 75%) and looking for a loophole to reach Yamashita’s area. La Roja commanded the game with continuous passes that did not result in hitting, quite the opposite of their rival, who with two transitions scored the second after another ‘master class’ on the counterattack. Ueki gave another jug of cold water to Vilda’s team with some luck, after the ball touched Irene Paredes and slipped into Misa’s goal. Spain was unable to react after suffering the blows and the defensive wall that had been the national team was leaking.
Neither Alexia Putellas nor Aitana Bonmatí, the compasses of this team, knew how to dominate and break Japan, which handed over the keys of the match to Spain. The idyllic connection with Jenni Hermoso did not come from any of the vertices. Nor from the wings with Salma Paralluelo and Mariona Caldentey, and not much from the midfielder of Tere Abelleira.
The national problems were already seen in the absolute men’s category during the last World Cup and precisely against the same rival. In a context of overwhelming possession for Luis Enrique’s Spain in Qatar, who amassed more than 82% of possession of the ball against Japan and also ended up losing to the Asians. Like the Asturian team, they had absolute control of the ball but they did not know what to do with it and they lacked verticality.
The Japanese effectiveness was spectacular, three shots and three goals. Miyazawa once again unstitched the Spanish defense to increase the result with a brace. Spain, which led the statistics for the art of handling the ball, suffered not only from behind but also when creating chances and its approach did not work at all against a block as strong as the Asians.
The most real test of what Spain will find from the round of 16 ends with a blushing corrective and doubts regarding the solutions that the team may have for when the duels are against them against teams of greater packaging. Tanaka put the signature to the game in a spectacular way with another great goal after an individual play by the Japanese, who go to the round of 16 without having conceded a single goal in this World Cup.
Almost a thousand passes later, not the slightest feeling of being able to turn the situation around had the predictable Spanish team, whose symptoms of improvement did not occur on clear occasions either despite raising the pace in various sections of the game or making some offensive changes. like the entry of Alba Redondo and Eva Navarro. The positive reading? If there was a game that could be lost, it was this.
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