Despite missing star players, Olympic disappointment and the distraction of the Luis Rubiales case, La Roja remain a force to be reckoned with
On Wednesday, for the first time since the 2023 Women's World Cup final, England and Spain will meet again. Both have had an eventful 18 months since that historic night in Sydney, when La Roja beat the Lionesses 1-0 to avenge their quarter-final defeat at the 2022 European Championship and win a first major tournament. Yet, despite some incredible obstacles, it will be the world champions who enter this encounter as favourites to prevail again.
Matters on and off the pitch have provided serious challenges for Spain, the kind that would derail most teams. Yet, they continue to look like the side most capable of dethroning England at this summer's Euros, with Wednesday's meeting – before June's rematch – a particularly notable chance to prove as much.
That is not to say Spain are perfect. There are some areas of weakness in this team, the kind of which contributed to them being 2-0 down on Friday to a Belgium team they thrashed 7-0 last April. But an eventual 3-2 win in that game, courtesy of a goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time from a player making just her second senior international appearance, served as a reminder of just why La Roja will go into Wednesday's game – and this summer's Euros – as the favourite.
Getty Images SportAn 18-month saga
It would have been easy for Spain to put up much more underwhelming results than they have done in the past 18 months. A return of 19 wins, two draws and just four defeats – one when they were already qualified for the next stage of the Nations League and one when they were all-but-confirmed of their place at Euro 2025 – is particularly incredible when one considers that, through all that time, the Luis Rubiales case has been ongoing.
The former national football federation boss was found guilty of sexual assault last week, after kissing Spain striker Jenni Hermoso without her consent. That incident occurred as the players received their medals after beating England in the World Cup final, meaning the saga has dragged on for a long time. Many players testified at the trial in Madrid, in between representing club and country at the very highest level. It must have taken its toll, with England boss Sarina Wiegman and star striker Alessia Russo this week praising players for their courage, bravery and resilience throughout it all.
"The week that I had to go to Madrid as a witness was a difficult week. It was tough for me obviously personally," Laia Codina, the Spain defender, told this week. "A lot of my team-mates at Arsenal could see that there were a lot of emotions. I was up and down. There was a feeling of everything again. But that week is done and I feel good. I feel I did what I had to do in that moment and I'm always supporting Jenni and my team-mates and the women."
AdvertisementImago ImagesLingering issues
In those 18 months, Spain haven't had all their top players available either. A dispute between members of the squad and the federation led to 15 players withdrawing from selection for the national team shortly after Euro 2022. While some of those did return before the World Cup, including Ballon d’Or winners Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, believing some concerns were being addressed, many did not.
It was not until July of last year that Patri Guijarro, arguably the best holding midfielder in the women's game, came back into the fold, with Manchester City left-back Leila Ouahabi also returning just before the Olympics. Claudia Pina, the Barcelona forward who scored Spain's first goal in the comeback win over Belgium on Friday, was only in the squad again in November after over two years away.
Six of 'Las 15', however, haven't returned at all, with Mapi Leon the most noteworthy of them all. One of the best centre-backs in the sport, if not the best, it's hard to overstate how much her presence would bolster a Spain defence that has been worryingly leaky at times. However, her absence is a reminder of the off-pitch struggles the team has endured over the last few years.
Getty ImagesOlympic disappointment
Those defensive woes are something many thought Guijarro's return may help with ahead of the Olympics. Spain were favourites to win gold, having lifted the World Cup and then backed it up with a Nations League triumph in the build-up to the Games. But the tournament highlighted some of the concerns surrounding Montse Tome as a coach.
Tome replaced Jorge Vilda after the World Cup, having served as his assistant for five years prior, and she made questionable decisions throughout her first major tournament in charge, with the Spanish press describing Putellas' place among the substitutes for the semi-final defeat by Brazil as 'inexplicable'.
There was also the lack of work done to address the defensive frailties that were apparent throughout the build-up to the Olympics, frailties which would come back to bite them in that Brazil loss in particular, plus the absence of a 'Plan B'. Tome struggled to utilise Salma Paralluelo to her full potential at the Games, too, with the Barcelona star entering the summer off the back of a 34-goal season but finding herself neutralised throughout Paris 2024.
Given her links to Vilda, whose tactics and training players were reportedly unhappy with during the dispute that led to the withdrawal from selection of 'Las 15', it feels like Tome has even more to prove as a coach and the disappointment of the Olympics means many are not quite convinced yet.
Getty ImagesStill a force
So, what makes Spain so highly-rated still? Well, they reached that Olympic semi-final despite all of the above, and history was against them triumphing at the tournament anyway. No team has ever won the Women's World Cup and then backed it up with Olympic gold the following year, so what they did was no disappointment in terms of previous favourites, it was just that the manner of their defeats felt underwhelming and somewhat addressable.
Moreover, this is a squad packed with talent. It's hard to underrate them when they boast two double-Ballon d'Or winners, in Putellas and Bonmati, plus some 15 players called up in the past year who have lifted the Champions League trophy. With clubs like Manchester City, Real Madrid and Arsenal also represented, it is a team that boasts plenty of world-class quality as well as experience at the very top level, for club and country.
And Tome, to her credit, uses that depth well. That might sound like faint praise, but not all coaches rotate and trust their bench quite like she has, with the winning goal of Cristina Martin-Prieto on Friday night, in Belgium, a great example. The Benfica forward was a late call-up to the squad, following injury to Amaiur Sarriegi, and had only won one cap previously. But Tome turned to her when Spain needed a goal and the 31-year-old delivered.