Before the World Cup got under way, I wondered how Spain, despite all their undoubted talent, would fare in light of their players’ dispute with manager Jorge Vilda. And the subsequent lack of unity in the squad that saw several of them return to the fold while others stood their ground and continued to refuse to play for him.
And I wondered too how England would be impacted by the loss through injury of three key players, their captain Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby. Could they survive those losses, or would they prevent them from building on their Euro 2022 success?
I need wonder no more: on Sunday, the two nations will meet in the World Cup final, having never before travelled that far in the tournament.
How they have responded to adversity, of very different kinds, has been fascinating.
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The notion about Spain is that they have done it despite their manager, not because of him, although the bitter irony is that their success at this World Cup will only have strengthened the position of a man who is deeply unpopular with the bulk of his players.
We saw how he has been excluded from their post-match celebrations as they progressed through the tournament, the continuing antipathy between them and him as awkward as it is evident.
The contrast with Sarina Wiegman’s relationship with her England players couldn’t be more striking. It’s night and day.
Wiegman’s CV is phenomenal. This is the fourth successive major tournament where she has led a team to the final, her own Netherlands at Euro 2017, which they won, and to the 2019 World Cup final, which they lost to the United States. Then there was England’s Euro 2022 success, and now this, with just one defeat in her 36 games.
Little wonder that her players trust her.
Her relationship with them is the gold standard in coaching, they just buy into every decision she makes. If anything, the loss of those key players has seen her squad bond even tighter, and under her, they have just found a way of winning, even when they aren’t at their best. And that’s how you win tournaments.
Spain? It’s such a strange, strange situation.
They’re not the first team and they won’t be the last who are not happy with their manager, we’re still awaiting a decision on our own, but it’s pretty obvious by now that the dressingroom isn’t 100 per cent behind her.
On that, I would just say that if the FAI want to keep Vera Pauw, they should make that decision now so we can get on with it. But if she is going to be replaced, then speed should not be the issue – the quality of the next appointment is what matters. It’s a huge decision. I’d hope that we’ve become an attractive enough outfit for good candidates to start putting their hands up for the job, because there’s so much potential there. We’ll see what happens.
But you can see the impact that a manager can have, look at what Wiegman did with the Netherlands, look at what she’s doing with England now. And then there’s Vilda who, until now, underachieved with the quality of players he’s had.
This time around, it seems like his players have done it themselves, parking their relationship with him, parking what must have been a very divided dressingroom, coming together as players to get themselves to this point. Focused and pigheaded about realising their potential. And with the success of European champions Barcelona, and the quality of La Liga, you’d have to say that their appearance in the final should be expected, rather than being a surprise.
I’ve mixed feelings about Spain, though. They are brilliant to watch, they’re the type of team that gets you off your seat and leaves you in awe of the levels that the women’s game has reached. They have so many brilliant individuals. And this is them not even being at full strength – the likes of Mapi Leon, Patri Guijarro, and Claudia Pina are back home. As is Barcelona goalkeeper Sandra Panos, Vilda excluding her from the squad and now playing her club understudy Cata Coll. There is so much about this set-up that reeks.
This Spanish squad, then, left players behind who took a stand against Vilda. Are principles more important than that? Or is reaching a World Cup final justification for such disunity?
As for the outcome of the game, I’m nailed to the fence. Spain could win or could get trashed. We’ve seen them produce magic moments in this tournament, we’ve seen them get hammered by Japan. It could all fall apart for them again, or their individual brilliance and technical ability could see them shine.
We know what to expect from England, they’ll be solid and won’t panic if they fall behind. But we don’t know what to expect from Spain. It will be a fascinating clash of styles, as well as a dramatic contrast in the mood of the two camps. One happy and united behind their coach, the other resenting his very presence.
If it was a league and just based on consistency, England would do it, but I think there’s one more moment of magic left in the tournament and ... maybe ... Spain will produce it.
But, head is England, heart is Spain ... although my soul is divided because of everything that’s gone on with Vilda. And I can’t but think of those Spanish players who were left behind.
I’d love to see a fly-on-the-wall documentary on Spain. The most popcorn worthy team out there, on and off the pitch.
If they win the World Cup, it would be a climax to a drama like no other.
