Montse Tomé: ‘The players have an insatiable ambition and mentality, we are ready for everything at the Olympic Games’.
With the focus on the exciting Olympic Games ahead, the national coach appeared in the press room of the Riazor stadium satisfied with the match and at finishing off the qualifying phase with the victory against Belgium; and also confident in her players ahead of the Olympic Games.
It was important to get back to winning ways after the defeat against the Czech Republic and the objective was achieved: ‘We won again, we got the victory again and in this match we did a lot of things right. We adjusted our positioning to get more fluidity and we achieved it’. Montse Tomé also assured fans that this match against the Belgians helped them to ‘improve their play, positioning and ball circulation’, as well as to ‘chance creation, which is key, having them and then being successful to take advantage’.
Another of the successes from the match today was keeping a clean sheet. The coach stressed that ‘it was one of the important factors, not conceding a goal and for the team to be competitive with and without the ball, attacking well to defend well’ and that the key is to ‘adjust the attack-defence balance’. Only in this way, she is convinced, will they be able to beat all other teams. As she says, in both national and international football teams are capable of doing different things during the match itself and Spain has to be prepared for this. ‘Our job is to analyse our opponents to come up with a game plan and for the players to be convinced of what we have to do, but we have to be prepared for any changes.
For the coach, with the games they have played since September, ‘they have managed to get the confidence so that the players, when the 25th arrives, are ready’, and Montse added, ‘these two weeks have given us time to work. We have analysed Japan, Nigeria and Brazil and we are ready for anything’.
And today such confidence was demonstrated with a resounding victory and with the unconditional support of Riazor:
❝Hemos vuelto a ganar y a hacer las cosas muy bien. Hemos batido el récord de espectadores en Riazor y eso siempre ayuda❞
— Selección Española Femenina de Fútbol (@SEFutbolFem) July 16, 2024
🗣 @montse_tome, seleccionadora nacional#WEURO2025 I #JugarLucharYGanar pic.twitter.com/4APUJ6kwNX
And speaking of Riazor and Coruña, a special mention for Tere Abelleira and her incredible goal ‘at home’. Montse praised Tere's ‘natural talent’:
❝Lo de @teresabelleira es talento natural. Como entrenadora, dices: 'Te lo mereces, en tu casa y con tu gente'❞
— Selección Española Femenina de Fútbol (@SEFutbolFem) July 16, 2024
🗣 @montse_tome, seleccionadora nacional#WEURO2025 I #JugarLucharYGanar pic.twitter.com/gEyFdi1CBm
All the work up to this point ‘is part of the established planning so that the players arrive in the best possible condition for the game against Japan on the 25th. Aitana had a little discomfort but she was able to finish the game well’.
The coach is clear that in addition to the quality of Tere, she has a group of players who ‘mentally have an insatiable ambition. You look around and you can see that they are eager to get back to training tomorrow’. Regarding motivation for an event like the Olympic Games, Montse referred the question ‘to the psychologist’.
The reality is that, in the coach's words, she has ‘a team that loves what they do, that they have to make them work, work and work and that in their work they enjoy it so that their talent shines and they can be competitive, which they are’. And so, with that hunger, she leaves Riazor with a great qualifying win over Belgium and with her sights set on the Olympic Games.