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Montse Tomé: "These players are very motivated and very competitive"

The Spain coach answered questions from the media ahead of the team’s friendly against Japan
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Thu, 26/06/2025 - 15:52

Tomorrow, from 21:00 at the Butarque stadium in Leganés (RTVE), the National Team are set to play their final match before the Euros: a top level international friendly against Japan. Ahead of this match, Montse Tomé appeared at the Ciudad del Fútbol in Las Rozas to speak to the media in the official pre-match press conference.

Regarding the absence of Aitana and Lucía from today’s training session, the coach commented: "Both are fine. Aitana had a slight temperature last night and we preferred for her to rest and catch up on the sleep she missed. It's nothing serious. Lucía has been carrying some muscular discomfort, yesterday we adapted the training session to her and today she did some personalised gym work. We’re counting on both of them."

Before the European Championships start there comes the match against Japan, a difficult opponent: "We’ll approach the match as we try to approach all matches. Putting out a team that can come out well and compete to win. Japan have changed their head coach and we’ve watched what they’ve done since that change. They have players with a lot of quality and a lot of mobility. One important factor is that they stay very focused for the full 90 minutes. We were looking for a tough test like this before the Euros. They’re putting in some very high-level training, with a lot of intensity, and tomorrow is a good chance to see where we’re at."

Motivating the players before a friendly like the one against Japan is easy because they are already highly motivated, says the coach: "The opponent is an appealing one that encourages competition. The group has a high level of internal motivation. They’re very motivated."

For the Spain coach, the whole squad is important, and she works to make them feel that way by "thinking collectively": "You have to appreciate the importance of being among the 23; there were others who could have been in but were left out. They’ve all earned it through their effort. Spain needs something from each of the 23 and we’ll need their different qualities at different times. They’re not competing with each other. They’re competing against themselves to reach their highest level for when Spain needs them, regardless of their role. Not all of them can play the same amount. But we’ve managed to see good communication and training dynamics between them. Having that more collective mindset makes it easier for everyone to feel included."

 

Among them all, when asked specifically about Claudia Pina, she highlighted her talent: "Pina is a player who, when on the pitch, helps us have a lot of possession, she has a lot of talent, and inside the box she has an innate ability to quickly get her shot off and be very decisive. Whether she starts or comes on when we see fit, she gives us a lot. She’s a very intelligent player."

On the tag of being favourites: "We have the ability, but this is a game and in the game anything can happen. The group is very competitive, and we work to win. We’ll take it match by match. We’ll approach it with humility, respect for our opponents, and above all focus on our work — that is our real responsibility." It will be a high-level European Championships with strong teams, as Montse noted: "France are in good form, Germany is a team that has always been at the top, and then there is England, the current European champions. Every match and every tournament is different. It’s important to start well against Portugal."

When asked about her personal down time during a training camp like this, the coach said she is kept busy almost all the time: "When we’re here everything goes by very fast, we barely have time for anything else. After training we meet to assess and analyse the session and the opponent a lot. Time flies, even too fast to do sport and switch off, which is what helps me. I’m not superstitious or fussy though. I’m really enjoying being with the players."

 

Still haven’t got your tickets for Spain–Japan? Come and support the National Team before the Euros

Listen again to Montse Tomé’s pre-match comments ahead of the match against Japan

 

Women's Euro 2025

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