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Women’s National Team

Montse Tomé: ‘We have the players to compete against any team’.

The coach appeared in the press room at the Francisco de la Hera stadium along with Alba Redondo.
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Thu, 24/10/2024 - 23:05

Montse Tomé was bursting with excitement when asked about her team and the next stage in their development that lies ahead. "We've just won a Nations League, a World Cup and the pressure is at its highest. We all live with that pressure and expectation’. The Olympic Games taught us a lot and we have improved a lot. Now we face Canada, who did very well at the Games, coming sixth on penalties with Germany and they are sixth in the FIFA ranking. She emphasised the competition in her squad, praising the players: ‘We have players to compete against any team and we're going to go out and compete and take the game them on our home ground. This is football at the highest level.

The match will be played at the Francisco de la Hera, a stadium with freshly laid turf, and the coach hopes to see a packed house producing bucket loads of affection from the Extremadura fans, whom she praised: ‘I was able to look out onto the pitch and although it's night, it's a real treat. They've changed the pitch, we are to inaugurate it and it looks incredible. It's a province that has always worked with women's football. I have played in Don Benito against Brazil, in Cáceres against Morocco and in Mérida there has been a Copa de la Reina. We hope it will be full, they will cheer the players on and we can see a good game’.

Although the time of the match is a little late, 22h (on La 1, TVE) Montse Tomé's team will have a full day to prepare for the match: ‘In the morning we'll do some activity so that the players can get active and we'll finish with the videos we still have to work on. The team is really looking forward to the game’.

We have to know how to manage the pressure well. We've started a new phase with four friendly matches, starting with Canada, and we'll start to see the Spain everyone wants to see. It's time for the players to show their quality. I don't give them anything, they earn it with their work. We have a very recognised model of play. Spain will always be Spain. And we know what we want to be with the ball, without the ball, at a competitive level and at an international level. We have a clear line of work, energy and quality.

Among the list of players who have earned their place in Montse Tomé's squad is Alba Redondo, who also appeared before the media on the night in Badajoz. "We're doing well, focused on what we have ahead of us. Football moves forward every season, and we want to show our football’.

The striker, who admits to feeling ‘fine, with all the confidence in the world’, is ‘happy to be here and to contribute her bit to this national team. I still have a lot of fight left in me. The Real Madrid player is also happy to be playing in Extremadura: ‘We are sure that there will be a full stadium and a unique atmosphere, and that we will be able to feel the warmth of the fans and enjoy a magnificent night’.

Up against the World Champions are Canada, who Montse Tomé also took time to praise, and Alba also reflected the same message: ‘We are expecting a very powerful team who are very physically demanding and we will have to give 100% to overcome them. We have trained hard this week to give our best on Friday’.

And although the match is billed as a friendly, Alba Redondo is clear: ‘It's a real match. Friendlies are real matches, no matter what label you put on them. The best way to train is by playing and tomorrow there is a beautiful game that the spectators will want to see’.

The essence of Montse’s thinking is well instilled in her players: ‘We have been showing who we are. It's no coincidence that we've won a World Cup, won a UEFA Nations League and reached the semi-finals of the Olympic Games. We are who we are, and we are surrounded by great players. Every moment is a unique moment to enjoy and to continue showing what we've been doing.

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