As we enter the final round of group games at Euro 2022, several teams will still be hoping they can progress to the knockout rounds.
England, Germany and France have all shown their impressive ruthlessness and ambitions for the tournament so far, with the trio securing top place in their respective groups with a game to spare.
Those three sides have scored the most goals, while England and Germany didn’t even concede a goal in the first two rounds of matches.
England look likely to take on Spain in the last eight, avoiding a titanic clash with the Germans for now.
Spain are a team the Lionesses drew with earlier in the year, on their way to lifting the Arnold Clark Cup in March.
Having watched as much of the tournament as I’ve been able to, I have felt there has been a scrutiny over Spain’s performances which has carried an unfairly critical tone. In my opinion, there here has definitely been a harsher assessment of their performances than of others.
The continuous questioning over Spain’s potential at the Euros has focused on the loss of Jennifer Hermoso and Alexia Putellas through injury, which feels a little dismissive of the quality which remains within the side.
The backline, led by captain Irene Paredes and her club companion Maria Pilar Leon, have been integral to not just clean sheets, but also goalscoring and assists throughout Spain’s recent ascendency to the top of the world game.
Meanwhile, Aitana Bonmati and Mariona Caldentey are integral to their dynamic midfield and are considered to be some of the most creative and technically-gifted players on the planet.
Despite their 2-0 defeat to Germany, Spain had the ball and dominated the game for its virtual entirety.
The opening 15 minutes showed two teams capable of performing at an incredible intensity and for me it was the most exciting match we’ve seen so far at this tournament.
Spain will have to find a way to beat Denmark before a potential meeting with England, of course – a task which won’t be a walkover. Denmark have not been as exciting as they were on their way to the final in 2017, but they undoubtedly carry a threat.
In group C, all teams could find a way through, but Sweden and the Netherlands hold the upper hand. Portugal and Switzerland have both been unfortunate not to earn themselves more out of their opening games and the group could potentially see the first upset on Sunday.
Although it is Iceland who start in second place before the final game in group D, they have the task of facing France. Therefore, the outcome of Belgium and Italy will likely determine who takes the other quarter-final spot.
Northern Ireland were the lowest-ranked team in the competition and sadly only had pride to play for in their final game, against England, on Friday.
After failing to take anything against Norway and Austria, they cemented their elimination from the competition as the first team to be knocked out.
However, like all teams who make their first major tournament appearance, it is an invaluable experience which undoubtedly whets the appetite for trying to earn another spot in the competition in three years’ time.
I’m so glad I got my off-season training done ahead of the dreaded endurance test
I’ve completed one full week of pre-season training for Villa, as most clubs re-call their players to officially begin intensive preparations for the season ahead.
Due to the late start of the upcoming 2022/23 FAWSL season, which will begin on the weekend of September 10, this year’s pre-season seems like it is longer than ever.
Another eight weeks will pass before our first league fixture is played – at Villa, we start on the road at Brighton.
The first couple of days of training were comprised of the usual testing that is carried out in various formats by all teams, and it culminates with an endurance test which never gets easier, but the thought of it is almost always worse than the test itself.
It's good to be back. 😎 pic.twitter.com/XTRA0mXwzv
— Aston Villa Women (@AVWFCOfficial) July 9, 2022
For us, it involved a 1km time trial, which was split into 10 continuous lengths of the training pitch. A poor performance comes with the threat of gruelling extra training in the opening weeks, and I am glad I completed my off-season training to ensure I won’t have to go through that.
Of course, it’s still pre-season, so I’ll still have to do the regular gruelling sessions!
Since the testing, the footballs have been out every day and, with two new assistant coaches, there has been an enjoyable balance of fresh drills and demands, and usual in-built competitiveness as everyone in the squad looks to impress.
Many clubs across the WSL will also head out on a pre-season trip, although probably not quite as far afield as several of England’s men’s sides have travelled.
We will travel to Marbella, which will hopefully be a good team-building camp as well as a good venue for training in the sunshine.
Morocco and Zambia make Women’s World Cup history
The Women’s African Cup of Nations continues, which will also confirm the qualifying African nations for the 2023 World Cup.
Morocco and Zambia have made history, as both earned their first ever place at the World Cup, to be held in Australia and New Zealand, after they successfully advanced to the semi-finals.
Nigeria had to overcome Cameroon to secure their ninth consecutive appearance at a Women’s World Cup, with the final automatic spot going to South Africa.
The Women’s AFCON semi-finals will be played on Monday.
