I am going to steer clear of predicting what will happen next at the Women’s World Cup after the twists and turns of the group stages.
Brazil, a team full of stars, Canada, the Olympic champions, and Germany, two-time winners of the World Cup, are the most surprising teams to have failed to progress from the groups.
Their premature departures is a reminder of how far the women’s game has come: the margins are getting finer and no team can take progression for granted.
The teams who we might not have expected to progress may be considered underdogs but it’s clear why they have managed to secure a place in the round of 16.
Those teams have top quality players who can create moments of magic – 18-year-old Colombian Linda Caicedo has done it multiple times already, while there are several in their respective squads who play at a high level for their clubs.
So, you can understand why they have come into the World Cup backing themselves and their capabilities.
When you play with fear and when you play with freedom, the difference is enormous.
Being an underdog has clearly been an advantage to some teams. They have stood that extra bit taller and have grasped their opportunity.
By comparison, the teams you’d expect to dominate have been underwhelming and have underperformed.
For example, in Germany’s defeat to Colombia, they were more than capable of winning, but didn’t do the little things which count – like dropping an extra two yards to give yourself more space to cause the South Americans problems.
The Germans became rigid and their quality did not shine through, and it was the same in their 1-1 draw with South Korea on Thursday.
This World Cup will certainly have to act as a warning sign for those who exited at the group stages – and it’s a warning sign for the big teams who are still in the competition.
The draw might look a bit simpler with the likes of Germany, Canada and Brazil already out, but it won’t be. Every game will be a massive battle.
It’s made for a really exciting tournament and it’s great to see a variety of nations progress – and for a number of different reasons.
Jamaica have progressed to the knockouts in only their second tournament, which is remarkable considering they launched a GoFundMe page to just be able to get to the World Cup.
The Reggae Girlz face Colombia in the next round, which to me, is going to be one of the highlights of the round of 16.
Colombia are ranked 25th in the world, while Jamaica are 43rd – with one of them definitely progressing to the quarter-finals it reflects how the standard of the game is improving globally.
Morocco are the lowest ranked team left in the World Cup – and were the second-lowest team out of all 32 nations – and you could see how much it meant to them to progress.
And having prevailed from a group that included Germany, the African side will believe anything is possible when they play France.
Another tasty round of 16 clash is USA v Sweden. It’s a knockout fixture for the ages in women’s football.
America have had a disappointing tournament – and were saved by the woodwork against Portugal, otherwise they too would have been going home early – while Sweden have been very impressive.
But there are no underdogs in this game and both sides are still evenly matched, despite form.
Back at Villa for pre-season
I returned to pre-season this week with Aston Villa and it was great to be back… until the running started.
It’s the first time I’ve had my boots on since I injured my ankle in July during a Scotland camp, but I was able to train with the whole group which I was really happy about.
Our first game of the season against Manchester United isn’t until October 1, but it does help having a tangible match to work towards while you’re getting back into the swing of things.
We still have a number of players away at the World Cup so it will be a while until we’re all back together, but it’s been really nice to see all of the girls who are in.
We're back. ✌️ pic.twitter.com/hiSdc5J27V
— Aston Villa Women (@AVWFCOfficial) August 3, 2023
Leanne Hall was confirmed as manager Carla Ward’s new assistant earlier this week.
I’ve known Leanne for years, but never worked with her. She has a wealth of experience and knowledge from her time playing and coaching in women’s football that will really benefit the club.
She is a very detailed coach and likes to work in a specific way which will prove valuable to us as we look to build on what we achieved last season.
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