Barcelona breaks records for the public after the recordings of the public, and the Spanish team is the favorite to win the gold medal in the European Championship.
But are they undeserved or voluntary preferred?
I don’t give much for odds, Spanish journalist Marta Grenan tells Sportbladet.
The national team’s all-time leading goalscorer to miss the European Championship with a knee injury and just days before the premiere came an even heavier message. Alexia Putillas, the best player in the world, has dislocated her cruciate ligament in training and will be away from the football field for a long time.
Two big hits against the national team that was a favorite with bookmakers for the European Championship title in the weeks leading up to the tournament. This is despite the fact that Spain were not even close to winning any titles.
Even my friends say they’ve never seen a team that hasn’t won anything put such pressure on them. And national team captain Jorge Vida complained at the press conference when he presented his team in the European Championship, these are not the best conditions for the performance.
The favorites for Spain in the European Football Championship
Marta Grenan covers the Spanish national team for AS. I noticed the high expectations of the national team in Spain.
– There were high expectations. Not only because women’s football in Spain has grown so much in recent years, but also because this group is really capable of doing something big in the European leagues, says Grenan when Sportbladet spoke to her ahead of the news of Alexia Boutella’s heavy injury.
Is there anything negative about them being favorites even though they haven’t won anything?
– Yes, I think the players are running away from the favorite because of that. I also don’t see my favorites as very realistic. I know that this is built on the success of Barcelona and that the Barcelona players are the backbone of the Spanish national team. But when it comes to the Spanish national team, they have not proven their ability to compete and beat big countries like Germany or France.
So you don’t agree to the odds?
– No, as I said, I think this is because of the victories of Barcelona and the players of Barcelona are the national team. But the leadership and the team are not the same.
– So I don’t give much for odds, says Marta Grenan and laughs.
The development of women’s football in Spain in recent years has been almost explosive. The country did not even participate in the World Cup until 2015 and the best result in the tournament is the semi-finals of the 1997 European Championship.
The players struggled a lot to develop Spanish football as quickly as possible, says Marta Grenan.
Football also got people’s support and was marketed. Since then, professionalism has contributed to the growth of the league and many big clubs have invested in women’s teams.
‘Amazing change’
Behind the elevator is also something of the golden generation.
– I guess you could say it’s a golden generation but they worked hard at the same time because they’re talented. Irene Paredes was the fastest midfielder in Spain but she wasn’t in Ligue 1 when she went there. Marta Grenan says her hard work has made her one of the best in the world.
– And if you see a picture of four-year-old Alexia (Botelas) and a picture of Alexia now, her physical change is amazing. It is thanks to her hard work.
