Keira Walsh reveals England’s encounter of winning Euro 2022 gives them an edge over Spain on Sunday.
The Lionesses have come to their to begin with Women’s World Cup last after beating co-hosts Australia 3-1 on Wednesday. Opponents Spain will be playing in their to begin with major last, and Walsh considers that can be a decisive calculate.
England beat Spain within the quarter-finals on their way to Euros glory final summer, and midfielder.
Walsh said:
“Spain are a great team. They have got some world-class players, but we are looking forward to it. It’s a challenge we have faced before and, hopefully, it will be a good game on Sunday. We have full respect for Spain, they are an unbelievable team.
Obviously, both of us are going to be trying to keep the ball but, ultimately, I think it just comes down to the day, we’ve got the experience of being in a final before and a little bit of fight, a little bit of competitiveness. We have gone behind and come back [in the quarter-final against Colombia]. All those things add up. I think this group is really excited about where we can go.”
Walsh plays for Barcelona and knows numerous of the Spanish players. Spain have made it to the ultimate in spite of off-field issues, with 15 players going on strike final September due to grievances with the national set-up and head coach Jorge Vilda.
Three of those 15 have returned, counting Walsh’s Barcelona team-mate Aitana Bonmati, and the England star isn’t stunned they have made the ultimate, in spite of the turmoil.
Lionesses head coach Sarina Wiegman is set to talk to Walsh and her Barcelona team-mate Lucy Bronze to choose their brains almost the Spanish group. Eight Barca players who won the Champions League in June are within the Spain squad and Walsh knows that halting them will not be simple.
She said.
“I see those girls every day and how competitive they are. I think it shows the professionalism for them to kind of park it and do the job they have done and get to a World Cup final. The girls know about me and Lucy, so it works both ways,” she said. “The Barca girls are unbelievable players and I am sure, whatever I say, they will probably come up with something different, because they are very special players. But we have got full belief in ourselves and what we can do.”
England have made the ultimate in spite of being without captain Leah Williamson, playmaker Fran Kirby and Euros best scorer Beth Mead, who have all missed the competition due to damage.
Walsh accepts Sunday’s last will be “bittersweet” for the trio, but says the squad need to win it for them. “They would need nothing more than to be here,” she said. It is likely a bit self-contradicting. They need us to win and we would need them to be here as well.
Suggested Read: Lewis Hamilton £8.5m super-car crash
