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As befits an adopted Catalan, Toni Duggan knows that beating Spain is one thing, but it is totally superior to them. It is not that the Barcelona striker is intimidated by the prospect of facing the Iberian opposition in an English jersey in Swindon on Tuesday night. Duggan has always been one of the optimists of life, but she sincerely believes that her international teammates can monopolize the ball during a warm-up for this summer's World Cup in France.
That would be quite a difference from two years ago, when England beat Spain 2-0 at Euro 2017 in the Netherlands, while giving up the majority of the possession of the ball to their opponents. Placed in a torrential downpour in Breda, this group match allowed Spain to dominate in an almost embarrbading way on a night when goals from Fran Kirby and Jodie Taylor had foreshadowed England's victory.
Since then, Phil Neville has replaced Mark Sampson and the rapid development of a recent professional national league has allowed the manager to replace the pragmatism needed by his predecessor with a more expansive philosophy. This more fluid approach to the controversy failed Friday at the Manchester City Academy when Canada's pressing game stifled England's creativity and Neville's team lost 1-0.
Duggan thinks the expiation can happen in Swindon, where England will benefit from its inside information. "I think it will be a very good match this time, because we are playing in a different style now," she said. "Let's hope we can impose our style and have a little more possession than last time.
"Spain are wonderful in possession of the ball and very good in attack, but we have come a long way since the first camp with Phil regarding how we attack and keep the ball under pressure."
With "seven, eight or nine" of his Barcelona colleagues likely to be part of the visiting team, Duggan reviewed their strengths and weaknesses with Neville and his staff. "There will be times when we will not have the ball," she said, before greeting the opposition of the World Cup group this summer. "It's football and it's going to be against Scotland, Argentina and Japan. There will be times when we will not have the ball, but we are very disciplined and we have built our bases on defense. It is something for which we are very good.
"I always boast about my Spanish teammates in Barcelona, saying that I will take the 30% possession of the ball and that we scored two goals we scored in euros; a victory is a victory. They just laugh and say, "We got the whole ball."
We can say that the greatest strength of England is its ability to mix things on the ground, to combine different styles while showing the kind of flexibility instilled by the talented tactic Sampson. "I think that ability is why we did so well," Duggan adds. "We can adapt our style to win games. It is in our nature to have this direct threat at times, but we are now much more technical, much more comfortable. We have a bit of everything now.
"But if you look at the girls on our teams, a lot of them, like Manchester City girls and Chelsea girls, play in possession-based games. So it's good that we do it as a national team as well. In England, that's the style they're looking for in the future. Junior teams all play according to possession; maybe times are changing for English football. "
As a result, she hopes to see Spain struggling to regain possession of the ball in Swindon, where England will be without Steph Houghton, who has been retired to handle a groin complaint while preparing for the World Cup. "I won this game as if it was a World Cup final," said Duggan. "It should be great for the fans."
A crowd of around 15,000 is expected, but the football and Premier League badociations are currently discussing organizing women's events in bigger stadiums next season. Last month, 60,739 people rallied at the Wanda Metropolitano for a match between Atlético Madrid and Barcelona, a record for a women's club match. Similarly in Italy, 39,000 spectators went to the Allianz stadium where Juventus Women met Fiorentina.
"That's what I've always believed," said Duggan, who was not disturbed by the fact that only 5,682 people showed up at the Academy's 7,000-seat stadium. , last Friday. "It's happening a lot more now in Spain. I have been there for two years and it is incredible to see the progress already made. Hopefully it will be England and the same thing will happen in a league game here. "
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