World Soccer - UK (2022-07)

Netherlands
Euros best:Champions ( 2017 )
Coach:MarkParsons
Captain:SarivanVeenendaal
Routetothe finals:Wonallten
oftheirqualifiers,andjoinedSpain
andDenmark inscoring 48 goals.
Onlyoneplayerregisteredmore
goalsthanSheridaSpitse’sten.

Portugal

Eurosbest:Groupstage(2 017 )

Coach:FranciscoNeto

Captain:ClaudiaNeto

Route to thefinals:Latecall-

upsafterRussiawerekickedout.

TwonarrowwinsoverScotland

securedaplaceintheplay-offs,

wheretheylost 1 -0onaggregate.

Sweden

Eurosbest:Champions ( 19 84)

Coach:Peter Gerhardsson

Captain:CarolineSeger

Routetothe finals:Another

sidetoqualifywithanear-perfect

recordandreachthe40-goal

milestone,onlydroppingpointsina

1-1drawwithrunners-upIceland.

Switzerland

Euros best:Groupstage(20 1 7)

Coach:NilsNielsen

Captain:LiaWalti

Route to thefinals:Two 1 -1draws

withCzechRepublicintheplay-offs

• thefirst afterastoppage-time
  equaliser–meantqualificationwas
  securedviaapenaltyshootout.

PREVIEW

GROUPC

2022 WOMEN’S EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIP

AtoughgroupforSwitzerlandand
Portugal,whofindthemselves paired
withtwoofthetop-fiverankedteams
intheworldandthetwobestEuropean
finishersatthe 2019 WorldCup.The
Netherlands,rankedfifthintheworld,
werefinalists, whileNo.2-ranked
Swedencamethirdandfollowed
thatupbywinningsilveratlast
year’sOlympicsinJapan.
TheDutcharethedefending
Europeanchampions andwhilethey
nolongerhaveSarinaWiegmanatthe
helmtheyhavethesamesquadcore
andagoodcoachinMarkParsons,the
EnglishmanwholedPortlandThorns
toconsiderablesuccessinNWSL.
Parsonsonlytookchargeof
theNetherlandsinSeptemberso
hasbeentryingtoget toknowhis
playersandbuildfor theEuropean
Championshipwhilealsopursuing
qualificationfor the 2023 WorldCup.
HomeandawaydrawswiththeCzech
Republicmeansthatisfarfrom
guaranteed–theDutchwillneed
tobeatgroupleadersIcelandin
Septembertopipthem.
Thereweremixedperformances
too,intheTournoi,withParsons
blaminghimself forthe 3 -0defeat
totheFrench.Whilelargelysticking
toWiegman’stypicallyDutch 4 -3-3
formationhehasexperimentedwith
alternatives,andespeciallywithplayers,
callingup 43 for hisfirst 1 1 matches.
Thekey ones arelikelytobethe
usualsuspects.PSV’s formerArsenal
andAtleticoMadridkeeperSarivan
VeenendaalisNo. 1 , ex-Barcacentre-
backStefanievanderGragtisatthe
heartof thedefence,Ajaxteam-mate
SheridaSpitseamidfieldstalwart
alongsideManchester United’s Jackie
Groenen, andVivianneMiedema
(Arsenal)andLiekeMartens
(Barcelona)leadtheattack.
Thereis youngtalentinfull-back

CaitlinDijkstraandanewfaceinLyon’s

DamarisEgurrola,whohasswitched

fromSpainandmay taketheholding

midfieldrolefromAjax’spromising,but

relativelyinexperiencedVictoriaPelova.

AndcancoachParsonsfindaplace

forWolfsburg’s in-formJillRoord?

WiththisqualitytheDutchare

genuinecontenders.

SoareSweden, whohavebecome

aninventive,attractivesideunderPeter

Gerhardsson,andonewithalotof

experience. HedvigLindahl(39),Nilla

Fischer ( 37 ) andCarolineSeger(37)

havealldecidedtocontinueplaying

after theirYokohamaheartbreak.

WithKosovareAsllaniandSofia

Jakobssonboth 32 as well Swedenmay

betooexperienced,butthereis young

talenttoo,suchas Everton’s Hanna

Bennison,whilethelikesofMagdalena

ErikssonandStinaBlacksteniusarestill

approachingtheirprime.AddHanna

Glas,AmandaIlestedtandFridolina

RolfoanditisclearSwedenarereal

contenderstogoalltheway.

Switzerland’sprospects of reaching

WorldCup 2023 tookahitinthe

spring,drawinginRomaniathen

beingbeatenathomebyItaly. That

handedthelattergroupleadership

andprobableautomaticqualification.

TheAprilresultsfolloweda

disappointingcampinMarbellain

Februarywhentheywereheldby

NorthernIrelandandlosttoAustria.

After animpressive 202 1,including

beatingCzechRepublicina play-off

toreachtheseEuros,ithintsata

difficulttournament.

NilsNielsentookhisnativeDenmark

tothefinalin 20 17,butifhiscurrent

teamaretoevengetoutofthegroup

strongperformancesfromAna-Maria

Crnogorcevic(Barcelona),LiaWalti

(Arsenal)andRamonaBachmann

(PSG) will berequired.Freiburg’s

teenagemidfielderRiolaXhemaili

couldannounceherselfasatalent.

Portugal, Russia’sreplacement,

haveafewplayerswithexperience

outsidethemodestdomesticleague,

notablyAnaBorgeswhoplayedfor

bothAtleticoMadridandChelsea.

TheyalsodefeatedadecentNorway

team–containingthelikesofEngen,

MaanumandVildeBoeRisa–inthe

AlgarveCupinFebruary.

However, theylostare-matchin

thethird-placeplay-off,highlighting

thatwhilethey maypulloffashock

resulttheyareunlikelytoqualify

fromastronggroup.

Group C

Netherlands,Portugal,Sweden,Switzerland

Defendingchampions...

Netherlandswontheir

firstEurosin 2017

Record goalscorer...

SwitzerlandstarAna-

Maria Crnogorcevicin

actionatEuro 2017

Renewedrivalry...Portugal

andSwedenclashed in

February’sAlgarve Cup

64 WORLDSOCCER