In the run-up to her first final as senior coach, Sonia Bermúdez He appeared with calm and conviction. He spoke about losses, football, emotions and a group that, he assures, is prepared to compete in any scenario.. His speech, close and firm, reflected the tone of a team that reaches the final convinced of its path.
The name of Aitana Bonmatí, who broke her fibula yesterday, appeared soon. The coach did not hide the emotional impact of the blow. “When there is an injury like that there is a downturn, it disorients you. We quickly did tests and saw that I had to return to Barcelona. She wanted to be here and support her teammates. We want to win for her, also for Patri and for Salma“It was a clear message: the final is also played for those who cannot be there.
The sports analysis arrived immediately, with an eye on the first leg. “When the game ends you are already thinking about it, looking for solutions. Thanks to the work of the staff, we want to help the soccer players. We have worked a lot. I was not surprised by Germany; We will try to have more possession. We know that the people who come are going to help us, that the field is going to be full.” For Bermúdez, the Metropolitano's push is part of the plan.
The trust in the group was repeated at various times. “This team is more than capable. Mentally we are very strong. In football, from one day to the next you have to keep thinking about what's coming. Defeats, like the one in the Euro, are part of sport. The team, since the Nations began, had the mentality of reaching the final and winning.” A conviction that has been maintained even in the most demanding sections of the road.
Regarding the starting eleven and the piece that will replace Aitana, he left the door open: “There is still time to decide. We are working to see what we are going to do tomorrow.” And he once again underlined the importance of alternatives: “We all know who Aitana is, she is very important to us, but we have 24 more qualified soccer players to go out and give their all. Any of them can do it, that's how they transmit it to us in training.”
There was also space for the human. “Coffee I don't have time, I'm preparing a final. I would love for us to win for the soccer players; I think they deserve it. We have a generation that has fought a lot to reach the finals, to give a turn to Spanish football. With their play they have managed to get 70,000 people to come here tomorrow, and that must be valued.” Bermúdez extended his wish to the coaching staff and the federative structure: “I would also like it for the staff and the people who work at the RFEF.”
Regarding the match, she was direct: “It will be a game of details. Have the ball, accumulate passes, make long possessions…Everything will happen there. On a mental level, it will surely help us a lot to go out on the field and see all the people who support us: families, fans.” He considers the naturalness of the group to be key: “We are a very close staff, with many talks on and off the field”.
And when it came time to talk about the word “final”, he wanted to reduce the noise: “The final word takes a lot of wrapping. In sport you can win or lose, but we want to be proud. We want to make people who come enjoy it. Germany is going to make things very difficult for us, but we want to enjoy it because you never know when you are going to play another final.”
He closed with an intimate reflection, very much his own: “I'm calm. I consider myself a calm person, sometimes too calm. And I want to thank you for being able to play in a final here.” And one last certainty shared by the entire locker room: “We were very aware that, even if it was a double game, everything was going to be decided here”
