The Montse Tomé method that has sewn the Spanish national team: demanding, tactful, and meritocracy

Spain is writing lines in its history at this European Championship in Switzerland . An unbeaten group stage, comfortable wins, breaking the quarter-final barrier for the first time in 28 years, and the possibility of reaching the final by beating Germany , something unprecedented. All eyes have turned to the pitch, to the best performance of Alexia Putellas , the tireless Patri Guijarro , Esther 's goal, Vicky López 's self-confidence, and the return of Aitana Bonmatí . The key to that lies on the bench. Montse Tomé has managed to get Spain to focus on the pitch and take the focus off other issues that, while not affecting their performance, have clouded it.

The national team coach faces her own challenge, which she doesn't mention, but which is the elephant in the room. She wants a huge title, more than a Nations League title , that will highlight her work and pave the way for her to continue at the RFEF. The contract that Pedro Rocha signed for her, in the midst of a storm, ends on August 30th . He earned it with the Nations League, qualification for the Paris Olympics, and the European Championship. The federation structure was so unstable that no one wanted to shake it up with changes on the bench. Now things are different. Rafael Louzán is in charge and, along with executives María Suárez and Ruth García , the director of women's football, Reyes Bellver , and the sporting director, María Pry —who has not set foot in Switzerland until now—they will have to make a decision on the coach's future, which, as of today, federation sources assure is yet to be finalized. No one is losing sight of the objective.

In the analysis, Montse Tomé is stronger than a year ago, when she renewed her contract, and far from that September 2023 when she took over from Jorge Vilda and faced that early morning in Oliva. There it seemed that her days were numbered. Without ever shaking off the questions about Jenni Hermoso , she has been shaping with great deftness a group that today is a united group and has a healthy relationship with the coaching staff. She restored natural order to the captaincy, with Irene Paredes and Alexia , added those who push, such as Aitana , Mariona and Olga Carmona , and has opened the doors to the new generation led by Vicky López without neglecting the meritocracy exemplified by the call-up of Martín-Prieto or the goalkeepers Nanclares and Sullastres . She has set the generational change in motion, not without external criticism but always relying on the results, which are incontestable except for the blemish of the Paris Games . She learned from that too.

Tomé, who inherited much of Jorge Vilda 's coaching staff, has been strengthening his own team. In October, he brought in Nacho Fernández as assistant coach, a man with no experience in women's football but who has supported José Bordalás and Marcelino on his coaching staffs for years.

Constant demand

He analyzes and profiles the matches with her—they traveled to Basel together to watch France-Germany live—and is in charge of designing the set pieces. They are joined by Irene del Río , Carlos Sánchez with the goalkeepers, and Víctor Cervera , who has taken over the physical preparation.

If there's one detail that stands out in Tomé's entire work environment, it's her constant demands . The coach is aware that she has the best players in the world and wants her team to perform at that level. This Euros, she has added an additional analyst , all training sessions are recorded from the heights of the Juan Antonio Samarach stadium in Lausanne, and all opponents have been covered live . No detail is left to chance, as has been the case at other times during her time on the bench.

This European Championship has placed the Asturian in an elite group. Of the seven women who started in the dugout, only she and two-time champion Sarina Wiegman, who led England, have challenged for a chance to reach the final. In the Dutchwoman's case, her name was even on Gareth Southgate 's list of replacements, which would have meant taking the opposite path to the two men listed alongside them. The Italian Andrea Soncin , who came to women's football with no experience, and Christian Wück , who rose through the ranks in Germany with successes such as the men's U-17 World Cup, and who was put in charge of the Mannschaft after the Games.