Estonia head coach Aleksandra Ševoldajeva says her squad arrive into the next set of Women’s World Cup qualifiers in “a much better” overall condition than they were this time last year, as preparations continue for away matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Lithuania.
Estonia face Bosnia and Herzegovina on 3rd of March at 14:00 Estonian time, before travelling to Raudondvaris, just outside of Kaunas, to play Lithuania on 7th of March at 17:00.
Ševoldajeva said the team have completed three days of training in camp and that the coaching staff have been able to focus on the areas they identified for improvement. “We’ve been able to work on the moments we wanted to work on. There have been quite a lot of successes, and quite a lot of things we’d like to see in the match,” she said. “We can still fine-tune a few things, but overall we’re happy.”
A key theme in training has been developing a more attacking approach in possession. “We’ve tried to make our play on the ball a bit more attacking, and to put more focus on combination play and attacking intent,” Ševoldajeva added.
Several players have returned to the squad after injury, with the head coach saying the returning group have settled back in without losing rhythm. She also pointed to a wider improvement in physical and football condition across the squad.
“The players’ form is much better than a year ago at the same time,” Ševoldajeva noted. “The Estonian league calendar, friendly matches, Baltic League games and the fact that so many players are abroad – all of that has supported better form. You can really feel it.”
Looking ahead to Bosnia and Herzegovina, she said that Estonia will need to prioritise duels and winning first and second balls, warning that turnovers could quickly become dangerous.
On Lithuania, Ševoldajeva stressed discipline in transition and reducing risk after losing possession, referencing the sides’ meeting in November. “They play relatively simple football. The most vulnerable moments for us were our own losses of the ball,” she said. “We need to look for less directness there and be a bit more compact in transition moments.”
Both matches will be shown live on Soccernet TV YouTube channel.
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Source: https://www.jalgpall.ee/koondis/uudised/video-aleksandra-sevoldajeva-enne-valikmange-oleme-paremas-seisus-n25695
