Spain manager Montse Tome has explained that improving the communication between the squad and herself were key to hanging onto her job, following a reported rift with Jorge Vilda’s former assistant.
Tome was announced as Vilda’s successor after the RFEF sacked him, but was already in hot water over crossed wires. Tome stated that she had already spoken to all of the players, and Jenni Hermoso when she called up her first squad, despite the fact that 29 players had asked not to be called up.
The players also denied this version of events, and it was believed that Tome would be relieved of her duties after her first two games, but crisis talks with the squad appear to have saved her job. During the same camp, the players agreed to return to action after talks with the Ministry for Sport and the RFEF that lasted until five in the morning.
Tome was asked exactly what happened in the camp, when multiple reports claimed that she was on her way out.
“At that moment we needed to talk. I believe that I was sincere with them and they were sincere with us. The basis of solving things was communicating with them. They know me on a human and professional level. That situation of a lack of understanding arose. We talked, we moved forward, we trained and we played the games. We were at the level to be in this window with options to be in the Olympics,” she told Cadena SER.
She was also asked about Hermoso in particular. The former Barcelona star declared publicly that she had not been spoken to by Tome before she was left out, but recently returned to the squad.
“I think they were things that were not clarified well. I had spoken with the players, but not with all of them, and I didn’t want to reveal who I had spoken to and who I hadn’t. Nor the content of the conversations, but I felt that it was my obligation to call them up.”
“That meant that in the end we could see each other, be there, talk and tell each other everything. I also saw that it appeared in the media that I was out of the national team. The players came with confusion, but we talked there, and everything was sorted out. It was clear that it was not a sporting issue, that it was a situation that had surpassed us and that had to be resolved elsewhere. This is how we solved and clarified it.”
Tome now appears to have the backing of the World Champion squad, and has started off her spell well, with wins over Sweden and Switzerland. On Friday, they face Italy and Switzerland as they continue their Nations League campaign.
