The Pinatar Cup was a good way for Scotland Women to start the year as we came away with positives, while also recognising the areas we need to fine-tune.
Against Iceland, the Philippines and Wales we had three different performances, as we finished the tournament on four points following a win and a draw against the latter two teams.
In all three games we had spells where we dominated, especially in the first half against Iceland and Wales, so there are lots of positives.
But one of the biggest takeaways from the camp is we need to become more ruthless.
We knew we were capable of taking control and we demanded that of ourselves, but we were disappointed we couldn’t capitalise on that more often.
Making the most of our control is something we need to take the hard lessons from because games at international level are determined by very small margins.
The inaugural Nations League which will take place later this year will be an example of those fine margins. We’ll be playing teams who are ranked the same as us which will bring a more competitive edge.
There’s no point being competitive if you’re not able to get the desired results – like we hoped to get against Iceland and Wales – because it is the most important piece in the whole puzzle.
Learning tough lessons
It’s something I feel could be improved by having a different mindset.
When you find yourself in those dominant positions it’s about having the mental resilience to keep going and to keep creating good opportunities. We have to believe that even when chances are missed, we will eventually reap our reward.
If we have that belief over the entire 90 minutes, we put ourselves in a better position to start winning more games, which builds momentum.
We want winning to become a habit, but I feel our habit right now is putting in really strong performances and not always coming away with the win.
At the Pinatar Cup we proved Scotland have the technical and tactical qualities to dominate against good teams, so now our mindset has to match those capabilities.
🗣️ Hear from @PedroMLosa, as he looks back on today's game against Wales and on our Pinatar Cup camp as a whole. #SWNT pic.twitter.com/WdzkG5GMlU
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) February 21, 2023
The Philippines was a different kind of challenge because we knew we could be a bit more comfortable on the ball and they would look to hit us on the counter-attack – which they did by scoring in the 90th minute to half the deficit and make it 2-1.
We were pleased to win the game, but disappointed to lose the goal.
It’s something we’ve tripped up on before. In the World Cup qualifiers against Hungary and Ukraine, we ended up conceding when those teams never really looked like scoring.
Prior to the Pinatar Cup we’ve tried to work on that but it’s still an area where we’re going to have to improve in the near future.
These are the tough lessons that we have to take from these camps: where we are not punished by the results – they’re not to our detriment – but we have to take the lessons and react by making progress.
Players getting minutes a big positive
A big positive from the camp was that a lot of players got minutes on the pitch over the three games.
Goalkeeper Eartha Cumings was the only player not to get game time, but she had a really good week and made a big impact in training.
There were some young players like Glasgow City forward Lauren Davidson who were more involved than they had been before, and she was someone who really grasped her chance.
She was a big highlight from the camp as she scored her first Scotland goal against the Philippines and put in really encouraging performances.
It’s good to see someone like Lauren get the chance to become more involved with the national team, and we can see she’s able to adapt to the demands of the international game.
On a personal note, I was delighted to score my 20th Scotland goal and earn my 140th cap during the Pinatar Cup. They’re both nice milestones to reach.
Aberdeen have to appreciate the small wins to improve bigger picture
After a fortnight’s break, Aberdeen Women return to action on Sunday against current league leaders Glasgow City.
It’s their first of four games in SWPL 1 before the split, and it’ll not be an easy task. Prior to the break, the Dons had a tough run, which ended with a 5-0 loss to City in the Scottish Cup, but they have to remain positive.
The period before the split is a chance to find some stability and aim to try and close the gap with the teams above them.
Aberdeen’s defensive record needs to improve. They have conceded 42 goals so far this season, so if they can improve on that it can bring about more progress in the grand scheme of things.
The Dons have also found goals hard to come by so that makes it even more important to be defensively solid – they have to become more difficult to beat.
When they’re in the kind of relegation fight they are currently in, Aberdeen have to do everything they can to make life really difficult for the teams they come up against.
Their next two games against City and Hibs will be difficult but it’s an opportunity for them to appreciate the small wins and maybe strip things back to appreciating doing the basics well.
They might not be able to celebrate the win as in three points, but can they keep the score to a minimum? Can they still be in the game at half-time? It’s those kind of mini celebrations they can cling on to for positivity.
A trailblazer heads to Aberdeen
It was really exciting to hear Rose Reilly will be in Aberdeen next week for a talk and Q&A about her trailblazing football career.
I’ve met Rose many times and she’s somebody I look up to a great deal as she changed the landscape of the women’s game.
People like Rose and Elsie Cook were stubborn and resilient, they paved the way for future generations by putting their head above the parapet and calling for change – but didn’t always reap the benefit of that themselves.
If it wasn’t for them breaking down barriers, we might not have the current landscape we have in Scotland where we can play professionally domestically and the national team play their competitive games at Hampden.
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