Brazil's U-17 Women gear up for World Cup in Morocco
Brazil’s U-17 Women’s National Team is ramping up its preparations at El Bachir Stadium in Morocco for the upcoming U-17 Women’s World Cup. Since their arrival on October 5, the squad has been diligently working to enhance their fitness levels, acclimatize to the local environment, and fine-tune the tactical strategies developed during their training camp at Granja Comary in Rio de Janeiro.
The training schedule has been meticulously crafted to provide the team with nearly two weeks of focused preparation before their first match against Canada, set for October 18. This period is crucial for addressing various aspects of their game that may need adjustment during the tournament, depending on the match schedule. Head coach Rilany Silva emphasized the importance of this time for both tactical development and player adaptation to the new time zone, cuisine, and climate.
"We still have a full training microcycle planned, meaning we have a whole week, rather than a match every two days. So we can do some important preparation in terms of content and progression, while still managing the workload, because once the competition starts, it won’t be about workload management anymore. It will just be match and rest, match and rest, because the games are so close together," Rilany explained.
At this stage, the focus during training is on refining the playing principles established by the coaching staff. Particular attention is being paid to attacking patterns, emphasizing coordinated movement while ensuring the team maintains its identity on the pitch. Rilany noted, "Here, we’re just going to refine what we’ve worked on. What we needed to do, we did at Granja Comary. So now it’s about fine-tuning what we want to do in the competition."
Navigating attacking decision-making challenges
One of the significant challenges identified by Rilany is the players' decision-making in attack, which necessitates a constant awareness of space and positional cues. "We put a lot of emphasis on our attacking patterns without losing our overall playing philosophy," she stated, highlighting the balance between tactical discipline and creative freedom.
As the team approaches its opening match, the coaching staff plans to shift focus towards defensive strategies. The goal is to enter the competition with a solid understanding of their defensive patterns, allowing them to adapt and make necessary adjustments based on the challenges presented by their opponents throughout the tournament.
The View from the Cheap Seats
"We’ll bring these two phases together and have a complete approach. During the competition, each match will show us where we need to make adjustments and readjustments, and what needs improving," Rilany concluded.
Brazil’s U-17 Women’s National Team will kick off their World Cup campaign against Canada on Sunday, October 18, at 12 p.m. local time and 8 a.m. Brasília time, at the Women’s Football Complex in Salé, Morocco. Following this match, they will face Ghana on October 21 and conclude the group stage against Norway on October 24.
