Women's Euros 2022 Tips: Veterans can make their mark

Kevin Hatchard
01 July 2022
3 min read

Sweden's Caroline Seger will be one of the tournament's most experienced players

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In our latest look at Euro 2022, Kevin Hatchard discusses the vastly experienced players who could make an impact at the tournament.

"Caroline Seger is a true icon of Swedish football, and she is part of a solid collective that has a genuine chance of lifting the trophy."

Back Sweden and Italy to both qualify for the quarter-finals at 1.84/5

Seger part of strong Swedish collective

As I suggested in an earlier Women's Euros preview piece, Sweden are a side that probably hasn't had enough love in the outright winner market. They came within a few penalty kicks of winning the Olympics, and they have a squad with few obvious weaknesses.

There is a huge amount of experience in the squad. Their 39-year-old goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl has played 189 times for her country, while midfielder Caroline Seger's cameo in the recent 3-1 friendly win over Brazil was her 230th cap. Seger made her debut for Sweden in March 2005, and has been a key player for a long time. She is an outstanding, composed midfielder who is calm on the ball, and she has a personal demon to slay after missing a crucial penalty in the Olympic final shoot-out against Canada.

Seger was part of the Lyon team that did a glittering treble in 2017, and she has won numerous leagues and cups in her native Sweden. She is a leader in deed and word, and it's testament to her longevity that, even at 37, she is still such an influence on the side.

Spitse could be unsung hero for the Dutch

When you think of the Netherlands, you perhaps think of superstar forward Vivianne Miedema or the thrilling Lieke Martens, but Sherida Spitse is a notable performer in her own right. The 32-year-old has become the first Dutch player to reach 200 caps, and she has spent 16 years as a senior national team player.

Known as the "Oranje Cannon" because of here powerful shooting technique, Spitse was a key part of the Dutch side that won Euro 2017 under current England coach Sarina Wiegman. Spitse played in all of the matches, was named in the team of the tournament, and found the net in the final win over Denmark.

The Dutch and Sweden are fancied to qualify from Group C, and it will be a fascinating battle for top spot.

Can natural leader Gama inspire Italy?

If ever you wanted evidence that a player in women's football can make an impact on the sport as a whole, you need look no further than Italy's Sara Gama. The 32-year-old has been inducted into the Italian football Hall of Fame, and was the first female vice-president of Italian Players' Association. She has been a vocal proponent of more professionalism in the women's game. Gama is multi-lingual, and is a published author.

Beyond all of that, Gama is a teak-tough defender, and was part of a defensive unit that excelled at the 2019 World Cup in France. Italy topped their group, conceding just two goals along the way in a section that also included Brazil and Sam Kerr's Australia. Italy then shut out China in a 2-0 win in the last 16, before going down to eventual finalists the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.

Gama has racked up 126 caps, and is part of a side that is 8/13 to qualify for the last 16 and 9/2 to win Group D. Given that the French camp is riven with tension (coach Corinne Diacre is far from popular and has left out some big-name players for personal reasons), Italy will fancy their chances of causing an upset.

Goal-getter White ready to shine

England's record goalscorer Ellen White suffered a bout of Covid 19 recently, but coach Sarina Wiegman will be delighted to have the veteran striker back in the mix ahead of the big kick-off. The Manchester City striker has rattled in 50 goals in 105 caps, and has scored six goals in eight Olympic matches for Team GB.

White's Expected Goals per 90 figures have slowly declined across recent seasons, but given the attacking talent around her (Beth Mead, Lauren Hemp, Fran Kirby and Chloe Kelly all spring to mind), you would think she'll get plenty of service. White is currently the 6/1 favourite on the Sportsbook to be the tournament's top scorer.

Can Popp be a hit for Germany?

Germany midfielder Alexandra Popp has well over 100 caps, but has been unlucky when it comes to the European Championship. The 31-year-old missed the 2013 and 2017 tournaments because of injury, and had this edition not been delayed because of the pandemic, she would have yet again been sidelined because of torn cartilage in her knee.

Popp has smashed in 53 goals in 114 caps, and over her time at Wolfsburg she has pretty much averaged a goal every other game in the Frauen Bundesliga. She won Olympic gold in 2016, and captained Germany at the 2019 World Cup. There is plenty of competition for places in the attacking positions (watch out for youngster Klara Bühl) but Popp will surely play a part in Germany's campaign.