PEDRO Martinez Losa has recalled Reading left back Emma Mitchell to the Scotland squad nine months after she gave birth to a baby daughter. The former Glasgow City and Arsenal defender has 66 caps, the last of which was in February last year.
Scotland will play a friendly against Netherlands in Zwolle on September 2, followed by their final World Cup qualifier in the Faroe Islands four nights later. The baby will also travel with the 23-player squad, which includes Rosengard winger Fiona Brown - who also returns following her recovery from a fourth serious knee injury.
There was further good news for Martinez Losa when midfielder Caroline Weir scored her first goal for Real Madrid on Sunday. It was only her second start for the club after joining from Manchester City in the summer – and, in a scarcely believable twist, the goal in a 1-0 victory at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium knocked City out of the Champions League.
“Real Madrid is my club from childhood,” Martinez Losa, who was brought up in the Spanish capital, said. “I think her style fits very well with the way Spanish teams want to play.
“She probably feels she has an important role and maybe a bit more freedom She is a player with creativity, so as a second striker she has the ability to make the most of that.
“Other teams will learn throughout the season how to mark her, because she is an important player for Real Madrid, but she has put herself at the next level. She is a world class player and what we want her to do is produce that consistently.”
Spain's establishment side have only had a women's team since 2020, and last season finished 30 points behind Barcelona in the Primera Division, with Real Sociedad also in front of them. Martinez Losa says they have some way to catch up with a Barcelona side which won the Champions League in 2020-21, and lost in the final to Lyon last season.
“It is just the third year and it still needs a little work to be done,” the Scotland head coach pointed out. “When you are Real Madrid and you see one of your teams is losing 5-0 against Barcelona you say this cannot happen any more and you need to put the resources towards it.”
While Martinez Losa is happy to see Weir's game flourish in Madrid, he believes it will also help Scotland's chances if Rangers qualify for the group stage of the Champions League. They are just two games away from doing so, and, following their opening wins against Ferencvaros and PAOK, will learn who their second round opponents are a week tomorrow (thurs).
Four Rangers players were named in yesterday's squad and Martinez Losa says being exposed to the highest level of European club competition can only be good for the national team.
Rangers will replace Celtic at the top of the SWPL if they beat Hearts in their game in hand at Broadwood tonight, while Glasgow City host Dundee Utd at Petershill Park.
