Martinez Losa upbeat as he seeks change of fortunes for Scotland
Scotland Women manager Pedro Martinez Losa is aiming for a more positive year with his squad after a testing end to their Uefa Nations League campaign.
Martinez Losa saw his job come under scrutiny when the 6-0 thrashing by England at Hampden Park in December left his side winless in six games and bottom of their Nations League group, but the Spaniard reiterated he isn't feeling any more pressure than usual heading into the new year.
With the annual Pinatar Cup on the horizon, Martinez Losa admits getting back on the pitch and beginning the Scottish resurrection is at the forefront of his mind after a gruelling Nations League campaign, beginning with their clash against the Philippines next Saturday.
"It has been 15 or 16 years I've had in professional football and there has not been many of these days [losing to England 6-0 in December]. It tests characters and the resilience of people and their standards of professionalism," he explained.
"For me, I enjoy doing my job and
I feel a privilege.
I have full confidence in what we do and the standards that we work with. After that feeling of disappointment, you just want to get back as soon as possible. I enjoyed Christmas with the family, had a little reflection and working with the SFA on a few things. It has been too long since the last match.
"I feel a responsibility on my job sometimes comes with a certain level of pressure. The challenges of our national team is to try to qualify for the tournaments, there are a lot of nations in the same situation as us.
"We are not a nation that has a lot of talent to guarantee that all the time but that is what we are working on, we want to progress and to make sure we give ourselves the best chance" added the 50-year-old Scotland boss.
The Spanish head coach named his first squad of the new year yesterday morning as he welcomed back 146-cap striker Jane Ross, who has been in fine form for Rangers since making a full recovery from an ACL injury. Hibs defender Leah Eddie has also been included in the squad after some impressive form for her club side of late.
Chelsea Cornet and Hayley Lauder also return, while Amy Gallacher, Abi Harrison, Kirsty Maclean, Emma Mukandi and Rachel Mclauchlan drop out of the 23-player squad. “Young players, you can provide a platform for them to guide and give them the opportunities but it is going to be down to her to show the level," Martinez Losa said of Eddie.
On the returning Ross, he added: "My experience with her is that she is one of the most professional players I have ever met in my life, in terms of what she brings to the group and to the team. She is very knowledgeable about the game. She always understands situations tactically.
“She's back, we had a conversation with Rangers over if it was the right time, a conversation with her and we felt it was all okay. She is motivated and we are happy to bring her back. The striker situation is a position we want to improve.”
Scotland will play the Philippines on February 24 and the winners will face either Slovenia or Finland, with the losing teams playing for third place in the second of two fixtures on February 27.