by When the English players came back to the changing room after the defeat on Saturday to France, they were very quiet until Sarina Wiegman had the feeling that they had more than the right words. She had to send the right message. “We will win on Wednesday,” she said.
Of course England, of course, of course, must Win on Wednesday, since you will go out of the euro 2025 if you suffer a defeat. As simple as this message was and as simple as the idea may sound, the words have worked.
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England feels in a much better “headspace” before it is essentially a knockout match against the Netherlands in Zurich. The direct football they played in the last minutes of the France game offered a feeling of clarity. It has a focus on which uncertainty has so far existed.
Insider claims that Wiegman’s squad was much more nervous before France -Match than they had allowed. As a defender of Champions, they felt a new pressure with how it was not really the same team. They weren’t sure how they would play and the training sessions under construction were not smooth.
Then the worst happened. England was not only beaten by France, but often looked. The tactics, with Lauren James in midfield, did not work.
Full -time England came into the changing room extremely excited, which is why Wiegman’s message was effective. A line was drawn and the challenge became clear. It is victory or bust and the first European champions of women in the group stage.
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Of course, Wiegman didn’t play anything of it. “We don’t talk about consequences,” said the English manager. “We are talking about our schedule.”
The training was more focused, but not because of a feeling of panic. Alessia Russo spoke of how they are “cooled”.
Next to her, Wiegman was a strikingly good shape at the press conference before the game in Zurich’s stadium Lemigrund and laughed a lot. You would not have thought that this was a manager who faces an unprecedented humiliation in the first round.
This is just as good, because this game has so many strands and operations that go beyond the final of the circumstances. Wiegman even joked whether she should speak Dutch, which of course is one of the main counts.
Wiegman faced many questions from the Dutch journalists in Zurich (Getty)
If the English manager is obviously too full to ask a trainer whether your nationality will go into it – “it will not,” she said – is not the case for everyone else.
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The Dutch are really ready, their motivation has all the more intensive how intertwined the two soccer countries and the noise are led around the entire campaign. “It is a very special game for many players,” said Dutch Star Vivianne Miedema.
It worsens some in their warehouse that Wiegman could be considered for a “bigger job”. You would ask yourself which current Dutch trainer Andries Jonker thinks of it. He would undoubtedly tell them if he was asked because he has already transformed the Netherlands in his own personal theater by rounding off critics.
Wiegmans Deadpan description was that he is more “emotional” than she. The usual term would be “iraszibel”. This is just another advantage that Jonker was an influential figure in Wiegman’s development as a coach, but his contract will not be extended according to Euro 2025, and it is expected to be replaced by one of his own provisions of the English manager. This is Wiegman’s current assistant Arjan Veurink.
Wiegman’s assistant Arjan Veurink will be the new Netherlands (Getty) in September
Some of the England camps even believe that a bigger discussion is justified how the Football Association (FA) can be criticized that it offers a way for Dutch trainers instead of their own, especially in view of the lack of potential candidates for the job.
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This discussion could have taken place if England had won on Saturday. Instead, the possibility of their elimination has only added other connections and action lines. Miedema was of course asked if she had taken over her partner Beth Mead. They have already confronted each other, but not that.
“We both know what we’re going through,” said Miedema. “I will do anything to win the game.”
Miedema pointed out that she was one of numerous Dutch players with many friends in the English team after she came from Arsenal from Manchester City with the additional turn that she then saw the Champions League win.
Miedema said that she would be “happy” to beat England and Mead out of the euro (Getty).
Jonker usually bluntly exposed it. “You don’t want to hurt your friends … but that’s a fact. In football you have to play against each other and you want to win.”
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It may be just as good that the missions are so clear. Otherwise the players would have a lot around their heads.
And before you even come to the idea that they play again for the healthy future of the women’s play. In all progress in the past three years – mainly driven by this English squad – the number of views has dropped and the game has new financial difficulties.
Even Euro 2022 was a slow burner that grew steadily with the public. Here it was here, especially with the currently the sheer crowd sport, from Wimbledon to the lions. In contrast, the knockout phases of the Euro 2025 will have almost a window for itself, which makes it all the more important to get there.
Georgia Stanway mentioned: “I remembered that we play for the little girl who wanted to be here”, but this inspiring thought is almost everything you need in your mind. Wiegman knows that you don’t even need the game’s missions in your mind.
Stanway and Russo tried to draw a line under the defeat against France (Pa)
“The result of course has consequences, but that was the same in the final of the euro and the World Cup. So we talk about how we do what we want to do.”
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Russo revealed that the squad had had talks about “playing without fear”. This makes the clarity of the game all the more important, which is why the last minutes of the 2-1 defeat against France can be influential.
England returned to a direct style and suddenly started to play with speed and intention. It was one time when they looked. Perhaps Stanway’s comment explains that “the right England” wants to be … back to what we are good “.
In addition to the Dutch, differing from France. If Wiegman does not correspond exactly to the same formation, there is an argument that the approach of this game is better suited for this game.
England’s “must-win ‘conflict with the Netherlands was compared with a finale for the lionesses (Getty).
England has to be more on the ball, but not in panic when the Netherlands have it. Opposition players who confronted Jonker’s team have noticed how frustrated they are frustrated with a block with low mid.
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Wiegman also mentioned noticeably: “How we can take advantage of the Netherlands”. For obvious reasons, she had a schedule for this game for a long time. “We have already declined,” said Russo. “I think everyone is ready.” However, England needs more than words.
