England head coach Sarina Wiegman says that she is concerned by the congested calendar which her players continuously face.
Several members of the England team played in the Olympic Games in late July and early August before starting their domestic campaigns just a month later. Players have been playing in as many as two or three domestic competitions this season alongside representing their country while some have also been playing UEFA Women’s Champions League football.
With the club season set to run until May and final preparations for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 then set to commence, England’s players are unlikely to have much time to rest. With Ellie Roebuck, Steph Houghton, Lucy Bronze and Leah Williamson already sidelined with long term injuries, England boss Wiegman admits that the congested calendar is a real concern.
“I am concerned about the total programme of the players,” Wiegman said. “When you are an international player, you have tournament on tournament every summer, you have Champions League then you have domestic competitions. The players have so many games so we really have to consider when they are going to rest both physically and mentally.
“We have had this discussion for a long time already and I think FIFA, UEFA and The FA are in contact, the clubs too. We really have to think about our players and their welfare.”
Arsenal broke the news earlier today that Wiegman’s captain Williamson could be sidelined until the New Year with a hamstring problem. The England boss went on to say that she was not expecting the player’s injury to be so significant.
She said “I spoke to her (Williamson), she is very disappointed and I am very disappointed. We didn’t think that it would be this bad but she can’t join us, she has an injury and she will be out.
“It is very disappointing, first for herself, but also for the team and for Arsenal of course because they have some major games too.”
Wiegman’s England play two FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 qualifiers this month. They face Austria in Sunderland on Saturday 27 November before taking on Latvia in Doncaster on Tuesday 30 November.
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