Tonight marks the beginning of the Lionesses’ final preparations as they contest the first of three friendlies, with the beginning of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 on the horizon.
With under three weeks to go before the tournament kicks-off at a sold-out Old Trafford, head coach Sarina Wiegman doesn’t have too much time to assess her players and pick her possible starting XI.
After yesterday’s squad announcement for the tournament, England’s 23-player group have a quick turnaround for their first test as they host Belgium at Molineux this evening, a venue which holds fond memories for the Lionesses after they lifted the newly-formed Arnold Clark Cup there in February.
When speaking in the pre-match press conference in which FAWSL Full-Time were present, England boss Wiegman said that her side know the game plan.
“I think they manage their own emotions given what they’ve done and all the experience they’ve had,” Wiegman said. “We focus on football, we have a game plan and the players have their tasks in the game. They will try and execute them as good as possible and that’s the focus we have.
“We still want to do things in our style of play and of course, we have different opponents but for example, Chloe Kelly has been in the squad for the first time and it’s really nice to see what she can bring to a team. I’m trying to form those connections with different players.”
Wiegman believes that this month’s three friendlies will each bring different challenges but she will be able to assess how every player will fit into her side going forward. The Lionesses boss has nine players looking ahead to their first major tournament so friendlies are a crucial stepping stone in the preparation to allow her to see her players new and old gel together.
Wiegman said “I’ve seen a lot of growth in this team. The commitment and the way or speed of learning is so quick and it’s about staying connected. We will play the game, take things out of the game and improve for the next game. I think we’re in a very good place and that next test is Belgium.
“I’m happy with how the team behaves, how the players behave, where we are at the moment and how we have been playing and training the last three weeks.
“Belgium have developed a lot during their journey to the EUROs. I think they can do a couple of things; they can play a little opportune but they also want to play a possession game and they have good players. I think it’s going to be a competitive game and that’s what we want. It’s a good team because you don’t want to compete with someone you’ll be facing in the group stage but it’s a good experience.”
Molineux, which has recently been dubbed ‘The Wembley of the Midlands’ has been host to both the England men and women this week. Wiegman is hoping that her squad can have a better outcome than Gareth Southgate and his team did on Tuesday night.
She said “It’s a beautiful stadium here in England and I really like Wolverhampton so I’m really looking forward to it. We want to make ourselves proud as well as making the fans and our families proud.”
England’s international friendly against Belgium kicks-off at 8pm with tickets available to purchase by clicking here.
By Megan Garbutt