England midfielder Keira Walsh admits that the pressure is on as the Lionesses prepare to face Spain in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 at the Amex Stadium in Brighton on Wednesday.
Scoring 14 goals and conceding none so far, Sarina Wiegman’s side have put on three imposing performances in the group stage of the tournament, sending a warning to the rest of Europe’s elite. They broke the record for most goals scored in a group stage, outscoring a Germany side who managed 11 goals at this stage of the competition back in 2001.
Wednesday evening will provide the Lionesses with their biggest challenge of the tournament so far as they face a Spain side which finished second in their group, three points behind Germany. When speaking to FAWSL Full-Time in an England media session, midfielder Walsh offered some respect to the Lionesses’ opponents whilst admitting that the pressure is on.
“Both nations have a heritage of playing good football,” Walsh said. “We’ve made no mistake of thinking any game is easy.
“In a home tournament, the pressure is on, no (group) game was easy in that sense and this will be the same. Hopefully, more people will watch because it’s two good nations playing.”
Manchester City’s midfield maestro has been instrumental in Wiegman’s squad, playing every minute of the tournament so far. Walsh revealed that her coach is trying to take the pressure off the players, allowing them to enjoy their football.
“Sarina definitely takes the pressure off the whole team in general,” she said. “She puts a massive emphasis on positivity, she knows if we’re enjoying it, we will play our best football individually and collectively. There’s been a whole buzz around the tournament and I think you can see it in the team’s performances.”
Walsh went on to explain how she was encouraged to watch Spanish football from an early age and how the nation’s stars have helped her to mould her game to what it is today.
“I definitely grew up watching the Spanish players,” she said, “My dad definitely tried to get me to grow up being influenced by them. They’re incredible, watching Barcelona, but we have incredible players I play with day in, day out. For me, it’s about us and we want to have a real positive attitude towards it.
“My dad is just a massive football fan. He always had games on, a lot was Barcelona and La Liga.
“When City played, he’d say look at how Silva plays and Touré play, their movement and how they check their shoulders. How I see the game is how I was influenced by that really.”
England’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 quarter-final against Spain kicks-off at 8pm on Wednesday evening.
By Tom Alston
About The Author
