England head coach Sarina Wiegman says that she is expecting a technical game against Japan on Friday evening.
The Lionesses face the Asian nation in their latest international friendly on neutral territory at the Pinatar Arena in Murcia, Spain.
When speaking in a pre-match interview, England boss Wiegman said that the Japanese will provide her side with a technical test while the Lionesses will need to be aware of their opponents’ speedy play.
“We know that Japan are a very technical team, they’re very quick and they really want to play the game,” Wiegman said. “Historically, they have done very well.
“We need to be tight on them and at the same time, we also need to be really tight on the ball. If we get our shape right and defend well as a team, we can get possession of the ball and play our game.
“We are expecting a technical game against a different style of play than we faced last month, it is really good to have an Asian team like Japan in front of us to see where we are at.”
England go into the game without a number of experienced players through injury. Wiegman is not frustrated by the enforced selection headaches and instead sees it as an opportunity for other players to impress.
She said “We knew off the back of the EUROs and with the quick start to the new season that we could potentially have some injuries and you just have to adapt to the situation.
“It gives the opportunity for other players to play and to be part of the team. For us (as coaches), it is an opportunity to see where they are at and how they compete with players who have been in the team for a long time. It give us lots of opportunities. It is not the World Cup yet, we are still in preparation and it is good to see other players.”
England’s international friendly against Japan kicks-off at 7pm on Friday evening.
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