Yesterday saw England head coach Sarina Wiegman name her 24-player squad for the Lionesses’ September fixtures in the inaugural UEFA Women’s Nations League.
A finish in the top two of the competition would secure England’s qualification for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 as part of Team GB.
The Lionesses get their UEFA Women’s Nations League campaign underway with a fixture against Scotland in Sunderland next Friday. When speaking in an England press conference, head coach Wiegman said that her side want to go out and win the tournament.
“All international windows are competitive all the time,” Wiegman said. “When you play friendlies, you can do something totally different. We always play to win but sometimes, you make choices for development. That’s not the case now because we absolutely want to win the Nations League, and want to qualify for the Olympics.”
The first UEFA Women’s Nations League fixtures take place only one month after the FIFA Women’s World Cup final and before the start of the new Barclays Women’s Super League season. As a result, Wiegman’s squad is largely unchanged due to the short turnaround between international competitions.
She said “There are not many changes in the squad. We are happy with the players we had at the World Cup. Of course, the competition’s always open but you have to see the players.”
Maya Le Tissier, Lucy Staniforth, and Jess Park all return to international duty after missing out over the summer. They replace Keira Walsh, who Wiegman explained is out with a calf injury, and Bethany England who underwent hip surgery earlier this month.
Prior to the latest squad announcement, there was speculation as to whether Beth Mead may receive her first England call-up since her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury in November last year. The forward was an unused member of the Arsenal squad which crashed out of the UEFA Women’s Champions League last week. However, Wiegman wants to see last year’s Ballon d’Or runner-up back in action for her club before bringing her back into the international fold.
“She has been out for a long time,” Wiegman said. “She first now needs to take the next step to get games, get consistency, that’s what we’ll have to see to compete for selection again.”
England rank significantly higher than Scotland in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings but Wiegman anticipates a tough test for her side.
She said “They’ve had some impressive results. They have players that we know really well, and also play or have played in the Women’s Super League. It’s a solid team, it’s going to be competitive. It’s like a healthy rivalry.”
Wiegman’s England face Scotland at The Stadium of Light in Sunderland on Friday 22 September 2023 before flying to Utrecht to take on the Netherlands on Tuesday 26 September 2023.
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