England head coach Sarina Wiegman has ruled out making major changes to her starting line-up for the Lionesses’ final UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 group match against Northern Ireland this evening.
Following Monday’s 8-0 thrashing of Norway, England are already through to the quarter-finals as group winners but Wiegman and her team will not be taking this evening’s opponents Northern Ireland lightly.
Wiegman is a coach best-known for not letting standards slip, even with results, points or qualification in the bag. She has kept faith with a consistent team selection since taking up her role last September, forcing those players on the bench to work extremely hard for places in the starting line-up.
When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Wiegman suggested that her philosophy won’t change for the Northern Ireland game.
“I believe in rhythm,” Wiegman said. “When you have nine days in between the Norway game and the quarter-final it’s too long, you need more rhythm and keep the focus, keep playing.
“You can’t expect lots of rotations – during the game probably but not at the start.”
There are players on the England bench who are desperate for an opportunity to shine but Wiegman says that they must bide their time as she sticks to her plan.
She said “Of course (they are desperate to play) and I understand that too. You have 23 players but only 11 can start.
“We will do what we believe will give us the best chance of winning the next game. Yes, some players will be disappointed but we keep communicating, we keep being clear about what we do and why we do it. It is understandable that players will be disappointed, if you weren’t eager to play, you wouldn’t be in the squad.”
Northern Ireland are going home after tonight’s game regardless of the result but Wiegman believes that The Green and White army will be stronger for the experience.
“For them, it is really good that they have played at their first tournament,” Wiegman said. “For the development of players, you need tournaments to become better and know what to expect next time.
“What we can see is that they are trying to develop their style of play and I am absolutely sure that they will do everything they can to get a competitive game and do everything to make the best out of it.”
England’s final UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 group match against Northern Ireland kicks-off at 8pm.
About The Author
