FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023: England Under Coach Sarina Wiegman Hopes To Build On European Victory

One year after winning the Euro 2022 championship, England will be going for more in the Women’s World Cup.

The Lionesses, led by Sarina Wiegman, won their first significant success by defeating Germany in the final match at Wembley Stadium the previous year. Furthermore, they will be among the favourites to win this year’s championship in Australia and New Zealand after qualifying with a flawless record of 10 straight triumphs.

The Netherlands native Wiegman led his country to victory in the 2017 Euro. She guided them to the Women’s World Cup final in 2019, when they lost to the Americans in France.

However, Wiegman’s preparations for this year’s tournament have been hampered by the absence of several of England’s greatest players. Alexandra Popp of Germany and Beth Mead, who shared the tournament’s highest scoring accolades, are both out due to ACL injuries. Both midfielder Fran Kirby and the team’s normal captain, Leah Williamson, are injured.

The England squad still has winning experience since 16 players were a part of the team’s triumph in the European tournament last year.

One of the promising young players that Wiegman has also highlighted is Lauren James, the sister of Chelsea right back Reece James and one of the most exciting talents to emerge since the last Women’s World Cup. Lauren James, who this season assisted Chelsea in winning the league and cup, will take part in her first important international tournament.

The same is true for Laura Coombs, Niamh Charles, Esme Morgan, Katie Zelem, and Katie Robinson.

Wiegman feels that the club is still in a strong position. “We’re just going to make sure that we’re going to be at our best and then we see how far we get,” he said.

Beth England, a striker for Tottenham, has played well this season, scoring 12 goals in 12 Women’s Super League contests. After joining Tottenham in January, she was forced back into Wiegman’s plans and is currently the first player selected for an England squad since last September.

The England coach said, “We hardly saw her play, so she didn’t build that much credit for us.”

But then she changed, and she started playing in a challenging situation because Tottenham were having a difficult time.

On the other hand, “I think that what made us decide to get her in the squad was how she did, how she performed, and also how much resilience she showed.”

Lucy Bronze, unquestionably one of the best female athletes, brings a lot of knowledge to the team. When Barcelona beat Wolfsburg 3-2 in the Women’s Champions League final in June, she won her fourth title. She has helped England in both the 2015 and 2019 semifinals, and this is her third Women’s World Cup.

Millie Bright, who took over as captain for Williamson, is also dealing with a knee problem.

In May, Wiegman said of her staff, “She’s still building, but we have some time.”

Despite England’s prowess on the field, Wiegman’s expertise may be the group’s most important resource. Since assuming charge of the national squad in 2021, she has continued to develop it, as seen by the historic Euro 2022 win.

Wiegman has established a reputation as one of the top teachers in the world in addition to her successes with the Netherlands. She scored 80 goals, helped England qualify for this year’s competition without conceding a goal, and helped them top their group with a 10-0 victory against Luxembourg. After regaining her composure from the agony of losing the last Women’s World Cup final, she did this.

England will face off against China, Haiti, and Denmark in the group stage. The team’s first game is against Haiti in Brisbane on July 22.

Wiegman said that during the Euro last summer, “we learned a lot of good lessons about how to get the players fit, fresh, and ready, and we know what we have to do to make sure we hit the ground running in the right way when the tournament starts.”