What's next for England women after tough post-World Cup results?

Tom Hamilton, a seasoned author, published a blog post on December 6th, 2023, at 03:29 PM.

The English football team ended their 2023 calendar gathered around a telephone on the severely cold Hampden Park field in Glasgow, Scotland. They were attempting to decipher the situation in Tilburg, where Belgium and the Netherlands were playing. The year was quite eventful for the team as they made it to the final game of the Women's World Cup, but also narrowly missed out on a spot in the Nations League semifinals.

England managed to secure impressive wins for two consecutive matches on Tuesday evening, despite scoring late goals. However, their celebrations were minimal due to the situation they created for themselves. After being defeated by the Netherlands and Belgium, their hopes of succeeding in the Nations League were at stake before two significant games. Although they missed out on top spot in their group by only one goal, it resulted in Team GB's inability to compete in Paris 2024.

Since the World Cup, they have faced a tough journey, having to fight against burnout, injuries and making mistakes that are not typical of their game. However, they have had some impressive moments too, like their fantastic second half against the Netherlands and their dominant 6-0 victory over Scotland.

According to Wiegman, this group of players has undergone numerous challenges. Their participation in the World Cup was demanding, as they faced many unexpected obstacles. However, he believes they performed exceptionally well despite these challenges. The team's schedule was quite tight, as they quickly transitioned to competing in the Nations League. Although they encountered some difficulties during this competition and suffered the consequences, it's a normal aspect of the game. Wiegman finds it beneficial that such tournaments exist.

Returning from the World Cup with some injuries is quite a challenge. I always stress that the players are not machines, so it's really impressive to see how they managed to play through it all. It makes me very proud of them.

Wiegman's face clearly showed her disappointment. This team is not accustomed to losing, even if it was by a small amount. Consequently, we must consider what factors led to England's near miss.

In the center of Hampden Park on Monday, Sarina Wiegman wasn't thinking about the past. She only had her sights set on the coming 24 hours and didn't feel like looking back on how the team has progressed since losing in the World Cup final to Spain.

Although unexpected, this event is sure to be beneficial. The English team has experienced some challenging times lately. Prior to their game versus the Netherlands last Friday, they had encountered defeat in three out of five previous matches, including a 1-0 loss against Spain in the World Cup final in Sydney. They ended their Nations League group stage with a noteworthy 3-2 win against the Dutch and a commanding triumph in Glasgow. Despite their efforts, it was not sufficient.

The second part of the year's timetable appeared to be quite challenging theoretically. Barely 33 days later after the disappointment of the World Cup final, England was playing its next match against Scotland on September 22. This game was just nine days before the beginning of the WSL season in 2023-24.

Sarina Wiegman was expressing concern about burnout during that period. She had mentioned her worries about the international calendar, stating that "I am very worried." These issues had been raised before the World Cup, and Wiegman acknowledged the short turnaround. She believes that a connection with Fifa and Uefa is necessary to address this issue. Although the game is growing, players also need time to rest and recover. It's important for growth to happen together and not at the expense of the players' well-being.

Alessia Russo transferred from Manchester United over to Arsenal on July 4th. She had an extremely short amount of time (just 9 days) between competing in the World Cup final and starting preseason training. Lucy Bronze, a defender, participated in every single minute of the World Cup except for the last 20 minutes of their major victory over China during the group stage. Lucy was already back in training with Barcelona on September 2nd. Georgia Stanway, a midfielder, was playing for Bayern Munich as soon as 10 days after the World Cup final, and even appeared in a game for them just 1 week later.

Most of the Lionesses had to make a fast turnaround. A person who knew about it said that the women's schedule is ridiculous. Wiegman, to her credit, said it in a nicer way by mentioning that players aren't machines. She said it again after they won 6-0 against Scotland, and she often brought it up during the campaign.

The English team kicked off their Nations League journey with a 2-1 victory over Scotland, however, the players expressed that it seemed rushed. Defender Jess Carter stated that the tournament was very demanding on their mental and physical state. Furthermore, only having a week or two off to recuperate before returning to play is outrageous and puts a significant strain on preparing for the next match. After their match against Scotland, it was evident that it was challenging to reset and get back into the game mode during such a short period.

At certain points during the game, England took risks while Scotland came close to scoring but hit the bar instead. On their next game against the Netherlands, England changed their formation to 3-5-2 but encountered difficulty with Chloe Kelly playing in an unfamiliar position. They opted for a more conventional 4-3-3 during halftime. Despite being the dominant team, they were unsuccessful in converting their opportunities, resulting in a final score of 2-1 with the Netherlands scoring a last-minute goal in the 90th minute to win the game.

Georgia Stanway expressed disappointment with the team's performance in the first part of the game. She noticed that they didn't perform as well as they usually would. The players seemed to do better with four defenders on the field, but Wiegman was worried about some mistakes they made. "There was a moment where we didn't make the right choice and it led to a counter-attack," Wiegman pointed out. "These mistakes are avoidable. We need to be better at managing the game and avoiding these mistakes in the future."

Following the game, Bright discussed the exhaustion that players were facing mentally. She expressed the importance of players being vocal about their struggles so that people can understand the difficulty they go through. As athletes, their goal is to perform their best for the fans and provide an entertaining match. They also want to have long careers and impress fans in order to grow the audience and improve the sport. This remains a constant goal for the players every week.

After that, they faced Belgium twice. They managed to win the first match, but were disappointed with their lack of efficiency in scoring. Lucy Bronze mentioned that they need to be better in finishing their chances. Unfortunately, they lost the second game against Belgium with a score of 3-2. They had a hard time keeping up with Tessa Wullaert's speed and Belgium was able to take advantage of the gaps behind Bronze and Niamh Charles.

Although England dominated in the number of shots on goal with 18 compared to Belgium's 5, they couldn't capitalize on their opportunities. Wiegman acknowledged that they had plenty of chances, but their ability to score needs improvement. Tighter control of the ball, better connection between players, improved final passes, and better decision-making are all part of the solution. The team knows they fell short and are determined to do better in the future.

After the game, Earps stated that the team is not struggling with thoughts such as "how on earth are we going to manage this?". They are aware that the situation is within their control and they need to fix it. Small details did not go as planned in the game, and as a team they need to focus on getting those details right as mistakes are not tolerable at this level of play.

During the Netherlands' visit to Wembley last Friday, Wiegman made some changes and experimented with new tactics. Wiegman made the decision to place Lauren Hemp in the striker position and supported her with James, Fran Kirby, and Kelly, stating that the group was picked based on their excellent "form." However, it was only after Beth Mead's return to the game that the Netherlands' attack really gained momentum. At the break, they were down 2-0 to their opponents, but they were able to close the gap and ultimately win the game 3-2.

Once again, the Netherlands were able to take advantage of mistakes made by their opponents during their match. Lineth Beerensteyn scored the first goal due to a miscommunication between Lucy Bronze and another player. Later, a series of unusual errors from three players led to the Netherlands scoring their second goal just before halftime. Despite this, coach Wiegman believes that these mishaps were simply unfortunate moments and not a sign of any larger issue. She also notes that the team's overall performance was much better than in previous games, especially in terms of holding onto possession of the ball. The first goal was a result of a great counterattack, and the team demonstrated much better play overall in comparison to their previous match against Belgium where they lost the ball unexpectedly multiple times.

Bright's absence highlighted a new defensive squad that poses another concern for the team: do they have adequate established backup strength? The potential absence of international experience in crucial positions such as goalkeeping, with only two-capped Hannah Hampton and debutant Khiara Keating, as well as right-back and defensive midfield, is worrisome.

Millie Bright got injured and Leah Williamson is still on the mend from an ACL injury which forced England to switch up their centre-back team for their match against the Netherlands. To fill the gap, Wiegman decided on a new partnership of Carter and Greenwood, who have only played together in a 4-player defense three times. The other players, such as Esme Morgan, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Millie Turner, and Maya Le Tissier, had very little experience with only a total of 17 caps between them.

However, the team managed to secure a victory and were feeling confident after the game. Mead commented on the team's resilience despite injuries and setbacks, crediting their cohesiveness under Sarina's leadership. Moving forward, the team aims to continue improving, recognizing that no team is flawless. They are committed to evolving and progressing.

Then, the Lionesses began their match in Glasgow on a freezing Tuesday night. Instead of counting on Belgium to stop the Netherlands from winning, England had to dominate Scotland with a large score to become the champion of the Nations League group.

England managed to score six goals by the end of the game, however, it didn't prove to be sufficient for winning. During the first half, England was in control and James added an outstanding goal as well as another goal through deflection. Greenwood contributed with a header and Mead scored another. As the second half commenced, Kirby secured an early goal. Eventually, Bronze scored in the 91st minute, taking the goal tally to six.

After the Glasgow match ended, England enjoyed a brief moment as leaders of their Nations League group. However, Damaris Egurrola's two goals during stoppage time shattered their hopes. Wiegman expressed her disappointment, saying that the wait for the outcome felt endless, and they believed they had achieved their goal until Egurrola's performance dashed their hopes. She added that there were no words to describe their feelings, other than pride for their performance throughout the week, although it was not sufficient to secure the win.

Wiegman was clearly dissatisfied and expressed her disappointment to the media following the game. She conceded that perhaps the team could have performed better during the earlier matches. Additionally, she stated that simply not losing by a large margin was not enough to qualify. Despite this setback, Wiegman still acknowledged the team's accomplishments, including their success in the Euros and their qualification for the World Cup final, despite having minimal rest. The team encountered some difficulties along the way, but Wiegman recognized that such is the nature of football.

Despite feeling proud of her team, Wiegman and her players couldn't shake off the disappointment. They won't be moving on to the Nations League semifinals next year, and instead, the team will be scheduling a couple of friendly matches.

Wiegman is an exceptional coach in global football and will undoubtedly have a strategy despite the challenge. After departing from the media conference at Hampden Park on Tuesday, she was likely already planning what's next for her exceptionally talented players. It's somewhat peculiar that for some members of her team, taking a break during the summer months might be beneficial in the long run, but it's not much comfort given the recent emotional ups and downs.

Wiegman expressed that our team is experiencing some bumps in the road, but we are putting in a lot of effort to take our game to the next level and make progress. We demonstrated this determination once more this week. Though we feel disappointed at the moment, we understand that it may take a while to achieve our goals. Nonetheless, I am confident that we will continue to prosper and evolve as a team.