Wiegman laments Lionesses’ lack of cutting edge after reaching Euro 2025

Sarina Wiegman acknowledges that her England team needs to improve their scoring abilities, but understands it's a process that won't happen quickly. Despite a goalless draw against Sweden, the Lionesses have secured a spot in the European Championship finals in Switzerland next year.

The European champions scored eight goals in their six qualifying matches. They haven't been as sharp as last year when they won the title, but Wiegman is happy that she has almost a year to improve their performance.

"That is an area that we really need to work on," stated the manager from the Netherlands. "The key areas for improvement are our offensive plays and attacking strategies. It's important to remember that change won't happen overnight, but having a year gives us the time to make progress."

"These high-quality matches have revealed areas for improvement. When facing teams from lower leagues, these weaknesses may not be as noticeable. We now have a clear understanding of our strengths and weaknesses, and will begin addressing them promptly."

The central defender Millie Bright seemed to share those feelings and is confident that England will be prepared by July 2025, stating: "It's not important to be completely ready right now, the focus is on the tournament. We need to focus on defending our title and we have plenty of time to improve on all areas we need to work on."

"We could have been more precise and aggressive with our opportunities, however, in the end, we managed to secure the win and we are very proud of our team. We exhibited our determination and ability to bounce back."

England had a challenging group with two strong teams from the European semi-finals in 2022, France and Sweden, as well as the Republic of Ireland. This group was dubbed the "group of death." The attacking midfielder Ella Toone shared Wiegman's view that facing tough opponents will ultimately benefit England.

Toone expressed that while winning by large margins is good, it is in challenging games like these where you can learn and grow. She is happy to have advanced from the difficult group stage, and it feels great to achieve this accomplishment.

Wiegman spoke highly of Gareth Southgate, the current manager of the England men's team who is leaving his position. She expressed her admiration for him as both a person and a coach, praising the work he has done with the team. Regarding rumors linking her to the vacant position, Wiegman quickly shut down the conversation as inappropriate. She emphasized her commitment to the England women's team, stating that she is happy with her current role and sees it as a top-level opportunity.