The Lionesses are standing on the brink of immortality. Victory against Spain here in Sydney on Sunday would secure their place in history.
No England team has reached a senior World Cup Final since Bobby Moore’s team beat West Germany in 1966, and the Lionesses are the first side to do it on foreign soil.
These England players are not weighed down by history, instead they want to create it. Standing in their way are a Spain side also bidding to win the World Cup for the first time.
It is difficult to separate two high-level teams who have a number of similarities. Both have shown during this tournament they have substance to go with style, grinding out results when not always performing at their best. Both sides boast some of the world’s best players, with the midfield battle between Keira Walsh and her Barcelona team-mates Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas particularly intriguing.
The one key difference could be England boss Sarina Wiegman. Sunday’s final at Stadium Australia will be uncharted territory for both sets of players, but Wiegman has been here before. This is her second World Cup final, after her Netherlands side lost to the USA four years ago.
“We are in a very, very good place,” said Wiegman on Friday morning. “We have grown into this tournament and the players feel very comfortable. They feel confident.”
Speaking at England’s base two days out from the final, outwardly Wiegman was her usual calm self, but inside her mind has been constantly whirling ahead to Sunday. “I don’t want to relax, I just want to get ready,” she said. “Everything now is Spain.”
Wiegman’s 2019 defeat is her only loss in the four major tournaments she has managed at. At this World Cup, she has proved without doubt that she is the best coach in the world.
In contrast, Jorge Vilda, in the eight years since he was appointed Spain head coach, had not won a knockout game at a major tournament until this World Cup. Vilda has been at war with his squad for the past year and 15 players boycotted the team last September, citing a toxic culture he had created.
Three players returned for this World Cup but Spain remain without some of their best players and divisions in the camp have been clear throughout the tournament. In the moments after Spain beat the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, the players celebrated together on the pitch, while Vilda was left standing on his own.
Contrast that with Wiegman, who after the Lionesses defeated Australia on Wednesday was bear-hugged by captain Millie Bright and hoisted into the air. Wiegman has complete buy-in from England’s players, who enjoy her clarity and calmness, and the trust she radiates has been underlined at this tournament.
England started with a 4-2-3-1 formation, but after two games assistant Arjan Veurink approached her and said it was time to change. In April, the pair had floated the idea of playing with a back three and, with Walsh injured, Veurink suggested they use it now.
The move has been proved right and England’s shift in style means they are arguably more suited to playing Spain now than they were a year ago, when they needed extra-time to scrape through the quarter-finals on their way to Euros glory.
That game was a battle for possession, but now England are happy to be without the ball. The back-three has given them solidity in defence and they are happy to let teams come on to them. Spain will relish that approach, but it will leave the door open for England to hit them on the counter.
Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp have starred for England in wins against Colombia and Australia and the side looks settled. Everyone is fit and the only decision for Wiegman is whether she picks Lauren James over Ella Toone, now she is available after serving her last-16 red-card ban.
These England players are not weighed down by history, instead they want to create it
Wiegman is expected to stick with Toone, who scored in Wednesday’s semi-final win, as the Lionesses finally came through a World Cup semi-final after heartbreaking defeats in their previous two.
In 2015, Laura Bassett scored an injury-time own goal against Japan, while in 2019 Steph Houghton missed a late penalty against the USA. This time, though, England are ready to seize their moment.
“I’ve always said the one thing I’ve wanted for England is to get a star above my crest,” said Lucy Bronze. “The men have it and we don’t so finally we can share the same crest.”
