Sarina Wiegman has said she is “very worried” about the state of the international calendar, with England players back in camp in order to prepare for two Nations League games less than a month after their World Cup final defeat against Spain.
“I was worried before the World Cup, and we knew it was a short turnaround. We really have to get connected with Fifa and Uefa to make that better,” Wiegman said.
“The game is growing, which is really good, but it has to grow together and players need some rest too. Next week they come in and some players only had six days off, which after such a high-pressure competition is not good for them.” The Arsenal duo Lotte Wubben‑Moy and Alessia Russo have played in Champions League qualifiers against Paris FC and Linköping since returning from Australia.
“We have major tournaments in the summer all the time,” Wiegman said. “The urgency to solve it and make it better is really high. We first have to see how they are physically and get them fresh. That’s going to be a challenge.
“Of course, you have the team and want to perform at the highest level with the team so you want players to be fresh. It’s balancing whether this player is fresh enough or fit enough.”
Keira Walsh is not in England’s squad because of a calf injury Wiegman described as “not a major thing”. Beth England is also out having undergone surgery for a hip problem.
The influential midfielder Walsh missed England’s final group game at the World Cup against China after sustaining a knee injury in the win over Denmark but she played in all the knockout games after the injury was revealed not to be as bad as first feared.
Speaking about Walsh’s absence, Wiegman said: “She has a small calf injury and it’s just too short to come into camp. It’s not a major thing but she’s not ready to play. It has nothing to do with that [World Cup injury].”
The head coach said she had also considered selecting Beth Mead and Fran Kirby following their respective injury layoffs. “Beth was in the Arsenal squad, but she still has a while. Fran is really close, she’s been playing some friendlies. I am looking forward to see them play but that will be after this international break.”
Lucy Staniforth and Maya Le Tissier, who travelled to Australia with England before leaving camp after the first game, have been called up, as has Manchester City’s Jess Park.
England open their Nations League campaign against Scotland at the Stadium of Light next Friday before travelling to Utrecht the following Tuesday to play the Netherlands. Belgium complete the four‑team group, the winners of which will qualify for the semi-finals in February. England must reach the final to secure a place for Team GB at the Paris Olympics next summer; should the Olympic hosts France make the final, then England can afford to finish third.
Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City)
Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Laura Coombs (Manchester City), Jordan Nobbs (Aston Villa), Jess Park (Manchester City), Lucy Staniforth (Aston Villa), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Katie Zelem (Manchester United)
Forwards: Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Katie Robinson (Brighton & Hove Albion), Alessia Russo (Arsenal)
Speaking in regards to Luis Rubiales’s resignation as president of Spain’s football federation, Wiegman echoed the message she delivered when being named Uefa’s coach of the year this month. “What I want to talk about now is that we should celebrate football and the Spanish players who won the World Cup – we haven’t been talking about that at all,” she said. “We have seen what is going on in the news and we should leave the right people to deal with that. Players need to be listened to and we need to move forward. The women’s game has improved but there’s still a long way to go. We need to make the world better for players.”
On the dispute between her own players and the Football Association over World Cup bonuses, Wiegman said she was “positive” there will be a good outcome. “The players and the FA didn’t agree before the tournament, they agreed to disagree. I am very hopeful, I am very positive. The environment has been very good, it just needs more time to get some solutions, the FA and the players are in good communication.”
