Lucy Staniforth’s positivity speaks to the supportive culture that so evidently exists within the Lionesses camp.
As the midfielder speaks to Standard Sport on the eve of a first World Cup final in the history of the England women’s team, she reflects on the seismic opportunity that awaits her team-mates, not her own disappointment at not being a part of it all in Sydney right now.
The Aston Villa midfielder was part of the standby squad 12 months ago, when the Lionesses won the Euros on home soil. And she was again on the standby list this summer — making the provisional squad but not the final 23.
“It was a really positive experience”, Staniforth says of being part of the provisional group. “Obviously I would love to be there now, but I’m really glad I did it.”
For the 30-year-old from York, England head into Sunday’s Women’s World Cup Final as favourites against fellow first-time finalists Spain.
“That was the most complete performance from them so far”, she says of Wednesday’s semi-final triumph over co-hosts Australia. “I still think there’s more to come from them. It’s brilliant we’ve not peaked yet. I felt calm, even when Sam Kerr scored.
“Out of all the teams in this tournament, you can tell that we’ve won a trophy. We’ve been unshakeable from knockbacks. It just shows we’ve been there and done it before.
“I would single out the back five as outstanding. The world is finally getting to appreciate the quality [Alex Greenwood] has got.”
Greenwood has made more passes than anyone else across the whole tournament, and only Lucy Bronze has made more interceptions. The Manchester City defender could win player of the tournament.
“It would be apt if a defender got that accolade,” she adds. “It would be the icing on the cake for her if she could grab that trophy. But I’m pretty sure it’s the other trophy she would rather have!
“I feel very confident, maybe more confident than other people”, adds Staniforth, who played at the 2019 World Cup. “Spain have had good moments but they also lost very heavily against Japan, and England will take a lot of confidence from that.”
Lauren James is back for the final after serving her two-match suspension for stamping on Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie in the last-16. But in James’s absence, Ella Toone and Lauren Hemp have stepped up.
“Last summer, she played a big part without the goals”, Staniforth says of Hemp. “And now we’re getting to see that. She tears people apart in training for fun. It’s nice seeing her coming up clutch on the world stage.”
Toone’s wondergoal against Australia has given rise to a debate as to whether James should replace her in the line-up on Sunday or not.
She adds: “I think she’ll stick with Tooney, purely because of the feel-good momentum and rhythm of the team. Lauren’s a fantastic weapon to have in your back pocket if you need her. Let’s use her when we need her.”
Surely England’s greatest weapon, though, is their manager Sarina Wiegman. So outstanding is her tournament record in charge of the Netherlands and now England — the first head coach to take two nations to Women’s World Cup Finals — that after vanquishing Australia, she was left asking: “Am I here in a little fairytale or something?”
Staniforth smiles and says: “Sarina is just a really normal person, that’s the beauty of her. We have normal conversations about the simple things in life. Even when I was on standby, I felt we could sit and enjoy each other’s company — although we’re not WhatsApping each other all the time. She has a busy calendar these days.
“There are no egos in that team. It’s a wonderful bunch of human beings who care a lot about each other. Everyone is from humble beginnings. They’ve not lost track of where they’ve come from. It’s even more deserving when you see people like that succeed.”
Lucy Staniforth was supporting the Lionesses in their semi final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ match at a McDonald’s screening in Nottingham. McDonald’s is showing up for football fans this summer as the official restaurant sponsor of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
