Ruthless Lionesses: England routed Switzerland 4-0 in a friendly to complete their Euros prep
(Picture: Getty Images)England Women boss Sarina Wiegman will be keen to keep feet on the ground, but the Lionesses’ warm-up games for this month’s Euros have shown why they are serious contenders to go all the way.
England won their third and final warm-up game last night as they beat Switzerland 4-0, thanks to goals from Alessia Russo, Georgia Stanway, Bethany England and Jill Scott.
It maintains England’s unbeaten record under Wiegman (14), while they have scored 12 goals and conceded one in their warm-ups. There has been a familiar theme to the victories: in all three, England scored three goals in the final 30 minutes. That is a testament to the fitness of the squad, but also the strength in depth at Wiegman’s disposal.
When it comes to starting XIs, there are five or six serious contenders to win the tournament, but few can boast the level of squad depth England have.
“We say all the time that we have a team of 23 and all can play,” said Wiegman. “And they all can impact the game. We saw it again today. It’s a very good result. We showed again we are a very fit team. We brought on subs and showed again we don’t play with just 11 players.”
Wiegman will have learned the extent of the depth available to her from these three games as she decides who to start in next Wednesday’s Euros opener against Austria. She has plenty of options, and one of the big calls to be made is where she plays captain Leah Williamson.
Since Wiegman was appointed, the defender has been pushed into midfield, but last night she reverted to centre-back and looked at home during an accomplished display.
Those calls will be tough, but they are exactly the type of selection headaches Wiegman will have wanted right now.
