Sarina Wiegman took over as Lionesses boss with one specific target. Her mission - and she chose to accept it - was to lead England to glory in the home Euros.
She had done it before, of course. She led her native Holland to Euros success when they hosted the tournament in 2017 and was seen by the Football Association as having the experience and know-how needed for a team packed with talent and potential.
Wiegman, 52, actually saw her role with England's women as a wider brief in line with the FA’s hope that, as tournament hosts, this summer can have a huge impact on the women’s game. The former PE teacher is now just 90 minutes away from lifting the trophy at Wembley on Sunday.
But she is already well on her way to achieving the target in the other part of her job because this tournament and the Lionesses’ success has been a game changer. There have been record viewing figures, sold out stadiums and it definitely feels like a moment in time for the women’s game. The buzz around the England games has been infectious, the interest is growing and that will surely have a positive effect on how many girls take up the sport and also for attendances in the Women’s Super League. And so much of that credit must come down to Wiegman. Last time, England went for a “name” in Phil Neville and, amid three semi-final defeats in a row, the ex- Manchester United defender just not could not inspire the Lionesses to get across the final hurdle.
In contrast, Wiegman had a big reputation within the women’s game, was a trailblazer as a player - becoming the first woman to reach 100 caps for Holland - and was always destined to be a coach. She went to the United States as a teenager, saw at close hand the potential for the women’s game within colleges and that was her sold on the idea. She started out by juggling her job as PE teacher but got her first time coaching role in 2007 with ADO De Haag and has grown ever since.
Holland were hardly red favourites when they won the Euros in 2017 but surprised everyone - not least England in the semi final - to win it as Wiegman showed she could handle the pressure and expectation of being tournament hosts. This is where her best quality is. She has a very calm demeanour, she has a knack of lifting the pressure off the players and, while Neville was probably better for a soundbite, Wiegman positively enjoys saying very little. She can see the questions coming a mile off at press conferences. They have got more obvious and desperate as the tournament has gone on, because as the hype builds she wants to subdue it. “Yes, I want to make history and make the country proud,” she laughed before the Sweden game in answer to yet another admirable question searching for a headline. She gives very little away.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Will England's Lionesses beat Germany? Let us know in the comments
Her real quality is on the pitch and the training pitch. Players talk about her preparation being faultless, sessions being well drilled and they are well coached. Players want to play for her. She identifies areas to exploit - and the players know exactly what to do. Norway was supposed to be a hard game, a potential banana skin against a very highly regarded team. England won 8-0 but the victory was all down to the tactical plan. You cannot always see the subtleties on the TV. But there was a gap between the Norway left back and centre half that England exposed time and time again.
They had clearly had the tactical plan imprinted on their brains - and they absolutely destroyed Norway down that channel. It may seem pretty basic but you rarely see a flaw so obviously exposed in a top-class game. Her use of substitutions has been unrivalled in this tournament. She has started every game with the same XI. That is set in stone. But it is a squad game because she has used her subs brilliantly to change games, influence games and find goals. That is again her attention to detail. She positively railed against a question when asked whether she had become more strict as the tournament went on. She definitely does not want to be seen as a disciplinarian.
More relaxed even though she wants rules and the players to be focused around the team hotel which, in credit to the FA, is a perfect basecamp with activities like an arcade basketball game and volleyball to keep them busy and occupied. Dressed in her modest £80 M&S power suit, she talks directly, is very forthright in her views but also has a softer side. Her sister passed away just weeks before the tournament and the players asked Wiegman if they could wear black armbands in tribute for their friendly against Belgium in June. It was clearly a gesture which meant so much and goes such a long way to revealing the respect between the manager and the players. And ultimately that is the key to Wingman’s success.
