A campaign of huge regrets
How big a disaster is England’s failure to progress from their Nations League group, in turn ending hopes of Olympic qualification for Team GB? Very big. Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses will likely reflect on this inaugural Nations League campaign with huge regrets; from the two poorly conceded goals on the counterattack in the 3-2 win over the Netherlands at Wembley and Lauren Hemp’s miss from a few yards in the 6-0 defeat of Scotland that was not enough to earn progression, to conceding late to suffer a 3-2 defeat by Belgium in the previous round of games or losing in the final minute against the Netherlands in Utrecht in September. “You think of ‘what ifs’ throughout the whole of your football career – that’s just the way football works,” the Chelsea full-back Niamh Charles said. “We know there’s going to be times where it’s gone in our favour and times when it’s not. I think dwelling on them you could go round and round in circles.” That is England’s task now, to avoid going round in circles on those what ifs and focus on how to make sure tournament fatigue does not prevent them from making a quick start in the Nations League next time.
