Clear approach: Sarina Wiegman’s England tenure to date has been laden with goals and wins
(Picture: The FA via Getty Images)It was in one of her first meetings with the FA that Sarina Wiegman dropped into conversation the exact number of days until this summer’s Women’s Euros.
The remark typifies the level of detail Wiegman has brought to the England set-up, and she has worked backwards from next week’s tournament opener against Austria to map out how best the Lionesses could use the time to prepare.
Wiegman has stuck to the principle of less is more. Sessions on and off the field have been intense, but that has been balanced by players being given time off to stay fresh, and those in the squad have been particularly appreciative of being allowed to leave camp at weekends to see their families.
Kay Cossington, the FA’s head of women’s technical development, says: “It’s a culture where players and staff can thrive and excel, and feel comfortable being themselves.
“Sarina provides absolute clarity in what she wants and what is needed. Everybody is clear on what we are trying to achieve and how we are going to achieve it.
“Winning oozes out of her, but it’s not winning as the result. It’s about winning and achieving in everything we do, so being the best in everything we can do, from training to planning for events, feedback to players. The result is the end product.”
And the results have been incredibly impressive so far, with England unbeaten in 13 games under Wiegman and scoring 80 goals in the process.
They play their final warm-up match in Switzerland tonight when they will be without Lucy Bronze due to sickness.
Wiegman has encouraged the team to play out from the back, and Alex Greenwood’s shift from left-back to the heart of defence has been a big part of that. It has allowed centre-back Leah Williamson, now the captain, to start in midfield and dominate possession.
Players have found training and meetings under Wiegman very clear, as a result of them being short in length. It is the way the 52-year-old has often worked and at Sparta Rotterdam, where she interned during her UEFA Pro Licence in 2015, she is remembered as a person who knows “exactly what she wants”.
That clarity has come across in England’s training and has made it easier for players to execute the stylish plan Wiegman has devised.
“Sarina always wanted to play ‘pretty’ football,” says Jeanet van der Laan, who played with Wiegman at Ter Leede. “We had a coach on the bench, but we always listened to Sarina! I was a defender and she always pushed me to play forward more than I was used to.”
Away from the pitch, Wiegman has worked to change the culture in the England camp, too. She is described by FA officials as “super approachable”, and their opposite numbers at the Dutch FA echo that view.
Wiegman is a people person, with her years as a teacher helping her understand how to manage a group. Players have noticed personal touches, and Chloe Kelly particularly appreciated Wiegman staying in touch when she was out with a serious knee injury.
Wiegman has tried to create a culture where people can be themselves, and that was the message she gave to the wider squad when they first met up at St George’s Park to prepare for the Euros. At that stage, Wiegman had not cut five players from the squad and she emphasised to the group during a speech that everyone should focus on themselves instead of comparing themselves to others.
Despite England scoring 80 goals in 13 games, Wiegman has called on her forwards to be even more ruthless
That cutting of the squad from 28 to 23 involved axing Steph Houghton, who captained England for eight years before Williamson was given the armband in April.
Houghton had not played since January due to injury, but it was nonetheless a big call leaving her out. Wiegman, however, is not afraid of that. In 2017, she dropped Holland captain Mandy van den Berg two games into the Euros.
“Nobody is bigger than the goal or the team,” adds Van der Laan. “Sarina is very straight; you get what you see. She doesn’t say anything without a plan.”
Holland went on to win that Euros and Wiegman is an ambitious character who will want to do the same with England.
Despite England scoring 80 goals in 13 games, she has called on her forwards to be even more ruthless, and that desire to be the best is what many believes makes her so successful.
“I remember that for the Euros in 2017, the team were going to set goals, such as survive the group stage and take it game by game, depending on who we draw,” says Kirsten van de Ven, the Dutch FA’s head of women’s football.
“And Sarina said, ‘No! We are going to win, that’s our goal!’ She is not afraid of pressure. That is actually what she loves.”
Wiegman is already regarded as a “living legend” in Holland for the way she transformed the women’s game.
And, if she takes the Lionesses all the way this summer, similar status beckons in England.
