Sarina Wiegman: “Vilda has done a good job with Spain”
England coach Sarina Wiegman says she hopes this World Cup will inspire other women and girls to get involved in the Beautiful Game.
England coach Sarina Wiegman was the picture of calm as she and captain Millie Bright answered questions from reporters on the eve of the World Cup final against Spain. Both praised La Roja and Jorge Vilda for their excellent campaign so far and said that Spain fully deserve to be in the final contesting the trophy.
Only coach to play two World Cup finals with different teams: “Playing a final, again, it’s really special. I know that. I never take anything for granted. We are just preparing for a game - and yes, it is a final but we don’t do anything differently than we do normally. It’s just about getting ready for the game against Spain tomorrow”.
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You lost the final in 2019 [with the Netherlands to the USWNT], what is the most important thing for this World Cup final? “I think this is a whole new situation, it’s not 2019, it’s 2023. I’m coaching another team. I think England is in a very good place, everyone’s fit, we’ve grown into the tournament, we’ve grown in confidence and we’ll just prepare as we always do and won’t do different things all of a sudden. We’ve had our last training session and we’ll have our last meetings within the 24 hours.
Is it true that you will be appointed the next coach of England’s men’s team? “Nothing about that. let’s just talk about the final for tomorrow”.
What’s your message to your adopted country back home? “It’s incredible what happens [in the stadiums]. We’ve felt the support here, but also from the other side of the world, in the UK. That’s something that you dream of. And we just hope that we play our best game ever tomorrow and that everyone who is watching, in the stadium, in the UK but also everywhere else, enjoys it”.
How do you feel to be the coach of a nation that has invested so heavily in women’s soccer? “I feel privileged. I’m very happy in the place where I am right now. There’s a lot of support from the FA, from the board, and I have a very good team of staff. We have everything we need to perform at the highest level. We have a very good team, with very good players so it’s a pleasure to work with these incredible people”.
Euro 2022 final against Spain: “We’ve watched the game back, but not over and over. We move on. Tomorrow, we’re ready - tactically, technically... of course we have watched Spain, we have analyzed them with our analytical team. And I think we’re ready”.
Jorge Vilda: “ I think the Spanish team is in a good place and they’ve had a very good tournament so far. And as always, they want to play a possession game and they’re very dynamic and want to go forward all the time and also in defence, they want to go forward. That’s not very different from when I’ve seen them before - so in that way, they haven’t changed that much. I think at moments, they will challenge us but we will challenge them too”.
Message to the next generation of coaches: “First of all, I hope that more and more women start coaching, I think it’s getting better but the balance needs to be better. In lots of countries there are now campaigns and events to get women involved. I think it also helps that women see other women on the stage, on the pitch, next to the pitch... and have examples, because what we see, you can be. We have to keep pushing so that more start coaching and they enjoy that job too.”
What Sarina is like: “I think I can be a good coach in different ways. I believe in connecting with people helps, so that’s what I am trying to do. If you create a good relationship, you can have good conversations but it’s more... you also have to do tactics, you have to train well and you have to have a philosophy and a good knowledge of the game - and knowledge of the physical part of the game. You need a lot of knowledge and know how you want to be as a person and how you want to connect with your players and staff”.
How would you describe this England team in one word? “Togetherness would be one of the words I could use. We are very adaptable and resilient - that’s what we have shown. And I think we have a recognizable style of play. How we can get more girls playing football? First of all. perform at the highest level and make it visible. The team has inspired the nation so much, last year but also in the other games we’ve played and now at the World Cup, on this stage. I think that will absolutely increase the amount of girls that start playing football - not only in the UK but worldwide.
“In England, it’s really good that it’s a strong competition - the players benefit from that. I think you also see that the competition becomes more and more international so top level players choose to go to the top competitions where the competition is really strong. Then you can step up to international football easier, because the demands of the game are becoming higher and higher. Not just at international club level but also at national team level - that’s what we’ve seen in this World Cup”.
Lauren James: “She’s good. Of course, she kept training and it’s really nice to have 22 players available tomorrow.
“I said after that game, that it was just a moment. And of course she really regretted that moment straight away. She apologized, she was punished for that and we all know this should not be part of football. She walked over her butt.. and she really regretted it. She’s started training again of course and in the end we supported her because sometimes, when you’re not that experienced at this level, some fatigue comes in the game, and you have just a split second where you lose your emotions. This happens and it’s a mistake. It’s a hard learning lesson, but now she’s ready to play again”.