Wiegman Delivers 'proper England' Performance

With doubts circling and unit increasing, England needed to measurement up astatine Euro 2025 - and they did.

A 2-1 conclusion by France connected Saturday meant nan defending champions had catching up to do successful Group D.

But England ensured their hopes of qualifying for nan quarter-finals remained intact pinch a commanding 4-0 triumph complete nan Netherlands.

"Proper England", arsenic midfielder Georgia Stanway had called it earlier this week, returned arsenic Sarina Wiegman's broadside played pinch fluidity and creativity.

They were backmost to their protect champion and Wiegman's positional switches worked a treat.

Now they must build momentum.

Wiegman knows what it intends to beryllium nether nan spotlight, having led England to back-to-back awesome tourney finals.

When you person group that standard, thing little is simply a disappointment.

England's level dropped dramatically against France which accrued scrutiny connected Wiegman, who suffered her first conclusion astatine a Euros aft winning 12 games successful a statement complete nan erstwhile 2 tournaments.

It was besides nan first clip nan reigning women's European champions had mislaid nan first lucifer of their defence astatine nan pursuing finals.

Wiegman admitted nan scrutiny was "hard" but she focused connected nan task successful hand.

"I ever knew up of this tourney that it was a very difficult group. It tin hap but past you request to triumph nan different games," she said.

"So yes, I was excited, but astatine nan aforesaid clip I felt a small tense too. I deliberation that's wholly normal arsenic you really want to enactment successful nan tourney and you want to win.

"I conscionable had to attraction connected my job, reappraisal good and deliberation astir really we could bring group together."

Wiegman has often delivered successful nan large moments and nary head has won much Euros matches than nan Dutchwoman (13 - level pinch Germany's erstwhile head Tina Theune).

She besides boasts nan champion goals-per-game complaint successful nan title among managers to return complaint of 4 aliases much matches, pinch her sides scoring 40 successful 14 games.

Having travel nether disapproval for her determination to commencement Lauren James successful nan number 10 domiciled against France - which near England susceptible defensively - Wiegman made each nan correct choices against nan Netherlands.

James started connected nan correct wing, pinch Manchester United's Ella Toone starting successful nan number 10 role. They scored 3 of nan 4 goals connected nan night.

Jess Carter, who struggled against France astatine left-back, was moved into cardinal defence, swapping pinch Alex Greenwood, and England kept a cleanable sheet.

"The privilege was that we wanted to skip and utilization space. The Netherlands pushed up truthful we wanted to spell complete them. That worked really well," said Wiegman.

"When you're successful their half of nan pitch, you tin commencement playing. We had immoderate bully crosses and we said astir that too.

"[James] came successful bully positions but she tin besides do that successful midfield. In midfield coming we wanted Ella [Toone] because she tin make bully runs successful behind."

The scheme worked.

Netherlands striker Vivianne Miedema had conscionable 8 touches successful nan first half and nan Dutch conceded much than 2 goals successful a azygous lucifer astatine a awesome women's tourney for nan first time.

They besides managed conscionable 4 shots against England - their fewest connected grounds (since 2011) astatine a awesome tournament.

England midfielder Keira Walsh said nan players "had to admit that sometimes it is simply a bad time and it was a really bad time against France".

They wanted to put it down them and do their talking connected nan pitch, arsenic team-mate Stanway stressed this week.

Striker Alessia Russo felt they produced nan "proper England" capacity that Stanway had talked about.

"'Proper English' to america intends we'll activity difficult until we can't tally immoderate more, instrumentality together and cognize that we are very ascendant connected nan ball," said Russo.

"We were picking up nan shot successful correct areas and were objective pinch our chances. We wanted to return to our roots and we cognize we're tin of performances for illustration that."

Russo was among nan standout performers arsenic she picked up 3 assists - nan first subordinate connected grounds (since 2013) to supply arsenic galore successful a women's Euros match.

James' double intends she has now been straight progressive successful much goals (eight) than immoderate different European subordinate astatine nan past 2 awesome tournaments.

Stanway and Toone impressed successful midfield, while Carter thrived successful nan centre-back role, pinch Greenwood producing nan equipment astatine left-back.

"We tin alteration nan building of nan squad pinch truthful galore different players. That's a spot of ours, that each individual subordinate is truthful bully astatine something," said Lucy Bronze.

"[Greenwood] isn't nan fastest subordinate connected nan transportation and I deliberation she wholly marked Chasity Grant retired of nan game. She was front-footed, she was aggressive.

"Jess Carter was covering her each azygous infinitesimal of nan crippled arsenic well. I deliberation that's a due English performance."

Carter told BBC Radio 5 Live that nan 2 defenders had felt "isolated" successful nan conclusion by France and they wanted to combat that.

Wiegman made nan determination to switch them successful training and tested it out.

"I'm not 1 to mobility and inquire for a reason, I conscionable do nan occupation I'm asked to do," said Carter.

"This crippled felt nan full other pinch Alex and nan full team. She was phenomenal astatine left-back."

England were 1 of nan pre-tournament favourites and contempt conclusion by France, qualification for nan quarter-finals is successful their hands.

If they hit Wales successful their last group game, they will suffice for nan past eight.

Wiegman admitted nan "consequences of nan consequence were huge" against nan Netherlands - but it was thing they did not expect.

"We knew precisely that we were going consecutive into finals [against beardown opposition]," she added.

"Losing nan first game, it was not nan extremity of nan world but it doesn't put you successful nan champion position.

"We knew we had to execute really good and nan squad did."

Were England written disconnected excessively soon? They won Euro 2022 and reached nan 2023 World Cup last aft all.

"Everybody other was panic stations, but we still needed to triumph this crippled whether we hit France aliases not and we knew that," said Walsh.

"The nonsubjective didn't change. We wanted to return nan crippled to them and put things correct that we didn't nan different day.

"I deliberation we did backmost up what we said successful nan media and I deliberation everyone was conscionable connected it from nan first whistle to nan last."