By Lori Ewing
BURTON UPON TRENT, England (Reuters) – England shoulder heavy expectations at the Women’s World Cup as the reigning European champions, but the Lionesses say they are embracing the pressure that is well-earned.
England begin their campaign against Haiti on July 22 in Brisbane and are favourites to go beyond the semi-final stage for the first time in their history.
“Obviously there’s going to be a lot of pressure on us. There’s expectations. But as the girls have been saying in the group, ‘pressure is a privilege,'” said Tottenham Hotspur forward Bethany England, quoting a phrase made famous by tennis icon Billie Jean King.
“Anything can happen in tournament football and we’ll go out there and certainly give it our all … but we know anything could happen.”
Sarina Wiegman’s side, ranked fourth in the world, have been riding a wave of momentum. They hoisted the Euro trophy with a 2-1 extra time victory over Germany last July. Their 2-0 loss to Australia in April ended an audacious 30-game unbeaten streak of 25 wins and five draws.
But in a year that has seen so many women sidelined with catastrophic injuries, England are among the hardest hit. Captain Leah Williamson, Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner Beth Mead and Fran Kirby are all out with major knee injuries.
So, while the title of Euro champions is nice, Rachel Daly, the top scorer in the Women’s Super League this season, said it means little heading Down Under.
“A lot has changed since then,” the Aston Villa forward said. “The team’s changed. We’ve got new faces. Obviously some of the girls are injured, some have retired, so it’s a new challenge for us.
“It’s nice that we’ve got that under our belts but it’s put to bed now and it’s a completely different tournament.”
The Lionesses have played in five of the eight World Cups, with a best finish of bronze in 2015. They also faltered at the last four in the previous World Cup in 2019, losing 2-1 to eventual champions the United States.
But Wiegman, who Williamson once described as “the missing ingredient,” has England on top of their game since her appointment in 2021 that coincided with the start of their sterling unbeaten streak.
The 53-year-old Dutchwoman, who led the Netherlands to the Euro 2017 title and a runners-up finish at the 2019 World Cup, is known for her consistency, becoming the first coach in Euros history to select the same starting XI in every game.
“There’s a lot of clarity in the way we’ve played,” Mead said last year.
Defender Millie Bright will captain the Lionesses, who also face Denmark and China in Group D.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
