Sarina Wiegman hit back at criticism of her team selection for England’s 4-3 friendly defeat by Germany at Wembley saying she is “not going to make changes just for the sake of it”.
England began with a familiar starting XI in London, which had prompted questions about the manager’s decision to seemingly prioritise experience over form. Aggie Beever-Jones, Grace Clinton, Maya Le Tissier, Alex Greenwood and Jess Park, who have all been performing well for their respective clubs, were all named on the bench for the visit of Germany.
“We’re playing Germany. That’s a high-level team. Players are knocking on the door, competing for minutes and I’m not going to make changes for the sake of it,” said Wiegman. “I’m going to start getting ready for July 2, all of my decisions are based on that.”
That date is when the Lionesses begin the defence of their European Championship title at Euro 2025 in Switzerland. Wiegman added she was happy with her starting lineup, and the opportunity to see other players coming off the bench, saying it was “always easy to say after a game” if the result was not satisfactory. “I’m happy with the team. What we wanted was to see other players, which we did, and we know there is a huge competition going on and that’s good for the team.”
Wiegman defended her selection of Leah Williamson at centre-back over Greenwood. Williamson has yet to look completely comfortable since her return from an ACL injury and was withdrawn in a pre-planned move after an hour. “The decision is based on the balance in possession, out of possession, defending, heading,” Wiegman said. “I picked based on all of those things.”
The England manager also opted for Ella Toone in the No 10 role over Park or Clinton. “Ella has played well for us. These are high-level games, Grace is getting there, she’s a different type of player. Park is doing well. They’re challenging and fighting for minutes and yes, there’s a competition going on.”
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Germany’s manager, Christian Wück, praised his players’ performance in the first 30 minutes. “I would hesitate to say England were weak at any point,” he said. “We were so dominant and strong in the first 30 minutes. But we failed to continue with full pressure and allowed England back into the game. In the second half, I felt England played a more dominant game.”
Source: theguardian.com
