>
Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman admits she is unsure of her starting XI with just five months to go until the World Cup, as she uses the Arnold Clark Cup to rotate players and try out new formations.
- England boss Sarina Wiegman insisted she doesn’t know their strongest lineup
- Wiegman started with the same team in all the games that the Lionesses won the Eurocup
- The coach has used the Arnold Clark Cup to rotate players and test formations
England manager Sarina Wiegman has insisted she does not know her strongest starting XI with five months to go before the World Cup opening game.
Wiegman started with the same team in every game during Euros last summer, but has used the Arnold Clark Cup to rotate players and formations.
With two wins in two games extending the Lionesses’ unbeaten streak to 28, the competition for spots is fiercer than ever and Wiegman admitted he will have some national team headaches before the summer.
‘We want to win the [Arnold Clark] tournament, we also want to manage the load a bit. We don’t really know the strongest XI at the moment, we don’t have to know yet.
‘This shows that our team is really good. It is difficult to make decisions.
England manager Sarina Wiegman insisted she doesn’t know her strongest starting XI
Lionesses have won both games in the Arnold Clark Cup to extend their unbeaten streak to 28
‘I think the depth in the team is growing. What you see now is that it is very difficult to make decisions.
‘We have such a big group that can play at that stage [on the World Cup]. We have more than 11 players who could start on the team.
“It’s not that they’re not good enough to start with, it’s just technical choices that we made.” We don’t have to make that decision now. In fact, it is very exciting.
One of Wiegman’s biggest selection dilemmas is the No. 9 spot after Ellen White’s retirement.
Lionesses boss Wiegman started with the same team in every game during Euros last summer.
Alessia Russo started and scored in the opener against South Korea, but Rachel Daly had two against Italy at the weekend.
Russo is the favorite to be the starting striker in the World Cup, but Wiegman acknowledged that it will be a difficult decision.
‘It’s very exciting because we have so many good nines and more good forwards. It’s going to be difficult, but that’s what we want.
England play Belgium at the Ashton Gate Stadium in the city of Bristol tomorrow night. Both teams are on six points, but the Lionesses will retain the trophy if they avoid defeat due to their superior goal difference.