While the Lionesses continue to be led by Sarina Wiegman, their future is in safe hands.
Two tournaments, two finals, one trophy. Yesterday’s World Cup dream may have ended in heartbreak, but the impact of what this England side has achieved will be felt for years to come.
A number of key players in this team are still young. Lauren James is 21, Ella Toone and Lauren Hemp are 23, Alessia Russo and Georgia Stanway are both 24, Chloe Kelly is 25. England’s job is to grow and improve the next generation.
Spain, for example, has a clear way of playing from youth level to the senior team and that is something Wiegman has tried to implement in England. Her assistant Arjan Veurink, together with the younger teams, ensures that all age groups have the same ‘identity’.
“He works very closely with our development teams in terms of our style of play and identity across all of our teams,” said Kay Cossington, the FA’s women’s technical director.
The Lionesses have been given a lifeline after goalkeeper Mary Earps saved a penalty from Spain
“Sarina has a real passion for making sure we connect throughout the game. She has invested in making sure we grow all aspects of our Pathway teams and we spend a lot of time together making sure we have a continuous pipeline of players with a clear English identity.”
There is optimism about the talent coming through at Under-17s, with players like Arsenal’s Michelle Agyemang looking forward to a bright future.
There is a little more concern about the age group between Under 19 and the senior team and there is work to be done between now and 2027. But how long will Wiegman be here?
Her contract runs until the end of Euro 2025 and Wiegman said ahead of the final she has no intention of leaving amid rumors of interest from the United States.
But the Football Association is desperate to keep their manager on board.
“We always said we would get to it after a tournament (contract talks),” FA chief Mark Bullingham said. “We had good talks after the European Championship, there will be a suitable time to do it.
“She has a contract until 2025 and then of course she wants to have a decent holiday. But all I want to say is that we are huge fans of hers. We think she’s happy and we’d like to work with her for a long time to come.’
Wiegman said she hopes to reach more finals with this England team, but would not be interested in staying on for the next World Cup in 2027.
The England team line up for their historic World Cup final against Spain in Sydney
Sarina Wiegman insisted England give everything they had in their World Cup final defeat
The Spanish players celebrate after beating England 1-0 in Australia to win the World Cup
“Four years is a long time. We have a very short lead time, but we will start in September with Scotland and the Netherlands in the Nations League to qualify for the Olympics.
“You want to keep getting better. I hope to get another moment in the future with the team I work with, that would be great, because it’s very special to play finals.’
Qualifying for the Olympic Games is the next task for this English team. They will begin their Nations League campaign against Scotland next month and the two sides advancing to the final will qualify for the tournament, along with hosts France.
Of course it would be a team from Team GB, rather than England, but Wiegman would probably be the manager.
She took the Netherlands to Tokyo in 2021, but their quarter-final exit, coupled with the Covid-19 experience, means Wiegman is desperate for another chance to take gold.
Alessia Russo also seemed emotional as England tragically fell at the last hurdle to lose 1-0
England captain Millie Bright looks on with tears in her eyes after a painful World Cup defeat
“The Olympics were a bit disappointing because it was in Covid, and it was a big dream of mine to go to the Olympics, but the Olympics weren’t like everything… well, I said it before, it felt like a prison .
‘Football unites and football brings people together, and that connection was not there, so we were not allowed to do anything. We were in a hotel, stuck in the hotel, so the fun of making contact and getting all the energy from everyone wasn’t there.’
Bullingham said the FA “has a plan” and talks will take place if and when England qualify for the Olympics. There are reasons to be optimistic that they will and that they can be successful at Euro 2025.
Wiegman gives himself some time to process yesterday’s defeat, but work soon starts again. For now, the future looks bright. But how long that future includes Wiegman is up to her.
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