Anton Toloui reports from inside the Lionesses camp as pressure on the European champions increases amid a run of mixed results; England were beaten 4-3 by Germany at Wembley last week; it was the first time they have conceded four under Sarina Wiegman
Tuesday 29 October 2024 11:22, UK
Great things are expected of England these days, it’s something the players and coaching staff are getting used to.
The problem is, as head coach Sarina Wiegman has repeatedly claimed, progress isn't always an upward curve as her side prepares to defend their Euros title next summer.
The Lionesses will, of course, be judged by their successes in Switzerland next summer, but it's easy to see why questions are being asked about the team nine months before the big kick-off.
England were humbled at home to Germany during a chaotic display against a side missing a fair few of their big names.
Senior players were picked ahead of in-form, younger members of the squad, yet England were 3-0 down inside 30 minutes in front of 50,000 at Wembley.
"It doesn't matter how fair the criticism is", Wiegman insists. She's adamant they have a plan and one defeat won't affect how they prepare for 2025.
The players have been quick to focus on the positives, saying they'll learn lessons in defeat and use each game to build towards something greater.
As professional and optimistic as the squad was after the final whistle on Friday night, it's never nice answering questions about a defeat or poor performance.
That's probably why Georgia Stanway represented the players at Monday's pre-match press conference in Coventry, despite doing the same both before and after the Germany loss.
"When you ask a difficult question I like to reply with a bit of humour," the Bayern Munich midfielder told us when asked about why she's on media duty again.
Stanway clearly took one for the team, giving reporters light relief while allowing her fellow players time to step out of the spotlight.
But England's form against the best on the continent has been patchy over the last season-and-a-half.
They have beaten and lost to Netherlands, Belgium and France and as well as drawing with Sweden twice since 2023's World Cup final.
In that time, new WSL stars have emerged, including Grace Clinton, Jess Park, Maya Le Tissier and Aggie Beever-Jones - yet, none were trusted from the start on Friday night.
Wiegman says she will experiment against South Africa, and probably next month against Switzerland, but how many of the established starting XI are sweating over their places ahead of taking on best in class - Emma Hayes' USA - in late November?
And the bigger question: how many established regulars should be nervous as Wiegman attempts to find the right formula for success at Euro 2025 next summer?
