England boss Sarina Wiegman says that she understands the spirit of 1966 and the Lionesses are ready to make history tomorrow.
The women’s team go into the country’s first World Cup final in 57 years, when Bobby Moore’s legendary side beat West Germany 4-2 at Wembley. The match against Spain is the first time the side has reached a World Cup final after semi-final defeats in both 2015 and 2019.
Speaking near the team HQ in Terrigal, New South Wales, Sarina, 53, said: “Everyone is talking about 1966. So let’s try and be at our best on Sunday. “I am so proud of this team They have risen to every challenge, shown so much resilience. We have what we plan to do; Spain have strengths but also weaknesses and we want to exploit them.”
There were emotional scenes at the end of our emphatic 3-1 semi-final victory over host nation Australia on Wednesday. Yesterday, she spoke openly about overcoming the heartbreaking death of her sister last year. She was pictured kissing a bracelet worn in her memory at the end of the 2-1 Euro 2022 final win over Germany.
England's 1966 winning team (Popperfoto via Getty Images)“In my personal life, when someone passes who is really close to you, it is not like ‘two months and it is gone’,” she said. The Dutch manager has been linked to a role coaching the US. But she is happy to stay in her job until at least 2025, and has no complaints about her salary despite suggestions she should be paid the same as Gareth Southgate, boss of the men’s team.
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She added: “I think that I am learning what it is to be English a little bit more. The English are very polite and sometimes you think are you saying what you really mean?” Her players paid tribute to their boss as a winner who has created a focus in the camp but also a family atmosphere.
Sarina will not rest until the final whistle on Sunday, but has the support of husband Marten Glotzbach, daughters Sacha and Lauren and twin brother Tom. She added: “I feel very privileged to work with this team, they have been so great. I felt the country was so desperate to win the final when I took over. The question is how do we make that happen?”
Flags at 10 Downing St (PA)The Lionesses have one more training session before they will walk out in Sydney’s Stadium Australia in front of more than 75,000 fans on Sunday night, with the kick off at 11am UK time. Our Barmy Army of around 5,000 supporters from the UK is likely to be boosted by thousands more expats Down Under.
Back home, millions are getting ready for the match, including at 10 Downing Street, where they put up some England flags. The women’s Euro 2022 final attracted 17.5million viewers. And tomorrow morning more than 20 million people are expected to watch as the game is being televised on both ITV and the BBC.
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