Freedom the key for England midfielder Coombs | OneFootball

England midfielder Laura Coombs says that playing with freedom helps her to become a more confident player.

The Manchester City midfielder has been one of the success stories in the England team in recent months. She had not played for England since 2015 when head coach Sarina Wiegman handed her a shock recall for the Arnold Clark Cup earlier this year. Coombs took that opportunity with both hands and she has retained her place in the England squad for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023.

Confidence has sometimes been a barrier for Coombs in the past. She has bags of ability but her own self-doubt has been her biggest opponent. Coombs has learnt how to beat those personal challenges and she says that giving herself freedom is the key to boosting her self-confidence.

“I used to be very worried about how I played and put a lot of pressure on myself,” Coombs admitted when speaking on Lionesses Down Under. “Now, I just need to trust where I have got to in my career.

“When I go out on the pitch, I just try and make myself feel as free as possible and it really helps me take the chances when I get them and feel confident in myself.”

Despite Coombs’ lengthy absence from the England squad, the player never gave up hope of a recall. She put full focus and trust in her performances for Manchester City.

She said “Because it hadn’t happened for a while, I didn’t think about it for a long time for my own sake, I didn’t want to feel disappointed. I always knew that if I could string a number of good performances together, then I always had a good chance. It was a massive relief (to get the call-up), and I was a bit speechless.”

Coombs could get her first minutes in a FIFA Women’s World Cup when England face Haiti in Brisbane on Saturday morning.