‘We have to move forward’ – England want to stay at the top says Wiegman | OneFootball

England head coach Sarina Wiegman says that her side are looking to the future following their UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 success in the summer.

The Lionesses return to action with an international friendly fixture against Brazil at the City of Manchester Stadium on Saturday evening.

After a period of celebration, it is now time for England to get back to work and head coach Wiegman says that the aim is to look forward and to stay at the very top.

“I think everyone deals with it differently,” Wiegman said when speaking in the pre-match press conference about leaving the celebrations behind. “What we always do is celebrate and then review; what went well, what we need to improve, the trends and what we want to do to move forward because time flies. That’s how we approach it to the players. Of course, every player will adapt to it in their own way and we try to support them.

“We will never push away what we have achieved because that’s very special and we will always cherish that but we have to move forward too. We are already moving forward because there’s a game tomorrow and we want to stay on top.”

Going on to discuss the threat of Brazil, Wiegman is expecting to be tested by a physical opponent that won’t shy away from a fight.

She said “They’re very physical and athletic, they have a lot of pace upfront. They can play football but they also want to play forward fast and make it an opportune game, so that will challenge us.

“With the South American mentality, there will be a lot of flair. We will try to stay out of the fight and play football. They’ll go one-on-one, they’ll want to challenge and they’ll want to go into those duels but we will try and stay out of those duels.”

Four players have pulled out of the England squad through illness or injury and Wiegman sees the situation as an opportunity to try new partnerships and combinations.

She said “Of course, it is always a test. I think it’s really good that we have four friendlies over the next couple of months. What we also want to do is try out new things, see players, see different combinations.

“It’s huge opportunity and it’s necessary because we have some injuries and a retired player.”

England’s international friendly fixture against Brazil kicks-off at 5.30pm on Saturday evening. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.