“You want to see this team develop” – Wiegman challenges England to improve | OneFootball

Sarina Wiegman spoke to the media following England’s 3-0 win over Australia at Pride Park Stadium and was delighted with her side’s performance.

“Happy with the result. 3-0 is a very good score,” she said. “I think we started really well, we dominated the game, we played in their half. We wanted to put them under pressure both in and out of possession.

“That’s exactly what we did. They went down to ten, which changed a couple of things. I saw a lot of good things, but we need to get even better at aligning the execution and the final pass, the final cross. That’s what we want to do next year. You want to see this team develop.”

Much like their meeting with Brazil, England played with a numerical advantage for most of the match – something Wiegman was far from satisfied with.

“Of course, it was disappointing, but those are the rules,” said the Lionesses manager. “In a qualifier, I don’t care as much, but in a friendly, you want 11 v 11 because that’s when you get the most meaningful challenges.

“We tried to adapt straight away, but they dropped deeper, and the spaces became much smaller and tighter. We hoped to try a few other things late in the game, but unfortunately, we had some injuries.”

Michelle Agyemang went down in the 80th minute, holding her knee, and the head coach admitted she is concerned for the young striker.

“That was an awful moment. It doesn’t look good. We don’t know yet, but she needs to be assessed. But, I’m not very positive about what I’ve seen.” 

Wiegman praised her newest midfielder’s performance, with 21-year-old debutant Lucia Kendall making it look effortless at times.

“I was not really surprised because she has done so well at Aston Villa. Straight away, you saw her understanding and reading of the game. She keeps things very simple. I had hoped. I did expect it a little bit.”

When asked to compare the overload situations against Brazil and Australia, she reflected: “We were better [than when we played against Brazil]. Of course, it’s a different opponent. Even though they went down to 10 players, Brazil did tactically a little differently than Australia did. We played good. The first half was a little better than the second half. It’s just the final thing we need to improve.

“I really enjoyed this camp. The team came in a good place. We started a new cycle and at the same time celebrated the homecoming. But at the same time, we’re getting ready for the World Cup qualifiers, so you want to use this camp in the best way. We had injuries before camp and some more in camp. It’s good we can see so many players and try out different things.”