‘I make decisions to win’ – Sarina Wiegman reacts to Mary Earps’ book | OneFootball

Sarina Wiegman says she has not spoken to Mary Earps since the goalkeeper released her controversial autobiography, but insists she would not have handled anything differently.

Earps’ book, published earlier this month, outlines her frustration with how events unfolded in the England camp ahead of the summer’s Euros, particularly Wiegman’s decision to select Hannah Hampton as first-choice goalkeeper.

Speaking for the first time since the book’s release, the England manager said she would not have handled the situation differently, insisting she makes decisions to win. 

“You’ve read what she’s written,” Wiegman said. “My reaction? That’s her book. I can’t react any more because there are always a lot of conversations that we always keep private.

“I make decisions to win. I said the whole time that we had two incredible goalkeepers and in the end I made the decision I did.

“What I want to do is create an environment where there is clarity and I always communicate with players. My reality can be different from others, we experience things differently. But I always have clarity with my players, and make decisions to win.

“I really enjoyed working with Mary. We had incredible times and I will always cherish that and I really enjoyed that.”

After months of battling for the number one spot, Wiegman decided that Hampton would be her first-choice goalkeeper for the Euros in Switzerland, a decision that led to Earps’ retirement just five weeks before the start of the tournament.

After being dropped from the squad in 2022, Hampton was gradually reinstated in 2023, a decision Earps described as “feeling like bad behaviour was being rewarded”.

When asked what Hampton’s reaction to the book was, Wiegman responded: “That’s a question for Hannah. Like I said I’ve had conversations with her and the content of that conversation as always I keep that private.

“All I can try to do is be as honest as possible and have a good working relationship, I can’t control the other things.

“I was not surprised [by the public reaction to Mary’s book]. Of course this situation is hard [for Hannah Hampton] – the players are in a different situation and this is one of the things they have to deal with.

“The competition has been really hard with the two goalkeepers competing for the number one spot.

“I think I would have done exactly the same thing and we kept communicating all the time. We tried to support in the best possible way but I can’t control how it comes across.

“There’s always learnings, but I don’t think in the bigger picture I would have done things differently.”