Chelsea manager Emma Hayes joined Telegraph Sport as a columnist less than a week before Euro 2022 began. Her first work analyzes an important area of England’s trophy tilt.
Psychological challenge of being a host
With sold-out stadiums for games like Old Trafford’s opening game (a new experience for women’s games in this country), these English players will have to support each other more than ever.
Is the environment ready for the reaction of a sudden silence in a packed quarterfinal spectator if England scores one or two goals after 15 minutes against a team like Germany? That’s not what we usually experience in women’s football.
Noisy crowds can be an incredible ride when things are going well, but as a manager, I want to see a sense of team unity-getting out of a tough situation to win the tournament.
Under Salina Wiefman, England is not yet suffering so much. They had the simplest World Cup qualifying campaign you can imagine last season-and it’s not going to help them. However, winning the Arnold Clark Cup ahead of top Canadian, Spanish and German teams in February was an important moment for the group.
Anyone who holds a trophy will need a lot to participate in a six-game tournament. Italy was the best team in the men’s euro last summer, but could have been knocked out in the last 16 games against Austria when extra time was needed and had to win two penalty shootouts in the campaign. It didn’t become. Champions must be able to overcome tough moments.
Hemp dribbling and Greenwood playmaking
Manchester City winger Lauren Hemp is, very simply, an incredible talent. She intends to brighten this tournament. She was only 21 years old and hemp had 12 dribbles against her old enemy Germany, all 12 successful. What does an English player have for her?
Another great strength is Alex Greenwood’s playmaking ability seen from behind. In fact, Greenwood and Millie Bright advanced the ball farther than anyone else in the Women’s Super League last season. It’s so important that England has two of the most progressive passers-by in the league.
Those crossfields, diagonal balls, no one is doing them well, and most of England’s play will include putting it out to hemp and mead or kelly on the wings. That is our game.
So is the team trying to stop playing centre-backs in England? What would happen to England if we stopped doing that? That’s when Fran Kirby’s role in connecting the midfield and attack becomes especially important. If England’s long ball games aren’t productive, Fran’s ability to play link-ups is key.
Or would the team consider sitting on the block and letting Greenwood take control of the game? It is dangerous and very dangerous for the team to do it.