England will try to make the most of home field advantage when the Women’s European Championship kicks off this month.
The Lionesses kick off the tournament against Austria at a sold-out Old Trafford on Wednesday night, and will be desperate to be alive in the Wembley final on July 31.
Here’s our guide to the side that wants to bring football home…
tournament record
Best Result: Runners-up (1984, 2009)
England have never won a major trophy, having been defeated twice as finalists at European Championships, but have knocked on the door in recent years, reaching the semi-finals of the last two World Cups, as well as Euro 2017.
The coach: Sarina Wiegman
Former Dutch boss Wiegman is a defending European champion who led the Dutch to victory on home soil five years ago and is looking to repeat the trick as England’s first non-British manager.
The FA was so eager to secure her nomination that it was announced in August 2020, more than a year before she actually took up the role, having committed to managing her home country until the end of last summer’s postponed Olympics.
Lead actor: Beth Mead
The Arsenal striker, who was left out of Team GB’s squad for Tokyo last summer by Hege Riise, ended a stellar club campaign by perhaps being sorely overlooked again, this time for WSL Player of the Year .
Has more than doubled her international goal tally since Wigeman’s arrival with 12 goals in her last ten appearances. With in-form Man City star Lauren Hemp on the other flank and Lionesses all-time goalscorer Ellen White down the middle, it’s part of a potentially deadly attack.
Form
England were undefeated in the Wiegman era, scoring goals for fun in World Cup qualifiers and coming out on top when he faced a tougher test earlier this year in the Arnold Clark Cup, an invitation-only mini-tournament against Germany, Spain and Canada. only on goal difference after two draws and wins from three games.
plow
goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City).
defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Manchester City), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Rachel Daly (Houston Dash), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Demi Stokes (Manchester City), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal).
Midfielders: Fran Kirby (Chelsea), Jill Scott (Aston Villa, loaned from Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Manchester City), Leah Williamson (Arsenal).
forward: Beth England (Chelsea), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Nikita Parris (Arsenal), Alessia Russo (Manchester United), Ellen White (Manchester City).
Match schedule group stage
- July 6 – Austria (Old Trafford, 8pm)
- July 11 – Norway (Amex Stadium, 8 p.m.)
- July 15 – Northern Ireland (St. Mary’s, 8pm)
You can follow Euro 2022 via Standard Sport…