Sarina Wiegman: 'England need to be more ruthless against Germany'

2 years ago 25
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Millie Bright scoresCentre-back Millie Bright scored England's only goal of the tournament in a 1-1 draw with Canada

England manager Sarina Wiegman said they need to be more "ruthless" against Germany in their final match of the Arnold Clark Cup tournament.

Germany, third in the world, are the highest-ranked side in the competition but lost to Olympic champions Canada, having drawn their opener with Spain.

"It's the final touch which is the hardest thing in football," Wiegman added.

"I've seen a lot from us and the team. We want to take the next step. In all the different moments of the game, we want to improve again.

"I thought we created so many chances against Spain but we would really like to score a goal! It doesn't really matter who scores the goal as long as we score the goal.

"We want to do better in the final third and that is about decision-making, connections and scanning the situation to be ruthless. Hopefully we can show that tomorrow."

England's final match on Wednesday in Wolverhampton caps a run of three games in seven days against opposition all ranked inside the world's top 10.

It has been largely positive for England as they continue their preparation for this summer's home European Championship and they remain unbeaten in eight matches under Wiegman.

The former Netherlands boss - who won the 2017 Euros with them on home soil - took over in September and said the squad was "better than I thought".

"I think we're taking steps and developing very well. The squad has done great but also with the communication and the way we talk about football and how the players are committed," she added.

"When I came in, I knew the England squad was very good but it's even better than I thought. The players have already so much experience and there are lots of personalities within the team.

"I was just lucky to come in and start working with such a good team and good players. We want to add some things, to get clarity about our style of play. Every time, we want to take the next step."

'We love playing against top teams'

England teamEngland drew 1-1 with Canada before drawing 0-0 with Spain in their first two matches

England, ranked eighth in the world, lost 2-1 to Germany in front of a record-breaking 77,768 crowd at Wembley in November 2019.

Two-time world champions Germany have often had the advantage over England - that result extended the Lionesses' wait for a first win on home soil against them, with the Germans having won 21 of the 26 meetings between the sides.

Asked whether Germany were considered one of England's biggest rivals, Chelsea defender Millie Bright said "everyone is our rival".

"I think that's a good mentality to have because you can't underestimate any teams - whether they have players missing or not," she added.

"It's international football so everyone has strong squads. We want to prepare the same for every game - and every opponent we have, we want to beat and keep developing."

Germany are without a number of key players because of a Covid outbreak in the squad but they still boast some of Europe's brightest young talents in midfielders Jule Brand, 19, and Giuila Gwinn, 22.

"These are the games we play for. You want to play against the best. You want to play on big stages and have lots of fans there," said Bright.

"This tournament has been about developing as a squad on this new journey. We want to perform at our best levels. All the girls were excited coming into this tournament.

"It's been really exciting and really successful. We just love playing against top teams and being challenged."

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