Some of the views from the coaches and players following the final England game at the She Believes Cup…
So, it wasn’t the result that we in the England camp of players/staff, fans or media hangers on wanted [Germany 1-0 England, Anja Mittag scoring in the 44th minute) but there are plenty of signs that as a group, the #Lionesses are continuing on the curve towards being major contenders, come July/August at the Euros in the Netherlands. That’s not to say that there isn’t still a lot of work to be done and losses to France and last night Germany, are a salient reminder of that but as players and coach rightfully emphasise, at the top level it is all about fine margins. And it’s better to suffer defeats and disappointments and learn tough lessons now than in the summer. So, here’s some post match reaction.
We started up in the mixed zone grabbing a quick work with the new [and smiling widely] Germany coach Steffi Jones. Jones is a former defender/midfielder with the Washington Freedom in the WUSA league (early 2000s), as well as a World Cup and multiple Euros winners with Germany (and plenty more domestically with FFC1 Frankfurt, including the first UEFA Women’s Cup) and so it was a sort of home-coming for her, playing a game in the somewhat dilapidated and crumbling RFK Stadium. She was the smiling coach after tonight’s game…
Steffi on whether Germany are in the right place looking ahead to the Euros:
It is. We’re getting better and better into our system, that we’re trying to play out of the back. We’re trying to dominate teams, not play kick and rush. So, I’m happy with the style we are playing. We had some problems in the defence but that was normal because I lost three leaders that finished their football careers, which made it hard. But I’m still glad that those young ones stepping in are developing very fast and I think that we have two more games before the Euros and our training camp, so there’s enough time to work tactically and to give the players more confidence.
On whether they have improved with each game:
Oh yes. In the first game we were tired but we still showed a lot of passion, in the second game we created so many chances and we played well too and now tonight we were better in the defence and so it was a step better, a step better and for the Euros we have to be there [like that].
Next out to face the cameras was striker Toni Duggan, who reflected on how tough a feeling it is to lose [especially for a City & England player who has lost so rarely in the past 12 months) and the fine margins at the top level.
On how difficult it is when you are used to winning, when you lose:
It’s very difficult. Any top player, they just want to win, no matter whether it’s a friendly, whether its in your back garden with your brothers, no matter where, you want to win. And tonight we haven’t and especially against Germany, a top nation and we have bit of history with them, but it was a close game and we gave it our all and unfortunately it just wasn’t enough. But we can take away a lot of positives, the second half performance was more England, after the first half was a bit of a slow start for us but we regrouped and showed what we can do.
How it hasn’t put too much of a dampener on the tournament and experience:
Results-wise it’s two defeats and one massive win against USA on their home soil. It was a massive statement that we put out thereabout the girls are winners and we came to win the tournament, that’s what we set out to do, Mark said that as well and unfortunately we haven’t done that. We’re bitterly disappointed but a lot can be taken from this tournament, both positives and negatives and you know I’m sure the gils will go back and look and review and we’ve still got a couple more months to fine tune the last pieces but at this level it’s always going to be fine margins when you put four of the top teams in the world against each other. It’s going to be tough, it’s going to be those little differences. I just hope that come July we can be on the right end of the results.
On the surface, which looked poor from the stands and on TV:
It wasn’t the greatest but both teams are out there on that pitch, against the USA it was a great pitch which suited our type of football. So it wasn’t great but it wasn’t great for Germany and the reality ion it s they took their chance when it mattered and unfortunately we had a couple of chances that we didn’t take but we’ve already identified that being ruthless is what we want to be and where want to get to and I believe we will get to that stage.
Forward Karen Carney was disappointed but vividly determined to move on and use this experience to be better in the summer:
On the game itself:
I think the difference between the two sides tonight was just that they were clinical, they finished their chance and we haven’t taken ours and punished them. That’s something that we need to work on around the 18 yard box, be more ruthless and when we get into those areas. Between the top teams now it’s nothing, there’s not a lot, we can go and beat USA 1-0 and lose to Germany 1-0, we can lose in the last minute against France. The margins between the top teams are so minute and we just have to be more ruthless and we’ve just got to work on that.
On whether the German players being in the middle of their season had any impact:
Like I’ve said before, we got absolutely peppered 3-0 at Wembley and I remember having the conversation, saying that I’d rather lose that game than lose against them in the World Cup. And I’d rather lose against them today than in the Euros and learn from it to be fitter, sharper, bit more mentally switched on to play. Got to give them a lot of respect, their play in the final third’s a joke, they’re so good but I still think we can match them, we’ve got a lot more in our tank and I really believe that.
We’re in the early stages of our pre-season. It’s not an excuse but the only way is up for us and the only way is to get fitter, sharper, stronger.
On how the team already showed they can learn, react and move on from a disappointing defeat, after the France game, following it up with a win v USA:
The thing about this team is they’re mentally tough. We’ve had a lot of set backs in the past and we’ve always bounced back and we will. Winning can sometimes mask a lot of thing and going into a big tournament you don’t want to mask things. We need to face up to our mistakes, what we need to work on and when it comes to that tournament we can make it right. I’d rather learn from our mistakes now than in the summer, and find we’re out of a semi-final or a quarter-final. I’d rather learn everything now, like we did before the World Cup.
On enjoying the opportunity to play in the role behind the front two:
Yeah, obviously I want to play there more. I got switched out to the left in the second half. I definitely think I can be fitter, stronger and sharper as well and I’ll go away and work on that but whatever role the manager decides to put me in – I didn’t feature against France and played in the 10 against USA – wherever I play I’ll always give my best for the team, my manager and my country. That’s all I’ve ever done and I’ll continue to do that, whatever I’m asked to do.
On having had a great 2016, in terms of individual form, with Chelsea and England and looking to do the same in 2017:
I’d rather swap my personal gains for trophies with Chelsea and trophies with England. Chelsea are really pushing hard and I’m definitely excited about what we can do there and equally about what we can do here, we just need to be more ruthless in final third and I’m part of that as well. I’m ready to face those mistakes head on and the rest of the team are as well.
And finally Mark Sampson shared his thoughts.
On the game and the tournament:
We’re disappointed in the result, of course. It was a game that we wanted to get three points in and we’ve come up a little bit short in the end. It’s one of those games where, in the first half, we definitely felt the effects of playing three games in a short space of time. But huge credit to the players. It just shows the character, the resilience that when we’re not at it, foot to the floor in fifth gear, we can still find a way to create chances, limit our opponent and stay in the game. It was just unfortunate today that we didn’t put the ball in the back of the next when we got some good opportunities to score.
But overall, on reflection, it’s a big thank you to the team and the staff for all of their efforts over the course of the last nine days. To play three games in that short time, against quality opponents and be in the game for every single second – there wasn’t a second in this tournament when we weren’t competing and a small margin away from either winning, or unfortunately, losing. And today we found ourselves on the wrong side of the coin in terms of making those details go our way.
On whether it was low energy levels which resulted in a flat performance:
Yes energy levels but also in terms of compactness. I think we lost our compactness in the middle to late period of the first half. It’s important to us to that we play with a compact base and for the first 15-20 minutes we were very compact, which gave us an opportunity to press the ball, which gave us good connections to win the ball back, to get the pass off to set up a counter attack or an attack and then we just lost our connections and our compactness in the middle to late period of the first half and it resulted in us getting hurt down the sides or in between our backline or midfield line and the goal came from that. Mittag is n outstanding player, give her an opportunity to face up to your back line and she has the capacity to punish us and she did. Which was unfortunate because if we could have come in at 0-0 I always felt we’d be able to raise the gear in the second half.
In the second half we got our compactness right, we got our intensity right and it resulted in some good moments to score.
Germany are good but England aren’t far off and there’s still months to go before the Euros in the summer:
We didn’t want to reveal our full hand at this tournament. It was important that we revealed a lot, we wanted to make sure we competed and found ways to win matches and we got two more points on the board than we got last year – still six less than what we wanted – but it’s two more points, regardless of where we finish up in this table.We’ve got a big win against one of the big three, away from home and the important part is that when we’re ready to reveal our full hand in July we are much better than we were in this tournament. That’s the challenge to the players now. We’ve got to go away, as staff and as players, to make sure when we come back in April but more importantly in June and crucially in July, we’re a much better team and I think we’ve got the potential to do that AND the attitude.
That’s all for now. Audio from the above chats, plus a natter with Laura Bassett, HERE:
Thanks to all of the England players & Mark Sampson for their time during the tournament – win or lose – always being willing to chat and thanks for reading and listening to our coverage, giving a voice to the England camp.
