Take it on the chin and move on to the next game insists England midfielder Christiansen, as she looks back at France & ahead to USA…
Having suffered an agonising defeat with the last kick of the game against France in their opening game of the She Believes Cup, England’s Izzy Christiansen insists that the girls have learned from it, and are now solely focused on beating the hosts, and current Olympic champions, the USA (by Paul Nicholson & Jen O’Neill)…
Christiansen, who came on as an 87th minute substitute for goal-scorer Jordan Nobbs, admitted it was “devastating” to suffer defeat in the manner that they did, but believes that the squad has “grown” from the experience.
Speaking to She Kicks, the England midfielder said: “I’m a big believer that things like that happen for us to learn from, and progress more as a team.
“It’s obviously devastating to concede in the last minute when we had such a good first-half. It’s definitely been reviewed and we would like to think we’ve grown from it.”
Having not been beaten in a competitive game since their defeats to Germany and USA in last year’s She Believes Cup, and playing for a club side that went through their 2016 league campaign unbeaten, losing is not something that a lot of the current Lionesses squad are accustomed to, and not something that Christiansen wants to repeat.
“It’s part and parcel of sport in general. You win some, you lose some and you draw some, but obviously you want to have a high percentage of wins.
“[The defeat to France] has definitely been taken on the chin and I think we’ve recovered really well from it.
“Losing any game isn’t a great feeling, but losing in the last minute is something we won’t want to happen again, but we’ve definitely used it to our advantage.”
Of course, England haven’t beaten France for 43 years, but the Manchester City star says that the unwanted record had no relevance in the result.
“It’s not a mentality thing. It’s a game of football on the day, and it’s not always the best team that comes out on top.
“France played a terrific second-half – with due credit to them – and we had a terrific first-half. We need to capitalise when we’re on top [in games] and go in at half-time with a score-line that reflects our performance.
“I think we’re seen as one of the top teams in the world, and people will probably start to fear us as well.”
Should she start the game against the hosts, the midfield battle between Christiansen and her new City team-mate Carli Lloyd, could be a pivotal one, but she is only concentrating on her team, and not opposing individuals.
“I’m sure that both parties will be focused on their own task. I’ve never actually met Carli, so maybe after the game I could maybe exchange a few words, but [I will be] firmly focused on my own performance for the team, England’s performance and maintaining that towards an England win, hopefully.”
The atmosphere promises to be an electric one, with a large and rowdy crowd expected to fill the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey, and something that Christiansen, and the rest of the England players, hope will inspire England to put in a performance capable of upsetting FIFA’s number one ranked team in the world.
“Last year I had goose-bumps warming up, when we played the US in the opening game of the tournament.
“It’s the most incredible feeling, as a player, the adrenalin rush you get from the noise of the crowd and the fact that you’re playing the host nation in their back-yard.
“Obviously they’re the Olympic champions, and it’s going to be an incredible occasion, but it’s one that we need to remain fully focused on ourselves and the job that we need to do.”
If positive attitudes won football matches, then Izzy Christiansen would never ever be in a losing side, and while she would love to get her name on the score-sheet, she is not interested in personal accolades.
“It’d be amazing [to score], but it’s an England win that is at the forefront of our minds, as dull as that sounds.
“It doesn’t matter who it comes off, or what it comes off – as long as it goes in the back of the net we’ll be happy.”
The game against the USA kicks-off at 10.00pm GMT and is available to watch live on the FA website, via the red button on the BBC, or on the BBC Sport website.
LISTEN TO MARK SAMPSON & SOME OF THE PLAYERS AHEAD OF THE BIG GAME IN OUR PODCASTS:
