During the preparation for the European Championship, the English fans were already full of praise for Sarina Wiegman and the national coach who led the Orange to European Championship gold in 2017 has only become more popular due to the series of victories in recent weeks. On Sunday, Germany awaits a sold-out Wembley in the final. “The culture has changed because of her.”
“The English supporters love Wiegman,” BBC analyst Emma Sanders told NU.nl. “Not many coaches in England have brought all the fans together.”
This popularity is, as is often the case in football, explained by the fantastic results. Wiegman’s England, after an excellent preparation (in which, among others, the Netherlands was beaten 5-1) at this European Championship settled with Austria (1-0), Norway (8-0), Northern Ireland (5-0), Spain (2-1) and Sweden (4-0).
Only in the match against Spain were the ‘Lionesses’ put with their backs against the wall. Thanks to Wiegman’s golden substitutions, a final offensive resulted in a semi-final place for the English.
The winning streak naturally contributes to the madness in England, although Wiegman appears to bring something extra. “She deals with the fans and encourages the English players to take advantage of the crowd. She tries to create momentum together with the supporters.”
Sarina Wiegman in conversation with fans during a training of the ‘Lionesses’.
Sarina Wiegman in conversation with fans during a training of the ‘Lionesses’. Photo: Reuters
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Wiegman dares to make difficult decisions
On the way to success against Spain, Wiegman brought forwards Alessia Russo and Ella Toone into the squad after conceding a goal. The two substitutes brought energy to the English team, which was cornered by Spain.
“She has selected the same eleven for every game, so that the team has a clear playing plan and way of playing. But she is not afraid to make difficult decisions, if necessary,” Sanders refers to Wiegman’s intervention on this crucial moment.
According to 139-time Orange international Daphne Koster, the fact that it did not go smoothly in the match against Spain causes even more madness in England. “The level of the countries is high. That is nice to see. And the resistance that England received in the match against Spain only makes the tournament even more beautiful for the English.”
On Sunday, the ‘Lionesses’ led by Wiegman will play the European Championship final against Germany at a sold-out Wembley (almost 90,000 spectators). In England, the supporters have been singing the well-known song since reaching the European Championship final Football’s Coming Home. In England it is expected that boss Wiegman will write history during the final tournament.
Since England has already known so many disappointments at major tournaments (for men and women), there is a lot of pressure on Wiegman’s shoulders. “There was a danger that she would not live up to expectations, but the opposite is true. She is everything the fans, the English Football Association and the media hoped she would be. The culture has changed because of her,” Sanders outlines the impact of Wiegman, who established her name by leading the Netherlands to European Championship gold and World Cup silver in 2017 and 2019 respectively.
Wiegman embraces her assistant Arjan Veurink after the win over Spain.
Wiegman embraces her assistant Arjan Veurink after the win over Spain. Photo: ANP
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A leader who exudes calm and is ruthless
Wiegman’s leadership was already visible in her younger years. “She used to be one of the leaders when we played together at Ter Leede, the club from Sassenheim,” says Koster. Not only Wiegman is an important asset for the English success. “We should certainly not forget assistant coach Arjan Veurink, they really do it as a duo.”
What characterizes Wiegman is her calmness. Even when the team is under pressure, the coach knows how to give the players confidence in peace. “She keeps them calm. The players are much more relaxed and confident than they’ve ever been,” notes Sanders.
In addition to Wiegman’s calmness, her ruthlessness is also praised. “She is not afraid to make difficult decisions. All the changes have produced the desired result.” Before the start of the European Championship, Wiegman decided to remove former captain Steph Houghton from the selection and named Leah Williamson as her successor.
The English women are playing this tournament at the peak of their abilities, partly due to Wiegman’s interventions. Wiegman lets the ‘Lionesses’ play in their power, according to Sanders. “The playstyle is more creative, more fluid and a tad more brutal than in the past.”
Captain Leah Williamson cheers after the win over Spain in the quarterfinals.
Captain Leah Williamson cheers after the win over Spain in the quarterfinals. Photo: Reuters
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‘Wiegman is working on it day and night’
The statistics of England under Wiegman will cause nervousness among opponents. The team scored 104 goals in 19 games. More importantly, seventeen of those duels resulted in a win and the other two games ended undecided.
Despite these fantastic results, the coach keeps quiet when the subject of ‘European Championship win’ comes up. “This is typical Sarina. It all comes across as a kind of surprise, a kind of magic,” says Koster.
After the 8-0 win over Norway (the biggest win at a European Championship ever), Wiegman let it be known that she did not understand how England could triumph with these figures. “It seems as if she does not know how such a thing comes about, but she knows very well what she is doing. She is really busy with the game day and night,” says Koster.
Should Wiegman win the tournament on Sunday, she would become the second manager in the history of English football to win a major tournament after 56 years, after Alf Ramsey with the men in 1966. “She would become a legend if England win Sanders emphasizes. “You can expect that the fans will want to honor her in some way.”
The European Championship final between England and Germany starts on Sunday at 6 p.m. Dutch time.
Results Sarina Wiegman in final tournaments
- European Champion – European Championship 2017 – Dutch National Team
- Vice World Champion – World Cup 2019 – Dutch National Team
- Quarter-finals Olympic Games – 2021 – Dutch National Team
- Final EC – EC 2022 – English eleven
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