By Aya Al-Hussaini
The press conference was held at Sheffield United’s Training ground ahead of the Lionesses friendly against Switzerland at Bramall Lane.
Both Sarina Wiegman and midfielder Jess Park were in attendance.
This is what we learnt.
1- This could be the final chance for Wiegman to experiment with the squad.
These are the last set of friendly games England will play before the Euros this Summer in Switzerland.
The Lionesses will take part in the Nations League competition in February but this will be the last real time Sarina Wiegman will be able to experiment with lineups freely.
Sarina Wiegman said: “It’s finding balance I think. So yes it’s truly a moment to experiment. In the Nations League of course you go out there to play and win.”
“We want to get as much information as possible and develop our style more”
The Lionesses manager also added that this game will see more rotations.
2- Chloe Kelly and Fran Kirby will not be in the matchday squad
Sadly Lionesses Chloe Kelly and Fran Kirby have both picked up injuries and will not be available for the Switzerland game.
Fran Kirby has gotten a calf injury whilst Chloe Kelly is following concussion protocol after her head injury during the Wembley game on Saturday.
Wiegman was asked if she was concerned about the amount of concussions there has been in the England team of late. She reassured that they’re coincidences but something she will ask medical staff more on.
3- Aggie Beever-Jones is still learning
Young England forward Aggie Beever-Jones was the only forward not to get minutes against the USA on Saturday.
When asked what more she would have to do to make a stronger case for minutes, Sarina Wiegman said: “It’s dependent on what the game asks and what we think we need to make a sub.”
“I think she’s really learning and working really hard… she gets moments at Chelsea. So when coming into this environment what we ask of her is just show consistency and wait for your moment.”
This response differs from other young Lionesses like Laura Blindkilde Brown and Ruby Mace, who Wiegman said are ‘definitely’ ready to play.
4- England will have a different challenge tomorrow
Wiegman noted that during the USA game at Wembley they didn’t dominate much of the ball until those 20 minutes in the second half.
“We took a lot of learnings from Saturday. I think tomorrow will be a different game with different challenges”
Wiegman recognised the need for the Lionesses to adapt to the Switzerland shape, who should drop deeper than the USA, expecting her team to have the ball for ‘ideally the whole ninety minutes’.
This will be the first England game at Bramall Lane since the Women’s Euros semi-final against Sweden, where they won 4-0 and had that iconic Alessia Russo backheel goal.
