EURO 2025 | ENGLAND WOMEN’S TEAM | PRESS CONFERENCE
Date: 08.07.2025
Subject: Pre-match chatter and team morale going into testing game against the Dutch
This report gives a summary of major talking points in the media call with Sarina Wiegman and Alessia Russo, as the England women’s team gives an insight into their mindset and policy ahead of the France game this week.
- Rebounding from the France Defeat
The squad wants to look beyond Friday’s loss to France, admitting there were problems and then moving on.
Self-reflection and Improvement Areas: Weigman observed that while “we started well, that game we finished well, but in between, we didn’t do good enough. You know, execution could be better, we could be less sloppy, and we could make better decisions about what we do.
Team Discussions And Review: The review has been extensive with the team “refuelled”, had conversations “with the team,” watched “a few clips” and gotten to know “what they need to do better.”
Standards up: Alessia Russo highlighted the high standard that the team sets itself. It is what we know that we can be better, and we have high standards as a team.”
Tournament Mentality: Russo stressed what tournament football is all about: “You have to go through a lot of highs and lows to get where you want to be in tournaments.” The loss didn’t “punch the confidence out of half of these guys,” according to Penney, who said the players were seeing the result as a part of the ride. - Handling Pressure and Mental Fortitude
Wiegman and Russo emphasised the mental mentality to see them through the high-stakes circumstances.
Tough Anticipation Game Opponent: The game against the Netherlands would be “a tough game,” Wiegman said, and the team “knew that this was going to be a hard group.”
Key to Pressure Defence – Focus on Game Plan, Execution: The main plan of attack for dealing with pressure is to “just focus on our game plan and just executing that and doing your task.
Team Unity: Wiegman insisted on the need for ‘having a conversation with players sticking together, talk to each other, and that’s what we want to do in the game too’. What we focus on is doing our job, sticking together and connecting, staying on the details, and just working hard, doing everything to win the game.”
Play With No Fear: Russo emphasised the importance of “playing without fear”, something which had been hot on the lips during team meetings. She says this enables the squad’s “many great players” to be “as free as possible out on that pitch”. “We just want to make sure everybody’s in a good place heading into that game tomorrow,” she said.
- Tactical Flexibility and “Game Changers”
In terms of game management, Wiegman talked about mindful planning and working on ‘game changers.’
Versatility: Wiegman spoke of how the team has “different types of players for the same positions,” which also suggests she’s capable of making tactical adjustments by introducing players “with different attributes to the game.”
Effect on Shape and Style: Changes impact all players as well as “a bit your shape and your style to impact the games.”
Ideal effect: At the end of the introductions in a game, you want a player “who has that type of impact on the game.” This is another sign of in-game adjustments being proactive.
- Unfamiliar Territory and Resilience
It was an unaccustomed taste of it for the squad – the first group-stage defeat at a major tournament to the English, Scots or Serbs since 1980.
Admission of Tough Group: Wiegman would also repeat, before this tournament, “We already knew with the group that we’re in that it’s going to be a very tough group.
Going Forward: The loss is an odd one, though you can’t argue with the response. “We didn’t [win], but also that was a game, and now we have another game and the same attitude because we want we go out there and we want to win that game,” said Wiegman. They can only see what’s currently in front of them, the required mindset, and that they are not wired to play passively.
Some magic: Concerning a game plan, Russo said the team also has “individuals who can create a bit of magic as well,” implying that the spark of inspiration is also part of their offensive threat.
Conclusion
Mianning(Fielding) The England team is preparing for the Dutch tbh by acknowledging what went wrong, confidence in both individual and the mental aspect, adaptable to what’s in front of them and they gonna get the W! #ENG#NED engvned Disciplined following of their blueprint, keeping the team together, and the enabling of individual brilliance without burden are the key to their success.