The European champion relies on the only coach at the World Cup who made it to the semi-finals. The respect for Sarina Wiegman has continued to grow.
Sarina Wiegman is still missing two victories for the big coup: world champion and European champion with England’s footballers in personal union.
At the World Cup, the national coach of the Lionesses, one of the few women at this level, can crown her already impressive career with the title. “It’s going to be really big,” said Wiegman ahead of the semi-final smash against euphoric co-hosts Australia. “It will probably be bigger than I can imagine right now.”
While her colleagues like Martina Voss-Tecklenburg and Pia Sundhage have long since returned home after the preliminary round debacles with Germany and Brazil, Wiegman could contest her fourth major final as head coach in Sydney on August 20: In 2017 she won the home tournament with the Netherlands EM, 2019 she lost with the Oranje women in the World Cup final to the USA. In 2022 – a year after moving to the island – England celebrated the triumph in the European Championship final at Wembley against Germany under her direction.
“The Super brain”
“The mastermind” called “The Independent” the 104-time Dutch international, trained sports teacher and mother of two. Only twelve of the 32 teams at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand traveled with a woman as head coach. Wiegman was the only one to make it to the semi-finals this Wednesday (12:00 p.m. CEST/ARD) in Sydney.
Of course, the three-time “World Coach of the Year” suspects what awaits the English women. In 37 caps since taking charge, Wiegman has lost just one game – the friendly against Australia four months ago (0-2). And the Matildas have been riding a wave of excitement at their home World Cup ever since their quarter-final penalty shoot-out win over France. “We received such a warm welcome and really enjoyed our time here in Australia,” says Wiegman. “I really like the people here, but that doesn’t mean there’s no rivalry. We’ll see that on Wednesday.”
In the 2-1 win over Colombia in the quarter-finals, the English side had a noisy South American fan base against them. “We’re expecting a similar crowd against Australia. We’re really looking forward to that,” said Wiegman. “We know it’s an away game. Let’s try to use that as inspiration.”
Defying the odds
Your team has repeatedly prevailed against resistance: European Championship top scorer Beth Mead and captain Leah Williamson were injured. In the preliminary round, England trembled to a 1-0 draw against Haiti and Denmark. In the round of 16 against Nigeria, striker Lauren James was sent off with a red card and won’t be able to appear again until the final at the earliest. And the penalty shoot-out against the Africans got on Wiegman’s last nerve: “All I know is that I’m ten years older.”
But England’s players around Bayern professional Georgia Stanway trust her. While a power struggle raged in France between the strict Corinne Diacre and her selection, which led to the replacement of the head coach in March, Wiegman is considered a prudent football coach. Sue Campbell, director of the FA, once said the association knew it was hiring the best tactical coach in the world. “What we didn’t know was that we were getting this extraordinary human being.”
The big picture at a glance
Wiegman always has the big picture in mind. “I hope there will be more women coaches in the future,” says the Dutchwoman, for whom it is “much more than football. We want to win, but through football you can make small changes in society and that’s what we hope for us”.
Incidentally, the last two World Cup titles were won by a trainer: Jill Ellis in Canada in 2015 and in France in 2019 with the US team. Despite the rapid development of the sport, everyday life in the countries where the World Cup took part looks more like it does in Germany: Theresa Merk from SC Freiburg is the only woman to hold the position of head coach in the new Bundesliga season.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
