Published 19 February 2023 4 min read
England Women's Senior Team
Sarina satisfied as Daly double downs Italy
Lionesses boss happy as her side make it two wins from two in the Arnold Clark Cup
Sarina Wiegman was left satisfied with the way England overcame their latest test in the Arnold Clark Cup.
A brace from Rachel Daly proved enough to secure a 2-1 win over Italy in Coventry, but the Lionesses were made to work for the result and bounce back from an equaliser in the second half.
“I’m very happy with this game I thought we played very well the first half, second half we started well again but there was then a period where we had a little bit of a hard time,” said Wiegman.
“And then obviously later on they scored the goal and then at the end of the game we were struggling a little bit to get out of their first press.
“I think we needed to play a little longer and skip some lines, but we had a hard time doing that.
“Also about substitutes, we come and we have seen so many players today but then the connections change again and you have to get used to each other again. At the end, a very good win and we are happy.”
A brace from Rachel Daly proved enough to secure a 2-1 win over Italy in Coventry, but the Lionesses were made to work for the result and bounce back from an equaliser in the second half.
“I’m very happy with this game I thought we played very well the first half, second half we started well again but there was then a period where we had a little bit of a hard time,” said Wiegman.
“And then obviously later on they scored the goal and then at the end of the game we were struggling a little bit to get out of their first press.
“I think we needed to play a little longer and skip some lines, but we had a hard time doing that.
“Also about substitutes, we come and we have seen so many players today but then the connections change again and you have to get used to each other again. At the end, a very good win and we are happy.”
The head coach made a number of changes to the team from the line-up who faced Korea Republic in the previous game and there was also a switch in style, which caught the eye in front of another impressive crowd.
“The way Italy played, we had enough space and their defensive line was higher up and then we wanted to go behind we wanted to go behind,” she explained.
“But we did do that sometimes a little bit too early. We have to find a balance in that, sometimes go behind because that is the shortest route to the goal, but sometimes there is also space in the pockets so we had to balance that a little bit.”
England will now finish the competition against Belgium in Bristol on Wednesday evening, when a victory will see them retain the Arnold Clark Cup.
But Wiegman is more concerned with making the most of the minutes, as she focuses on this summer’s World Cup.
“As we said before this tournament, we want to try out some combinations and we want to see lots of players,” she added.
“What I take from this game and the South Korea game; so many players have played minutes and they showed where they are at the moment and we have seen lots of good things.
“So I’m happy with that - they want to give us headaches, they are giving us headaches.”
“The way Italy played, we had enough space and their defensive line was higher up and then we wanted to go behind we wanted to go behind,” she explained.
“But we did do that sometimes a little bit too early. We have to find a balance in that, sometimes go behind because that is the shortest route to the goal, but sometimes there is also space in the pockets so we had to balance that a little bit.”
England will now finish the competition against Belgium in Bristol on Wednesday evening, when a victory will see them retain the Arnold Clark Cup.
But Wiegman is more concerned with making the most of the minutes, as she focuses on this summer’s World Cup.
“As we said before this tournament, we want to try out some combinations and we want to see lots of players,” she added.
“What I take from this game and the South Korea game; so many players have played minutes and they showed where they are at the moment and we have seen lots of good things.
“So I’m happy with that - they want to give us headaches, they are giving us headaches.”
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