'Brave' Bright missed: England's Bronze

Yahoo

2 days ago

England defender Millie Bright withdrew from the camp because she was "mentally and physically" at her limits (Ben STANSALL)
Lucy Bronze admitted her England team-mate Millie Bright will be missed ahead of the women's Nations League clash against Spain on Tuesday, after the defender withdrew from national duty because of burnout.
Chelsea captain Bright, 31, withdrew from the England camp last week, saying she was "mentally and physically" at her limit.
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Bright was pivotal to England's Euro 2022 triumph and it is not yet known if she will return for her country's trophy defence in Switzerland this summer.
"She's missed definitely in the sense of what she brings, both on and off the pitch," her Chelsea and England colleague Bronze told reporters Monday.
"She's one of the leaders in the team, not just because she's the oldest, but just because of her experience, her attributes as a person.
"We've all spoke to Millie through the week... we just want to make sure that she's OK, both physically and mentally."
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Bronze and Bright won a domestic treble at Chelsea this season and also reached the Champions League semi-finals.
"It's been a long season for everyone, having spent every day with Millie, I know that she's obviously someone who's quite tough and maybe holds a lot in, so I think it's been quite brave for her to come out and speak," added Bronze.
"I think just from a friend perspective, I just want for her to be okay, and give her as much time as she needs to feel okay again."
England's Euros defence begins on July 5 against France, but first they are aiming to reach the Nations League semi-finals.
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They must beat 2023 World Cup winners Spain to finish top of Group A3 and progress to the final four in October.
The match will also offer coach Sarina Wiegman the chance to fine-tune her preparations for the Euros.
- 'Harm them' -
Spain beat England in the World Cup final but Wiegman's team got a measure of revenge with a 1-0 victory against La Roja at Wembley in February.
"Of course we all know what they're capable of, they're very tight on the ball, so we have to be aware of that," said England's Dutch coach.
"We have to, out of possession, be really tight and play compact and be very aggressive in moments, but I also think we had the ball too (in February)...
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"We put them under pressure, and that's what we want to do tomorrow too. You can't control everything, so I think it's going to go back and forth.
"They might be a little bit more on the ball than us, but we're definitely going to be on the ball too. And we're definitely going to find some moments where we hopefully harm them."
Wiegman confirmed everybody in the squad was fit, including Arsenal striker Alessia Russo after a calf problem kept her out of England's 6-0 romp against Portugal on Friday.
Chelsea striker Aggie Beever-Jones came in for her and netted a hat-trick.
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"It's really good for Alessia that she's back -- we have a decision to make and that's nice," said Wiegman.
Hannah Hampton started in goal against Portugal in the wake of Mary Earps' shock retirement last week.
Paris Saint-Germain stopper Earps, 32, was in goal as England won Euro 2022 and on the run to the 2023 World Cup final, but had fallen behind Hampton in the pecking order.
"I think I was the first person Mary called to tell," said Bronze.
"The news was difficult to take as team-mates because we all love Mary, we all want her to be here, but as a person and as a friend we accept her decision.
"We celebrate everything she's done for this team both off and on the pitch."
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