Sarina Wiegman faces her Cole Palmer-Ollie Watkins moment and the time is right to seize it
Almost certainly, Sarina Wiegman will again be recognised by our royal honours system if she leads England to victory in the final of the women's European Championship on Sunday. And even if the Lionesses lose, there is a decent chance Wiegman - who was made a CBE on the UK's overseas list after winning Euro 2022 - will be given an honorary damehood.
After all, Gareth Southgate was knighted, having failed to actually win anything with England. So, any further honour for Wiegman would be well-deserved. But in any acceptance speech, she might want to thank one well-known member of sporting nobility, in particular.
Lady Luck was on Wiegman's staff in Geneva on Tuesday night, that is for sure. Hannah Hampton was credited as making a game-saving stop in the second half but Italy's Emma Severini should have buried the chance.
It was a shocking miss. To compound her misery, Severini then conceded the decisive penalty in extra-time for a challenge on Beth Mead that was thoroughly innocuous.
Wiegman was fortunate in a manner similar to how Southgate was fortunate in the semi-final of Euro 2024 against the Netherlands. Harry Kane cancelled out the Xavi Simons strike with a spot-kick awarded by VAR and dubiously earned by the England skipper.
There were other similarities, most notably the fact that Southgate made two late substitutions that paid a match-winning dividend. With 80 minutes gone, England were being pinned back by the Dutch and, quite frankly, hanging on to parity.
Southgate sent on Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins, and the former provided the assist for the latter to score a sensational late winner. Such was their impact, there was a very minor clamour for Palmer and Watkins to start the final against Spain.
It was only very minor because we all knew Southgate was risk-averse. Now, as the Lionesses head for the showdown - coincidentally, against Spain - in Basel, for Palmer and Watkins read Chloe Kelly and Michelle Agyemang.
Palmer and Watkins did not start against Spain in Berlin and England lost. Sure, Palmer equalised after coming on as a 70th minute substitute and Watkins was given half an hour to try and make an impact.
But the pair were flying after their exploits against the Dutch and a brave coach might have tried to use that momentum, even if it meant upsetting established starters on the biggest of occasions. Of course, the argument goes that Kelly and Agyemang have shown themselves to be huge impact players when coming on from the bench.
But that is a cop-out. Right at this moment, no attacking Lioness is playing as well as Kelly is, no-one looks as creative, no-one looks as incisive.
And right at this moment, no attacking Lioness is as confident as Agyemang is, no-one looks as threatening. Had Southgate selected Palmer and Watkins, it would have been seen as an almighty gamble.
But can picking players in the best form really be an almighty gamble? No.
So, if Wiegman starts Kelly and Agyemang, it will not be an almighty gamble. At worst, it will be brave. And fortune favours the brave.
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