England feel pressure to perform at Euros as stars pull out
England's women became national heroes on the back of winning Euro 2022, but the Lionesses' defence of the title is off to an inauspicious start with three of their stars from three years ago not involved.
Goalkeeper Mary Earps and midfielder Fran Kirby have retired from international football in differing circumstances on the eve of the tournament in Switzerland.
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Earps had fallen behind Chelsea's Hannah Hampton in the battle to be Sarina Wiegman's number one but the England boss was still frustrated at the Paris Saint-Germain stopper's decision.
Kirby, by contrast, brought her retirement forward upon learning she was unlikely to make the 23-women squad.
Millie Bright, who captained England to a first World Cup final in 2023, has also withdrawn herself from selection due to physical and mental fatigue.
"You have to move on," said Wiegman after announcing her squad.
"My experience before tournaments is that there is always noise. We expect noise until we go into the tournament. It doesn't feel like a crisis at all."
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The form of Wiegman's side also raises some cause for concern, particularly after being drawn into a tough group alongside 2017 winners the Netherlands and France, along with a derby against debutants Wales.
England won just three of their six Nations League games this year, dropping unexpected points against Portugal and Belgium, to miss out to Spain on progress to the semi-finals.
- 'Targets on our backs' -
However, they set off for Switzerland on the back of a 7-0 thrashing of Jamaica on Sunday.
"I don't think we can relax in the tournament with the group that we've got," striker Alessia Russo told AFP.
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"Externally there'll always be pressure on England, whether that's us or the men's team. There's always pressure and targets on our backs and being the holders as well."
Despite a less than ideal preparation, the Lionesses are still widely seen as second favourites behind world champions Spain to retain their title.
Russo was part of the Arsenal team that shocked an all-conquering Barcelona, a side which has formed the bedrock of Spain's success, to win the Champions League in May.
Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Chloe Kelly -- themselves all heroes of Euro 2022 -- were also part of the Gunners' squad that ended Barca's grip on the European club game.
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Moreover, the Lionesses and their manager have become masters at peaking when it matters most in tournament football.
England have reached at least the semi-finals in each of the last five Euros or World Cups, stretching back to 2015.
Wiegman, as coach of the Netherlands in 2017 and 2019, and now in her current role has made the final of all four of her major tournaments in charge.
"It's on us. We know how good we are, we know how good we can be," added Russo.
"We've seen it in Euro 2022 and even in the World Cup, although we fell just short.
"We're here to compete and we want to be testing and pushing ourselves against the best. I think there's lots of talent in the women's game right now and we're one of them."
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England have also shown an ability to overcome the loss of key players under Wiegman before.
Williamson and Mead both missed the World Cup due to ACL injuries, while Lauren James missed the quarter and semi-finals after being sent off against Nigeria in the last 16.
James, sister of Chelsea men's captain Reece James, made her return from a hamstring injury against Jamaica and had an instant impact with a stunning assist for Russo.
"She's Ballon d'Or (quality)," said former England international Karen Carney.
The pressure is on James and England's new generation to match the legacy of their predecessors.
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