Lucy Bronze urges England to draw on underdog mentality in Euros quarter-final
In Switzerland, Bronze's England team-mates have drawn on the Chelsea defender's wisdom as they navigated a rollercoaster group stage, particularly in the wake of their opening defeat to France.
MD-1 preparations 💪 pic.twitter.com/IiwePMB7yb
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 16, 2025
'We said we're a 'new England', a new team,' said Bronze. 'And what was meant by that was, we had a lot of younger players and new players who have very different experiences of playing for England compared to the likes of myself, where we know that England used to have to dig deep all the time, always.
'Like, 2015 was the first time we beat Germany – that's insane to think of right now.
'But England in the past, it was you have to dig out performances and you are maybe the underdog, you aren't the favourite. Whereas this England team has developed and changed.'
After the 2-1 loss to France, which left their campaign hanging by a thread, Bronze reminded her team-mates that England had suffered defeat to the same country at the 2015 World Cup, but then achieved what was then a best-ever third-place finish at a global showpiece.
That defeat in Zurich, Bronze agrees, ultimately galvanised the Lionesses, who increasingly spoke about wanting to play like 'proper England' and went on to beat 2017 champions the Netherlands 4-0 and Wales 6-1 to qualify for the last eight as Group D runners-up.
She said: 'Obviously we're a very talented team, a lot of technical ability, tactics, all that comes in the game, but we don't ever want to forget that we are England, we are proper England and if push comes to shove, we can win a game in any means possible.'
Players from both the England and Sweden camps have suggested the Swedes have flown under the radar.
England captain Leah Williamson said the Scandinavians 'deserve more recognition', a sentiment echoed by Sweden's Kosovare Asllani, who told reporters 'people should talk about us more'.
England beat Sweden 4-0 in the Euro 2022 semi-final at Bramall Lane, but drew in their two most recent meetings with Peter Gerhardsson's side who – unlike England – have also qualified for this autumn's Nations League semi-finals.
Among England's major tournament debutants is goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, also Bronze's team-mate at Women's Super League champions Chelsea, who contributed a highlight-reel pass in the Netherlands victory.
🧤 @hannahhampton_ pic.twitter.com/KwJI8lfzEN
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 16, 2025
'She's a very important part of this team,' added Bronze. 'I think she's definitely built with confidence as the tournament has gone on – arguably the best goalkeeper in the world with her feet.
'But there's still a lot more to come from Hannah. She's a very young goalkeeper and she's already doing fantastically well, especially starting her first major tournament. She's a key player for us.
'Like Tooney (Ella Toone) and LJ (Lauren James), she's a player that I think we can see so much more from, just growing and getting even better and better.'
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South Wales Argus
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First of all, given all the spending elsewhere, do Spurs have headroom to bring in a new No6? And if not, what about the players he has there now? The club are keen to sign Rodrigo Bentancur up to a new deal and Frank namechecked the Uruguayan in his first interview with the club, so clearly rates him. Yves Bissouma looked to be out the door for most of last season but then played a key role in the semi-final and final of the Europa League. He only has one year left on his deal though and has been linked to Fenerbahce and Juventus. Lucas Bergvall is likely to be a key man going forward but what about Archie Gray, the teenager Frank came close to signing at Brentford? Where will he play? Many, many questions about the middle of the park. 11 Spurs have spent £5million on Japan rising star Kota Takai Credit: Getty 6 - Who will be on their way, either permanently or on loan? SPURS are back in the Champions League but have a big squad that needs trimming. At centre-back, for example, they currently have NINE different options if you include youngster Alfie Dorrington. Some players will surely go, either permanently like Bryan Gil, or on loan. Decisions will have to be made about youngsters like Luka Vuskovic, a target for Bundesliga clubs, and new Japanese signing Kota Takai. Does Frank see them as first-team ready now? Manor Solomon has also returned from a Championship-winning loan spell at Leeds, and Frank will give him a chance in pre-season, but if the Israeli does stay, his opportunities look like they will be limited given the vast array of competition. 7 - How does he stop Spurs' injury crisis? FIRST off, Frank will be asked for fitness updates on Spurs' current list of crocked players. James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin all missed the end of the season because of various issues. Fans will be eager to hear where they are in their respective recoveries. But there may well be more scrutiny on how exactly he plans to stop Spurs being derailed by injuries, as they have been for the last two seasons. Predecessor Ange Postecoglou was often accused of being part of the problem with his intense training and matches, but he would push back on that. For the second summer in a row, Spurs have made big changes to their medical department, suggesting they are not happy with the results they have been seeing. 11 James Maddison was one of many players injured last season Credit: Getty 11 Destiny Udogie's Snapchat seemed to show 'long throw audition' as part of Spurs' training schedule 8 - Can fans now expect long throws? POSTECOGLOU often gave the impression he was not too fussed about set-pieces - but Frank certainly is. Dead-ball routines were a big part of his success at Brentford and he has already hired coach Andreas Georgson to focus on set pieces. No doubt they will look focus on a number of areas for that part of the game, and one in particular could be long throw-ins. Footage from full-back Destiny Udogie's Snapchat account seemed to suggest as much, with a screen in the background of one of the Italian's posts showing 'long throw audition' as part of the day's training schedule. Can Frank confirm he is looking to go all Rory Delap? 9 - Is Daniel Levy's Champions League target realistic? LEVY made a bold claim earlier this summer when explaining his decisions behind sacking Postecoglou and hiring Frank. Winning the Europa League was not enough, it is Premier League and Champions League glory that he feels Spurs should be targeting. Given the club were revealed in February by the Deloitte Football Money League report to have had the lowest wage-to-turnover ratio in the division, is this feasible or deluded? While paying the most does not guarantee trophies - as Manchester United have found out - there is generally a correlation between bigger wages and success. In fairness, there was no timeframe put on Levy's ambitious goal, and Frank will obviously not criticise his boss in public even if he thinks differently. Still, it will be interesting to see how he reacts when that question is put to him. 11 Daniel Levy is targeting Champions League and Premier League titles 11 Ange Postecoglou was sacked by Levy 16 days after winning the Europa League Credit: GETTY 10 - Does he have any concerns given the last guy ended the trophy curse and was still sacked? IT would be understandable if Frank did. Postecoglou may have had a nightmare league campaign - which was the justification Levy used when ruthlessly axing him in June. But the Aussie did something no other manager has achieved in 17 years at Tottenham by winning a trophy, which is the be all and end all for a lot of fans. He also delivered the first European success in 41 years, giving supporters memories to last a lifetime. Frank will back himself to build on that success but are there any concerns at all now he is working for a man with a trigger-happy history?
