What on earth is going on with the Lionesses?

Telegraph

2 days ago

With a month to go until the start of England's bid to retain their European Championship crown in Switzerland there is too much confusion, acrimony and upheaval to be confident of success.
Manager Sarina Wiegman has been bombarded with problems and engulfed by distractions: the retirements of experienced players, the withdrawal of vice-captain Millie Bright to focus on her health, ongoing injury concerns and the impending loss of her trusted lieutenant, assistant manager and tactician Arjan Veurink at the end of the tournament.
It raises the question: is she partly to blame for the sudden loss of players to retirement? Has the blunt and direct manner in which she delivers her messages to the players started to be resented rather than admired?
For so long, the Lionesses have projected unity, togetherness and professionalism. They have been a well-oiled machine and have reached at least the semi-finals of every major tournament for a decade, winning the Euros in 2022 and suffering a narrow defeat by Spain in the World Cup final in Australia a year later.
It is an unparalleled era of success for English football but is the empire starting to crumble? Is the unity and drive starting to fray? Is Wiegman, the most successful international manager in women's football, in danger of losing her Midas touch?
These are pertinent questions to ask because the warning signs are there. There are several red flights flashing on the dashboard and so many issues to resolve.
For the first time since Wiegman arrived in September 2021, the England camp does not give the impression it is a happy one. Whether it can pull itself together in time for the Euros remains to be seen. They have been drawn in an extremely tough group alongside the Netherlands and France – ranked 10th and 11th in the world respectively – as well as Wales, while they will be defending their title without five of those players who started the final in 2022.
The sudden and – on the face of it – selfish retirement of Mary Earps was, perhaps, the explosion that shattered the illusion of togetherness. At the age of 32, Earps decided to walk out on the England squad, five weeks before the start of a major tournament, because she did not want to be back-up to new first-choice goalkeeper Hannah Hampton.
It has left England short of experience in that department and Wiegman could barely contain her irritation and frustration. There was a coldness in the words that accompanied the statement announcing Earps's decision. Behind the scenes, things were fractious and frosty.
The decision stunned and angered England's manager as she had made it clear to Earps that while her role was changing she was still needed, still valued and still important.
Even some of Earps's team-mates, despite all the social media tributes, have privately said it felt like they were being abandoned at the worst possible time. It shocked everyone in camp last week and it exposed splits. Some felt Wiegman could have handled the situation better, others feel Earps's behaviour was petulant and self-absorbed.
To lose one senior player on the eve of a tournament, especially a star name like Earps, was hard to stomach. But to lose another two in quick succession is painful.
Fran Kirby's retirement – after she had been told she would not make the Euros squad – is more understandable, as a 31-year-old outfield player who has had a litany of injury problems and had already decided the Euros would be her final tournament for England. Not being picked pushed the announcement forward and the words she used to explain her decision were warm and complimentary. Wiegman, in contrast to the Earps news, was full of praise for the forward.
Now England's captain at the last World Cup, Bright, has chosen to withdraw from the squad to prioritise her mental and physical wellbeing. There are rumours Bright had also considered retirement, that she too had been told she is no longer guaranteed a starting place and did not want to travel as a result. Wiegman has not made any mention of this sort of decision.
Ultimately, Bright is a brilliant character and remains, at the age of 31, a wonderful player who England needed, whether she was on the bench or starting in the centre of defence.
She sounded drained when she explained her decision to pull out of the Nations League fixtures on her podcast, Daly Brightness, last week. We can only hope the break can revive her.
In her personal statement to announce she was withdrawing from Euros selection, Bright described it as 'the hardest decision' she ever had to make. She said her 'pride and ego' wanted her to go, but she did not feel able to give '100 per cent mentally or physically'.
Her departure is a huge blow for both the England squad and Wiegman. Having been lauded for her direct communication style when things were rosy – the players used to laugh and jest about her Dutch bluntness – have things turned in a different direction? Informing players like Earps and Kirby that they are not being picked or have fallen down the pecking order on the eve of the tournament might have been a little too honest and direct for those characters to take. The ripples these things cause within the squad can turn into waves of discontent and suspicion.
International teams evolve, players get older and younger rivals emerge. Perhaps the star names, responsible for so much previous success, are struggling to cope with this natural order of things.
England's form since the World Cup has been flaky, a good performance has been followed by a bad one. There does not seem to be the same confidence or cohesion when they play, while the news that Veurink will join the Netherlands set-up after the Euros may also have unsettled the environment.
It does make you feel that the fitness of Lauren James is vital to England's title defence. The Chelsea player has not played since picking up a hamstring injury playing for England in April and might not be match fit, but it sounds like Wiegman is willing to gamble on her. It is one worth taking as she is as good as anyone in the women's game when she is at her best.
There are other positives – the emergence of Grace Clinton, the return to form of Beth Mead, the goalscoring prowess of Alessia Russo, the return from injury of the excellent Lauren Hemp and Georgia Stanway, and the continued resilience and brilliance of Lucy Bronze and Leah Williamson.
England still has a talented group who can go deep at another tournament this summer, but they need to pull together and shake themselves out of their malaise. They cannot afford to hold any resentment towards the manager or pine for players and friends who are no longer there. Professional sport is brutal and unforgiving; all that matters now are the players who are willing to represent their national team this summer.