England coach Wiegman has learned to enjoy the good times
If England's women's coach was reserved when hired in 2021, she said she has grown into the role, and her passion has been on full display at the Euros, particularly through two nail-biting knockout victories in which the Lionesses were on the brink of elimination.
"First of all, my English has improved, so I understand a lot more, but also you learn more about people you work with," she said on Friday. "You learn more again about yourself and while I'm always working on developing the team, I always try to keep developing myself.
"What I really wanted to do over all these years is try to enjoy it a little bit more, you have to be focused in this job, but you need to celebrate the moments that are good, it's really nice."
As England get ready to contest their third successive major final on Sunday, when they face world champions Spain in the Euro 2025 showpiece, Wiegman's players have described her as a second mum -- direct and demanding but caring and supportive.
Ella Toone said the coach has been kind-hearted in the midfielder's first major tournament after the death of her father. Aggie Beever-Jones said after England's loss to France in their Euro opener, Wiegman put a consolatory arm around her and explained her reasons for not playing her in the game.
Midfielder Keira Walsh called her "one of the best managers I've played for in terms of trying to make everyone feel loved".
"It's a really difficult job when you're in a tournament, and obviously people want to play, people aren't, but she really, really cares about the human side," Walsh said.
"Another thing that you notice when you play for her is how calm she is. It makes a massive difference in the 95th minute when you're losing 1-0, and you look to the side and she's very calm."
Wiegman said the job can be a difficult balance.
"I'm a caring person, so maybe that's the part, I care about them but at the same time I'm the coach, I'm making these hard decisions at the moment," she said.
On Sunday, Wiegman will become the first person, in men's or women's soccer, to have coached teams in five consecutive major tournament finals. The 55-year-old, who is under contract through the 2027 World Cup, guided her native Netherlands to two finals before continuing that run with Euro 2022 champions England.
Football Association executive Mark Bullingham said they will not let Wiegman leave for any amount of money, and Wiegman certainly does not sound like she is going anywhere.
"I'm sorry, I'm still learning English but yes I have (fallen in love) with England," Wiegman said. "Otherwise I would not be sitting here with such a smile on my face.
"This team has always shown so much resilience, I see that in abundance and I see that entirely through the prism of the Lionesses. They are absolutely the most resilient of people. They really want to work so hard and are so committed." REUTERS
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