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The Independent
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Why Sarina Wiegman is the best manager in the world
And Sarina dancing, two stars on the shirt. Yes, it's a predictable line, but it is said with all the more meaning given how fans sang "Three Lions" after a sensational and utterly unpredictable Euro 2025 victory for England. 'I kept asking myself, 'how can this happen?' Sarina Wiegman herself said, with the immediate payoff: 'But it happened.' 'The most chaotic, ridiculous tournament I have played.' No wonder she was dancing at the end, and then laughing that the image had already been projected to the world before she even arrived at her press conference. The victorious England manager was still, of course, utterly composed. She naturally knew exactly what to say, just like before the game. 'Enjoy it,' was the main message as the players left the dressing room. They can certainly enjoy it now and relish every moment. Wiegman admitted it will be a rare match she watches back for reasons other than tactical analysis. Before the final - and even during it - enjoying it might have seemed a dubious prospect, especially when Spain seek to exhaust and exasperate you with possession for so long. And yet it again brought out something Wiegman and her players very much enjoyed. Digging in. Showing grit. Pride. 'Proper England,' as repeatedly rang out during this tournament, especially at the end. The defining and decisive images of these games - almost as much as Alessia Russo's header or Chloe Kelly 's penalty - were blocks, tackles, players still putting it in when they had so little left to give. Wiegman admitted that was what stood out for her. 'The fight,' she said. 'We said it a couple of times, the players said 'proper England'. Today we also had to defend very well. They were challenging us. But you see how we give everything to defend the goal. I do enjoy that, because that says something about the team and the togetherness and the will to really want to win.' There's more to these words than Wiegman just enjoying that togetherness. She ensures togetherness. Wiegman talks about 'the most chaotic, ridiculous tournament,' and she can speak from more experience than anyone, given that this is her third successive Euros victory. That is a record that shouldn't really be possible, but she's managed it. She only fortifies her claim to be the best coach in the women's game. 'She's bloody amazing,' tournament-winner Chloe Kelly beamed. 'She's an incredible woman, what she's done for this country, we should all be so grateful for. 'What she's done for the women's game, not just in England, in the Netherlands she's done it, she's taken it to a whole other level. The work doesn't go unnoticed from the staff behind her, they're incredible people and I'm so grateful to have worked with such amazing staff members.' As if it needs to be said, Wiegman knows how to win tournaments. Even her sole recent 'failures', in the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, were narrow defeats in finals. Getting that far twice still displayed her aptitude for this, for driving a team through knock-outs. It comes from creating the right team culture. Gareth Southgate got that and got England's men further than anyone else. Wiegman gets it, but has even more. There are, of course, bigger debates to be had about the performances, how the best team only occasionally wins tournaments, and even football identity and tactical ideology. But those are debates for the Football Association and Dan Ashworth. Wiegman can only manage what she is given, and it clearly works in terms of maximising it all for results. It may not always be pretty - England again came back into a game by going direct. It may not even maximise performance given how close England repeatedly came to going out. This was the fifth different rescue act they needed, having survived multiple times more scares. But Wiegman ensures they know how to get there. They squeeze the most out of their talent in a different way than coming together as a collective in a tactical sense like Spain have shown repeatedly. "We have players that have talent, and the togetherness of this team is really incredible, but also the belief that we can come back,' Wiegman said. "The players say we can win by any means, and we just never, ever give up. Today of course, we had moments where we really had to fight, but I thought we also had some very good moments in the game.' In response to a question about the player of the match, Hannah Hampton, whose entire tournament vindicated yet another Wiegman decision, the manager was tactful. Mary Earps and Millie Bright, of course, weren't mentioned in any of this. "Every player has their one story and journey and hers has been incredible. Starting the tournament and losing the first game, there was so much riding on every game, we had five finals. She had to step up and I think she has been amazing. It's a little bit like a fairytale to stop those two penalties in the final.' She's right as regards individual stories, though. Lucy Bronze had her energy, and that willingness to play through pain. Jess Carter had far more serious issues, and saved her best display for the final and the toughest challenge. Michelle Agyemang had her impact, and now her award for young player of the tournament. Kelly, then, evidently had points to prove. Her year had started with a struggle for minutes at Manchester City, and so much doubt. It culminates with… well, she can describe it herself. 'There were a lot of tears at full-time, especially when I saw my family, because those are the people that got me through those dark moments. I'm so grateful to be out the back end but if that's the story to tell someone experiencing something the same, that sometimes it doesn't last and just around the corner was a Champions League final - won that - and now a Euros final - won that. 'So, thank you, everyone who wrote me off.' That could be said of England as a whole, given how this tournament went, but they ended it still as European champions. Kelly ultimately puts that down to one person. 'What she's done for me individually, she gave me hope when I probably didn't have any. She gave me an opportunity to represent my country again. I knew that I had to get game time and representing England is never a given.' Neither is tournament victory. Wiegman has made it as close to a guarantee as you can get. So, how will she actually enjoy herself? She's already put two stars on their shirts.
Daily Mail
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Intensely private Sarina Wiegman has softened over England's chaotic route to the final and there are glimmers of hope against formidable Spain: IAN HERBERT
When Sarina Wiegman arrives to discuss the Lionesses' tilt at retaining their European crown, she sees a familiar journalist in flip flops, taking up a seat in the circle she is about to join. 'Have you come in from the beach?' she asks, the glint in her eye revealing that this is not censure. The levity is a subtle illustration of this intensely private individual's slight softening, over four years as England manager. Even her players were surprised when she launched, full tilt, into a rendition of a Dutch song 'We Gaan Nog Niet Naar Huis' ('We're Not Going Home Yet') on the pitch after Tuesday's extraordinary win over Italy. They promptly sprayed her with water. But the reluctant public figure is still very much there. It was evident early in the tournament when Wiegman was asked about England fans adapting The Champs hit 'Tequila' into a 'Sarina' chant. 'It doesn't make me feel comfortable. But they were creative I thought, so I thought I would clap a little for them,' she said. Heading into a fifth successive tournament final, she is asked about all the personal attention. 'Yeah, I do find that awkward,' she says. The conversation in the circle begins with her pointing out that the glare of the photographer's light is very bright and there is a telling moment when she reveals a wariness of the media which has never entirely left her. 'I know that sometimes it's sometimes a bit hard, the discussion you have,' she tells us. 'The relationship sport has with media.' The players and her FA staff are the ones who know the real Wiegman. An individual with empathy, certainly, and, as she put it on Friday, a maternal instinct which meant that 'sometimes, when people talk about 'the girls', I think, "Do they mean my daughters, or my team?" But a coach with that very Dutch directness - and ruthlessness – which means that the respect in which players hold her is always tinged with slight fear. That's more than fair enough. Having players slightly on edge, not entirely comfortable, has been the managerial method of some of the greatest football coaches, including Wiegman's compatriot and friend Louis van Gaal. She also happens to hail from the Hague, when they're particularly well known for speaking their mind: having 'your heart on your tongue', as the Dutch call it. One women's football executive, placed in a position which put them into direct conflict with Wiegman tells the Mail on Sunday how the situation became confrontational as the Dutch manager dug her heels in. 'She wasn't willing to budge,' says the executive. If Wiegman can take England over the final hurdle here on the Swiss/French border, she will cement a record as the nation's most successful football manager, with an honorary damehood to follow. But the team's bumpy road to Basel's St. Jakob-Park Stadium does suggest a squad ready for a rebuild after this tournament. There have been shining lights out here, of course – Lucy Bronze, Chloe Kelly, and the prodigious 19-year-old striker Michelle Agyemang. Yet so many of the personnel are unchanged since the 2022 tournament that the uncomfortable question, perverse though it might seem on the eve of a European Championship final, must be 'Where is the new generation?' Some in the Netherlands observe in England a familiar pattern to their own experience, where Wiegman's reluctance to shift from her preferred starting XI as coach between 2016 and 2021 saw her team becoming predictable, more beatable and struggled after she had left for new pastures. 'You would dream her starting XI,' Amber van Lieshout, a Dutch women's football analyst tells the Mail on Sunday. 'With Sarina, the same Netherlands players always played and the young talents were always on the bench. Those young talents should be able to step up to become a starting player but they're not able to because they don't have the experience. And that makes it easier for her opponents. For us, the Netherlands team was not that good anymore. It's predictable. It's always the same.' Some within women's football also feel that the inevitable lag between the FA's initial heavy investment in grassroots girls football and the emergence of elite players from that system could make the 2027 Brazil World Cup, Wiegman's last under her current contract, a very challenging one. It's telling that the last two consecutive record WSL transfers - American Naomi Girma to Chelsea then Canadian Olivia Smith's £1million move from Liverpool to Arsenal - have been non-English players. The challenge Wiegman faces as she builds to that World Cup is heightened by the fact her assistant of eight years, Arjan Veurink, a relatively unknown yet hugely significant part of this story, will leave after this tournament to manage the Dutch side which has struggled since he and Wiegman left. Veurink, who at the age of 38 is 16 years Wiegman's junior, is seen by many as the tactical brain behind this run to the final. 'We've learned about each other so much that when we say one word, we know exactly what we mean,' Wiegman says of their relationship. If Sunday is the top of this extraordinary hill for Wiegman then it would be some last peak. Whichever way you stack it, Spain look formidable: the team with most goals, possession and average chances created per game in this tournament. Though for anyone seeking a glimmer of hope, they are also conceding more chances per game than at the 2023 World Cup, when they emphatically beat England in the Sydney final. It was 4.71 chances per game in Australia and 5.8 here. The stage really does seem set for Agyemang against a Spanish defence which has vulnerabilities, though Wiegman's innate conservatism tells us that the Arsenal player will almost certainly not start. We can only wait to see how much time the teenager will be given and what she might bring. The chaotic way England have progressed to this final has imbued them with a psychological edge; a belief that they really are never beaten. That, too, should play for them, as will the general belief that Spain are favourites. Wiegman, demonstrating more of that softening from over her England years, anticipates a richer kind of pleasure if things do end up going her team's way. 'What I've really wanted to do over all these years is try to enjoy it all a little bit more,' she says. 'You have to be focused in this job. You have to be focused. But you need to celebrate the moments that are good. It's really nice.'
New York Times
26-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Sarina Wiegman: The England manager is football's ultimate tournament specialist
On Sunday in Basel, England manager Sarina Wiegman will attempt to win her third straight Women's European Championship. Having triumphed on home soil with the Netherlands in 2017, she took England to glory in 2022. And on both occasions, she followed up European success with a run to the World Cup final, where her Dutch side were defeated by the United States in 2019, and England lost to Spain two years ago. Advertisement This means Wiegman has now reached five finals from five tournaments as an international manager, an unprecedented record in the men's or women's game. It's all the more impressive when you look at those two sides' performances without Wiegman during the same period: no finals at all. And she's partly responsible for that: Wiegman's Netherlands eliminated England with a 3-0 semi-final win in 2017, and the 55-year-old's England were effectively responsible for knocking out her home country with a 4-0 group stage win in this European Championship. Five in a row is a remarkable, unlikely achievement — particularly given England's struggles throughout this tournament. England were soundly defeated 2-1 by France in their opening game, were 2-0 down to Sweden before coming back and winning on a penalty shootout, and trailed 1-0 to outsiders Italy for an hour of their semi-final before scoring a stoppage time equaliser, then a winner two minutes from the end of extra time. Wiegman's team selections have been questioned; her apparently tardy use of the substitutes bench was cited as the problem in journalists' hastily deleted early drafts of match reports from the Sweden and Italy games. But by the final, Wiegman is always there. No one in world football guarantees tournament progression like her. There isn't anyone quite like Wiegman in the men's game, where club football is considered the highest form of the sport, and where managerial salaries are generally higher than in international football. But in the women's game, international football has retained its superiority in terms of prestige — and salaries. Wiegman has worked in international football as a scout, assistant coach, interim coach and now an outright coach. There is no suggestion that she must test herself in the club game, and she has become football's ultimate tournament specialist. Advertisement And international football is very different from the club game. It is generally more relaxed, then suddenly more intense. Last year, Thomas Tuchel was appointed the England men's manager, his first job in the international game. Considering the men's side's struggles with foreign coaches, it's not unreasonable to think Wiegman's success has convinced the FA that it is a workable solution. Tuchel has succeeded in club football, leading Chelsea to European Cup success in 2021, but he's frustrated by how little time on the training ground he has with his players, and may not be able to implement the tactical details that have made him successful in other jobs. Wiegman is accustomed to all this and knows the limitations of international management. She sometimes doesn't see her players for months, then every two years has to select a squad that lives together for six weeks. This can be tricky, especially at a time when the profile of certain England players has taken off. It's why international managers focus so much on harmony; they often talk about 'the group' as much as 'the squad', a subtle difference but one that conveys the importance of off-the-field togetherness. The decision of Mary Earps and Millie Bright, who had fallen out of Wiegman's first XI, to withdraw from the squad shortly before the tournament could have been considered a major blow. Instead, it got any lingering personnel issues out of the way. 'It's a really, really difficult job when you're in a tournament,' said midfielder Keira Walsh of Wiegman's management. 'Obviously people want to play, people aren't, but she really, really cares about the human side.' A constant theme emerges from Wiegman's international tournaments. Players speak about how the strength of the squad is that everyone knows their role: whether it's a key first-teamer, a regular substitute, or a backup unlikely to see any action. If you don't like that, don't come — as with Earps and Bright. When introducing players late on, Wiegman speaks about ensuring there is clarity on their tactical responsibility. Even when throwing on multiple attackers to salvage matches late on, Wiegman has always had a clear system. Despite ending up with a top-heavy side for an all-or-nothing late spell of pressure, Wiegman has been confident enough to persevere with the system during extra time. Advertisement Wiegman speaks about the importance of preparing for every scenario, but she's also adept at thinking on her feet. She comes up with innovative ways to solve problems. In the quarter-final, Sweden were pressing in such a way that put centre-back Jess Carter under serious pressure in possession. Wiegman's solution was to switch her two centre-backs, Leah Williamson to the left, and Carter to the right. This worked perfectly. England started building up play from the back more effectively and grew into the game. It's difficult to recall any other instances of a team switching their centre-backs midway through a match in this manner, but it made perfect sense. Similarly, when England were trailing Spain at half-time in the World Cup final two years ago, Wiegman elected to substitute both her main striker, Alessia Russo, and the player who had just finished as top goalscorer in the Women's Super League, Rachel Daly. Needing a goal, Wiegman took off her main two goalscorers — because she thought what England needed was more pressing energy high up the pitch from Lauren James and Chloe Kelly. On this occasion, it wasn't effective, and England lost 1-0. But few managers think outside the box like Wiegman. The funny thing about the most successful managers is that, in a desperation for critics to find faults, they are often attacked for polar opposite things. In the men's game, Pep Guardiola made Barcelona into the most celebrated side of the modern era, while being criticised for 'not having a Plan B' and 'over-thinking' his tactics. Which was it? In reality, neither. Wiegman was questioned for her squad management when Earps and Bright fell out of favour, but at times has been criticised for 'sticking with the same old players'. Which is true? Again, neither. There's a reason Wiegman chose to move on from Earps and Bright — and from long-serving captain Steph Houghton before Euro 2022 — and a reason she has her favourites in this squad. And, at times, she has placed enormous faith in previous outsiders: Williamson hadn't been a regular before Wiegman's reign, yet was named captain at the age of 25, ahead of more experienced players, before Wiegman had even worked out whether she would play in defence or midfield. Other managers wouldn't have selected 19-year-old striker Michelle Agyemang for the squad, considering she's only ever started three WSL games. But she's twice scored crucial goals to keep England in the tournament. The group that won Euro 2022 was, by the standard of tournament winners, very young. None of the side in Switzerland can reasonably be considered past their best. In terms of age, the only player who comes into consideration here is right-back Lucy Bronze, now 33, but she had an excellent season for WSL title-winners Chelsea. Wiegman generally hates talking about individual players, but goes out of her way to praise Bronze's competitive spirit. Her place has never been in doubt and she scored the crucial first goal in the comeback against Sweden. England are underdogs for the final on Sunday. Put together a combined best XI from the two sides, and they can only compete at centre-back, centre-forward, and in goal. They don't have the luxury of so many footballers playing together for club level — nine of Spain's probable starting XI represent Barcelona, or did so until recently. That level of understanding is almost impossible to recreate. But England clearly have the better manager. Regardless of what happens in Basel, five successive European and World Cup finals is an achievement that may never be matched.
The Independent
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Sam Allardyce reacts to bizarre mural in his hometown
A striking 10ft-high mural of Sam Allardyce, the former England men's football manager, eating a large bag of chips has appeared in his hometown of Dudley. The artwork, believed to have been pasted onto a wall in Union Street on Wednesday, depicts Allardyce in his trademark suit and tie, lifting a partially battered orange chip to his mouth. The prominent piece also references his tenure as West Bromwich Albion boss and has prompted speculation about its anonymous creator. Allardyce, who was born and raised in Dudley, has thanked whoever is behind the artwork, stating he felt "privileged" and thought it was a "very good likeness". Local reactions to the mural are mixed, with some appreciating it as a tribute to a local figure, while others find it odd or confusing.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wiegman on the absence of Le Sommer and Renard: 'France remain a powerful team'
Sarina Wiegman, England manager, still expected a tough encounter against France in their opening game of the 2025 UEFA Women's Euro.
