Latest news with #Euros-winning
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Sarina Wiegman 'sad and disappointed' by Mary Earps England retirement
Lioness boss reflects on 'very hard decision' taken by the former England No1 and says she would still like Earps to be in her team HARD DECISION Sarina Wiegman 'sad and disappointed' by Mary Earps England retirement while Leah Williamson says keeper will be missed Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SARINA WIEGMAN admitted to being 'disappointed and sad' by Mary Earps calling time on her England career. And Leah Williamson revealed she was devastated, describing the former Lioness's retirement as a huge loss for the team. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 England skipper Leah Williamson and head coach Sarina Wiegman expressed their sadness concerning Mary Earps' international retirement Credit: PA 4 Wiegman is disappointed that Earps had called time on her England career and says she still wished the former Lionesses goalkeeper was part of her team Credit: Reuters 4 Williamson, who together with Earps helped England win the 2022 Euros, described the goalkeeper as her "best friend in football" Credit: Alamy Yesterday Wiegman and her captain publicly shared their thoughts in their first press conference in the wake of Earps' bombshell announcement. Four days ago (May 26) the FA stated the Euros-winning shot stopper was ending her England run And the Paris Saint-Germain ace, 32, also shared her international career update via her Instagram account. Earps standing down from international duty five weeks before this year's Euros, means the tournament's reigning champions will defend their title without their most experienced goalkeeper. Lionesses boss Wiegman, who still wants Earps as part of her squad, said: "I'm really disappointed and sad that she's not part of the team because I want her in my team. "That (retirement decision) must have been a really hard decision for her and so it is for us. "There have been a couple of conversations which I don't want to share publicly because that's between us and it's hard for her at the same time." Earps, who has 53 senior international caps, started in all six games during England's run to becoming European Champions three years ago. In Australia in 2023, she played a significant role in England reaching the Women's World Cup final for the first time in their history, Her performance in all seven games would see her win the tournament's Golden Glove before later being voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year. During the contest's final Earps produced a dramatic penalty save against Spain keeping out Jenni Hermoso's spot-kick before her team fell to a 1-0 loss. However since last October the former Man United player has faced a battle to start with Chelsea's Hannah Hampton. The Blues stopper started in five of England's last eight international games. Williamson, 26, who skippered the team during the 2022 Euros, said: "I'm devastated (by her England retirement) because I love her and love being her teammate. "Mary is one of my closest friends in football. "We have an extra pair of shoes to fill and also in a number of different areas. "I'm sure the team will be ready for all those eventualities." Earlier this week The Athletic reported that Sarina Wiegman had told Earps that she would not be her No1 keeper for this year's Euros. And The Guardian reports Earps, had in April, informed the England boss that she was thinking of retiring. However Wiegman remained tight-lipped on the exact details of her conversation with Earps. The Lioness chief said: "I am in conversations with players all the time. "I don't give any information about these private conversations we have. "Hannah Hampton is now the number one. "Before that she was a little bit ahead but at moments you can't look too far forward because you don't know what things will happen. "Things in football can change very quickly." England, who face Portugal at Wembley tomorrow and Spain away in the Nations League next Tuesday, have been hit by fitness issues. Aside from Ella Morris, 22, rupturing a knee ligament, Alessia Russo, 26, and Ella Toone, 25, will both miss tomorrow's 7:45pm clash due to calf concerns. And vice-captain Millie Bright, 31, withdrew from England's camp earlier this week with Arsenal's Lotte Wubben-Moy called up in her absence. On the Daly Brightness podcast she hosts with ex-Lioness team-mate Rachel Daly, the 88-capped centre-back explained she was at her limit "physically and mentally". This term the Chelsea skipper led the Blues on a treble-winning trophy charge, lifting the FA and Women's League Cups and claiming an eighth WSL title. Of her withdrawal from this month's England camp Bright said: "That is a really hard decision. "But I think you know better than anyone as well - sometimes you just have to take that time for yourself. "You need to value yourself and your mental health and body, and just say that no, right now is not the time for you." 4 England will face Portugal and Spain in the Nations League without the services of Millie Bright with the Lioness vice-keeper withdrawing from their May camp Credit: Getty Bright's England team-mate Williamson added: "That decision for Millie herself to say, 'I need to take a break' and to speak out about mental health is a brave thing to do. "She's leading by example and I've personally given Millie a bit of space. "Naturally any support that she needs and anything that she needs from the team, we'll be there to give it to her."
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
How Alessia Russo has turned Arsenal's fortunes around and can lead them past Lyon and on to European glory, writes TARA ANSON-WALSH
It took Alessia Russo just 14 minutes to show the rest of the world why she is one of the most in-demand strikers in women's football. Arsenal were trailing by two goals against Real Madrid going into the second leg of their quarter-final tie at the Emirates, and their hopes of lifting a first Champions League trophy in 18 years were gradually fading into the distance. Forty-five seconds after the second-half whistle blew, Russo came out swinging. First, she raised a hand when she saw Chloe Kelly with the ball on the edge of the area. Kelly didn't need asking twice, firing the ball into the box with a perfectly weighted pass for Russo to run onto and tap home first time. Moments later, Russo paced it into the box and blocked off a Madrid defender, freeing up the space behind her for Mariona Caldentey to run into, and the Spanish World Cup winner converted. Finally, Russo saved the best until last. Katie McCabe curled a free-kick into the box, and a ricochet off a Madrid player's head diverted Russo's way. Half-falling, half-stretching, Russo reached out, her boot connecting cleanly as she blasted the ball into the roof of the net. Finally, the 26-year-old allowed herself to celebrate. Russo burst into the spotlight with the Lionesses during the 2022 Euros-winning campaign, coming on as an impact sub alongside her Manchester United team-mate Ella Toone, the two having a telepathic relationship both on and off the pitch. Russo has previously described how she felt firmly within her comfort zone at United – and the Arsenal move disrupted this. Despite a slow start to life in north London, there was always an underlying sense that the goals would come as she and the team took time to settle in and develop their connections on the pitch. She ended up delivering 12 goals in the top flight by the end of her first season with the Gunners, second behind only Manchester City's prolific Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw. Since Renee Slegers took over from Jonas Eidevall in the early stages of this season, Russo's rise has been nothing short of meteoric, as her all-round game improved, too. Her ability to hold up the ball enables her team to build their attacks quickly around her, and Arsenal have netted more goals than any other side in the WSL this season with Russo as their top scorer – a considerable feat given their early woes under Eidevall. And a neat little partnership has begun to emerge with Chloe Kelly – who herself has come on leaps and bounds since making the swap from Manchester for London in January this year. Those connected with the club say that Kelly's friendships with Arsenal's strong Lionesses contingent have helped her settle in and hit the ground running, and she has begun to bring out the best in her teammates around her, too – including with Russo. When Russo withdrew from the England camp at the beginning of this month with an ankle injury, there was an immediate sense that Arsenal's Champions League hopes had been severely damaged. But it's understood that Russo left club doctors impressed with how quickly she worked to get back in time for the first leg of their semi-final clash with Lyon – which they trail 1-0. Away from the pitch, the word that follows Russo around is respect. Respect for her teammates, respect for the coaching staff. 'Work hard' is her mantra, and she shows this both on and off the pitch, with her tireless running and out-of-possession work rate contributing to Arsenal's success under Slegers. Regardless of what happens next, Arsenal can still be proud of the season they have had after their opening games, when they sat sixth in the WSL and had faced a heavy beating by Bayern Munich in the group stage – which was the final straw that broke the camel's back in leading Eidevall to the door. Since then, they have clambered above both Manchester sides into second place and into a Champions League qualification spot and have put on a respectable run in Europe's elite competition, making it to the semi-final with memorable wins in the reverse fixture against Bayern Munich, as well as that Real Madrid triumphant comeback. Next, they set their sights on Lyon, who have successfully made it past their last 11 consecutive semi-finals. The Premiere League leaders did not look infallible in the first leg, though, with the emphasis being more on Arsenal's wastefulness rather than their own dominance. In terms of the stats, Arsenal did everything correct in the first half of their semi-final tie. They dominated possession, had more shots than Lyon with just as many on target, and almost twice the amount of touches inside their box. And if Russo's bar-clanging effort before the break had dipped a couple of inches, then the story could have looked very different going into Sunday's match. And with their largest-ever travelling contingent for a European away game – and Russo leading the line – the Gunners still have every reason to believe this could be their moment.
BBC News
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Champions are made when nobody's watching' - Earps on life at PSG
"They always say champions are made when nobody's watching."That is a theory raised and forcefully supported by Mary Earps, who was already a serial winner before her move to Paris St-Germain last for more success, the England goalkeeper embarked on a fresh journey when she swapped Manchester United for life in the French capital."I've kind of gone away from the craziness of England. I get to go away and work hard in silence and just kind of get on with my job quietly," Earps appreciates having the space to grow as a footballer away from the spotlight, allowing the gruelling work to be put in."That was something that always stood out to me when I was young," Earps tells Football was a crucial member of England's Euros-winning squad in 2022 and was awarded the Golden Glove as the Lionesses reached the 2023 Women's World Cup performances earned her the Fifa Best goalkeeper award for two years running - in 2022 and 2023 - while she was also voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in Manchester United, she played every league game for four seasons as the club's outright number one and won the Women's FA Cup in May 2024 before heading across the Channel to why did she leave?Earps believed the move abroad would make her a "better player" and "require a different level"."It's been an amazing few years, but I'm always thinking about what more I can do," she explains."I've been named best goalkeeper in the world for two years and I did it two years running, which no goalkeeper has done in that time, but I'm thinking I want to do it a third time."That's just how I am, that's what always drives me. I'm always competing with yesterday's version of me, and that's what's really important to me, how can I be better than I was yesterday?" 'Mary's personality is like sunshine' Since joining PSG, Earps has established herself as the first-choice goalkeeper with 12 appearances in the club's 14 Premiere Ligue are third in the league, eight points off leaders Lyon, but were knocked out in the second round of qualifying for the Champions goalkeeping coach Mickael Grondin has praised Earps' intuition and focus."I think Mary's personality is like sunshine. She is full of the joys of life and that's important to me," Grondin says."She has an instinct about what her opponent is going to do. You can't teach that. Very few goalkeepers, and I'm including the men in this, have that intuition."She's someone who likes working hard. She pays attention to every moment, both on the pitch and off it."Earps, who this month is on England duty for Nations League games against Portugal and Spain, is enjoying the different philosophy in the French top division."There are a few things we have identified, like positioning, some different technical aspects of my game, and also a few tactical things as well," she says."I've got quite a free role on the ball at the moment, which I'm really enjoying."However, the language barrier has proved a challenge for the Nottingham-born goalkeeper, who says she has a good understanding of French but jokes that it takes her "five to 10 working days" to respond to team-mates."That's probably been the biggest challenge so far - trying to get on the same page in the exact moment when the English and the French doesn't quite mix," she says."If you're in a stadium full of people, plus the language, plus the timing, that just adds a whole new level of complication."
The Guardian
30-01-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
How FA mindset guru's four questions provide building blocks to sporting glory
Headlines regularly report the latest outburst on court, a striker's unexplained goal drought or a coach's touchline rant. We search to understand how the best teams make game-winning decisions, communicate almost telepathically, recover from failure and deliver breathtaking performances when it matters most. It's a confusing world of belief systems and mindsets that can be hard to navigate and dominated by urban myths. To help answer these questions more systematically, Kate Hays, one of Britain's most progressive sports psychologists, shares her insights and approach honed across Olympic sport, rugby and football in her new book How to Win. Hays, head of women's performance psychology at the Football Association, takes us behind the scenes of some epic sporting achievements, from Tom Daley's diving career to the Harlequins championship-winning team and Sarina Wiegman's Euros-winning Lionesses. A promising 800m runner growing up, Hays had twin fascinations with the worlds of sport and crime. She recalls loving the TV drama series Cracker, based on Robbie Coltrane's colourful criminal psychologist, and was gripped by Paul Britton's book The Jigsaw Man. Britton, a forensic psychologist, looks for the 'mind trace' left by criminals rather than fingerprints or bloodstains, and asks himself four questions when faced with a crime scene: 'What happened, who was the victim, how was it done and why?' Hays likewise uses four questions to create the building blocks to sustainable performance: who are we? Why are we here? How do we play? And how do we win? These simple but not easy questions develop the deep roots needed to underpin long-term performance in the constantly volatile, unpredictable world of high-performance sport. A turning point came when Hays led sports psychology for Team GB. After the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Hays and her colleagues were troubled by the athletes' adverse stories, despite the impressive medal tally. They believed the human costs were unnecessarily high and detrimental to future performance. Project Thrive emerged, based on a double ambition of performance and thriving for every Team GB athlete. This thinking continues to underpin Hays' approach. 'I just do not buy into this idea that performance needs to be separate from an environment in which people can flourish and thrive,' she told me. 'I think the mistake is when you look at those as two separate things.' Although acknowledging 'people can be successful when they're not in the greatest place', Hays is convinced that success garnered in that way 'can't be sustained'. While discussions about the future of sport focus on fast-evolving technology, virtual reality headsets and AI, Hays emphasised to me: 'At the heart of those things is still a human being that needs to execute those skills under the highest pressure (constantly increasing from social media). To do that, they have to be able to emotionally regulate and maintain focus on the right thing at the right time.' Emotional regulation is a theme throughout the book. Daley explains in the afterword how Hays helped him manage 'main character syndrome' where a person believes, wrongly, that all eyes are on them. By creating a purpose beyond diving, Daley unlocked the freedom necessary to excel across five Olympics: 'The truth is that we're all supporting characters, and if we can learn to live like no one's watching, it's possible to free ourselves from embarrassment and fear. This attitude allows me to do whatever I think is best for success.' I first met Hays 10 years ago when I was supporting the coaches of the Cambridge University crew preparing for the first women's Boat Race to be held on the London Tideway Championship course. We were on a steep learning curve facing fast-rising standards and a global audience. That first year would bring unprecedented levels of media and public interest plus an Oxford crew with Olympic and international experience far beyond any of the Cambridge student rowers. Our chances of winning were nonexistent, yet we needed the 2015 race to be a success for the students, the club and the wider sporting world. Knowing of Hays' reputation and versatility across sports, we invited her to help us. Hays helped reimagine and redesign what success looked like: firstly, a challenging but achievable performance ambition for the Cambridge women's crew to give their best performance and go as fast as they were capable of on race day with measures around that; secondly, the goal to be brilliant ambassadors for this pioneering moment in women's sport; thirdly, taking a strong first step towards creating a sustainable high performance system to develop the rowing talent at Cambridge over the long-term. Hays worked collaboratively with the coaching team – a constant feature of her work and integral to her deep impact wherever she goes. Although the Cambridge women lost that year, they walked away knowing they had given their best performance in a race that attracted huge positive coverage. As a team, we took a giant step towards building a culture and performance system that would lead to a stunning course record in 2017 and an unbeaten streak since. Fast forward to her current work with the Lionesses. Hays talks of the 'meeting of minds' in her first conversation with Wiegman whom she describes as 'so psychologically well-informed.' Asked about the challenges of the upcoming Euros where the Lionesses will defend their title, Hays sets this calmly within the wider context and infinite game of sport: 'There is always change. So you're constantly readjusting, reflecting, re-evaluating … whether you haven't won yet, whether you've won multiple times, it almost doesn't matter because that change happens anyway.' Like Hays, her book is grounded in the practical application of psychological principles, leading us firmly away from popular myths, cliches and superstitions. There are no silver bullets for mastering our minds but Hays' four fundamental questions provide a map for anyone inside or outside sport to set themselves up for sustainable success. How To Win: Lessons in Success From the Front Line of Performance Psychology by Kate Hayes is published on Thursday by HarperCollins
