England’s Georgia Stanway says it was inevitable that the team would fall apart, but it is crucial that they reinvent themselves to prepare for another big tournament next summer.
After going on a 30-match unbeaten streak with Sarina Wiegman early in her tenure, the lionesses suffered its first defeat in April last year in front of the World Cup 2023. Since then the results have been rolling in, including a disappointing Nations League campaign which saw Team GB miss out on qualification for the Olympics over the summer.
Friday’s result against Germany was another reminder of the progress other teams on the continent are making. It was the visitors’ first game under new manager Christian Wuck, but they looked streets ahead of England in some areas of their game.
After a couple of successful years, including the Euro 2022 triumph and reaching a World Cup final, the expectations of this England team are very high. Stanway admits that maintaining such a high level of consistency is almost impossible, and it’s up to them to make sure they reinvent themselves and are hard to beat.
“I think when the expectations are continuous, we probably won’t be able to live up to it,” admitted the midfielder in a press conference this Monday. “I think it’s inevitable that at some point you go to style.
“We’ve been with Sarina (Wiegman) for two and a half years, almost three years. We’re going to get to a point where we can’t win continuously because teams are going to discover us, others are getting better, and that’s where we have to work together to be able to reinvent – us
“We have to work together to be able to change some tactics, change things here and there to dominate the rivals. No matter how much the teams evolve, we must also continue to evolve and make tweaks.”
England will have the chance to right the wrongs of their 4-3 defeat against Germany when they take on South Africa in Coventry on Tuesday night. Wiegman’s team has three more games this calendar year, including a big test against Emma Hayes’ US team and a game against Switzerland in November.
All eyes are now on next summer’s European Championship, with England hoping to retain their title. However, with Germany on the rise and Spain taking Europe by storm, it will be no simple task.
