SYDNEY: England had never won a major women’s football trophy before Sarina Wiegman became coach. Now they are closing on a second in the space of a year.
Wiegman’s European champions face co-hosts Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, with the prize a place in Sunday’s final against Sweden or Spain.
England’s squad is packed with quality but arguably their biggest weapon in Sydney will be the 53-year-old native of the Netherlands standing on the sidelines.
When Wiegman was named to succeed Phil Neville as coach almost exactly three years ago, England’s football association described her as “steely and a winner”.
It turned out to be the perfect description. She masterminded England to European glory last summer on home soil and they are now on the brink of a first World Cup final.
Wiegman smiles easily at press conferences, but gives very little away either about the team or herself.
It is clear, though, that she has the total faith of her squad, who describe her as calm but direct.
Midfielder Georgia Stanway described how Wiegman had fostered a family environment at the World Cup that allows England’s squad to thrive while also relaxing when they need to.
That includes allowing the players to have their families with them, rather than isolating the squad.
But even for her players, there is something about Wiegman that is almost otherworldly.
“We’ve all got families out here – even Sarina,” said Stanway.
Asked by a reporter to clarify what she meant by “even Sarina”, Stanway looked a little sheepishly at her coach sitting next to her and laughed.
“Sometimes, er, sometimes you don’t realise that your head coach is actually human,” she said.
Worth the wait
The strength of the Women’s Super League and the game’s growth in England means that Wiegman has a deep pool of players from which to choose.
Even prior to leading England to European glory last summer, there was a feeling that Wiegman could be the difference between this Lionesses side and those that went before.
The former PE teacher led the Netherlands to the European title in 2017, then did the same with England.
She also guided the Netherlands to the final of the 2019 World Cup, where they lost 2-0 to the United States.
England had to wait more than a year between Wiegman agreeing to the job in August 2020 and taking charge in September 2021, because of her commitments with the Dutch at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics.
But she proved worth the wait and England have lost only once under Wiegman.
That sole defeat suddenly becomes more relevant – it was to Australia, a 2-0 loss in London in April that ended the Lionesses’ 30-game unbeaten run.
Cutting her hair short
Because of her success, Wiegman has long been seen as the standard-bearer for women coaches.
She noted with a hint of disappointment how, following results in the last 16, she was the only woman coach left at the World Cup.
England have certainly not been perfect in getting to this stage – they were the inferior team before squeezing past Nigeria on penalties in the last 16.
But they have reached the last four without two of their best players – skipper Leah Williamson and star striker Beth Mead, both missing the tournament with serious knee injuries.
Much of the credit must go to Wiegman, who as a child cut her hair short so that she could play football with her twin brother.The former defender went on to become the first Dutch player to be capped 100 times.
Asked on the eve of the quarter-final against Colombia – which England went on to win 2-1 – to describe her football journey, Wiegman was typically recalcitrant.
“I’m not really busy with my journey at the moment,” she told the Colombian reporter, looking a little unimpressed at the line of questioning.
“I’m really busy with the game tomorrow and my team.”