Lack of settled lineup could also cause problems for opposition, while talents such as Lauren James have a huge opportunityThe key to England’s success under Sarina Wiegman has been consistency but injuries are causing uncertainty, an unfamiliar feeling for the Lionesses. Entering the World Cup without some key players is a problem but they have plenty who know how to be successful to counteract the losses.One player who has excelled under Wiegman is Keira Walsh. She is in Australia after a Champions League-winning campaign with Barcelona, so will be confident. As a deep-lying playmaker, she is crucial to England’s style and opponents know that. Walsh is a highly intelligent player who reads the game superbly and has been targeted recently...
I worry about the climate but didn’t think more than 40 Women’s World Cup players would sign up to create a positive environmental legacy for the tournamentIf I had to pinpoint one moment when I started to really think about climate change it would be in 2009 when Cop15 was held in Copenhagen. Since then, my interest has just been growing and I have become more and more concerned about the future.My efforts to change my behaviour and reduce my carbon footprint didn’t come all at once, but gradually I have adjusted things in my life to be more carbon friendly. What is driving me is that the countries and the people that are least responsible for this situation are...
Fifa has a point in asking broadcasters to pay more for the tournament but the game needs a quick solution If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? If a World Cup kicks off on the other side of the world but no one can watch it, does it really happen?We are 43 days out from the Women’s World Cup starting in Australia and New Zealand but, with Fifa threatening a blackout because of low offers for the broadcast rights from the biggest European footballing countries, you wouldn’t know it. There are no adverts, no references to coverage and there is no buildup. Instead, prospective viewers and existing fans in those countries have been left in...
Gianni Infantino threatens a World Cup blackout yet Fifa is the architect of the chronic underfunding in the women’s gamePrepare the spandex: women’s football superman Gianni “I have four daughters” Infantino is here to save the day.The president of Fifa has threatened a broadcasting blackout of the Women’s World Cup in the “big five” European countries of England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France, blaming bids for the broadcast rights for the tournament that he said were a “slap in the face” to the players and “all women worldwide”. Continue reading...
From workload to making sure the best equipment is used, there is much to look into after spate of ACL injuries to top playersWhenever I see a player go down with a serious injury in the women’s game it is painful to watch because you know the road to recovery is a long one. It has a heavy impact on a career, forcing an individual to miss months of action and potentially life-changing moments.Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas, Lyon’s Ellie Carpenter and Arsenal’s Leah Williamson are three of the many players at the top of the European club game to have sustained an ACL injury over the past year. Putellas was forced out of the Euros as a result and Williamson will...