'Everyone's ready': England shed nerves for Dutch test

When the England players got back into the dressing room after Saturday's defeat to France, they were very quiet, until Sarina Wiegman felt she had to do more than say the right words.

- MIGUEL DELANEY IN ZURICH

She had to deliver the right message. “We win on Wednesday,” she said.

England feel in a much better “headspace” despite the risk of elimination from Euro 2025 if they lose to the Netherlands in Zurich and France are not beaten by Wales. The direct football that they played in the final minutes of the France game has offered a sense of clarity. It’s brought a focus, where there was previously uncertainty.

Insiders state that Wiegman’s squad were much more nervous before the France match than they had let on. As defending champions, they felt a new pressure, with that compounded by how it wasn’t really the same team. They weren’t certain of how they were going to play, and training sessions in the buildup hadn’t been smooth.

Then, the worst happened. England weren’t just beaten by France, they often looked a shambles. The tactics, with Lauren James at the top of midfield, didn’t work.

At full time, England came into the dressing room extremely agitated, which was why Wiegman’s message was effective. A line was drawn, and the challenge was made clear. It’s win or bust, and the first ever women’s European champions to go out in the group stage.

Wiegman, of course, hasn’t been playing up any of that. “We don’t talk about consequences,” the England manager said. “We talk about our game plan.”

Training has been more focused, but not due to any sense of panic. Alessia Russo spoke of how they are more “chilled”.

Beside her, Wiegman was in conspicuously good form at the pre-match press conference in Zurich’s Stadion Letzigrund, laughing a lot. You wouldn’t have thought this was a manager facing up to unprecedented first-round humiliation.

That’s just as well, because this match has so many strands and stakes beyond the finality of the circumstances. Wiegman even joked about whether she should speak Dutch, which is of course one of the main narratives.