Sarina Wiegman does not want to put too much pressure on her players after the 5-1 victory with England over the Orange Women on Friday. The national coach agrees that her team is well on its way, but remains cautious with a view to the approaching European Championship.
At the match in Leeds it was still 1-1 halfway through. In the second half, after a missed penalty by Sherida Spitse, things went completely wrong for the Netherlands, which did not always look good defensively.
“But I think that the Netherlands is also a favorite for the European Championship, we saw that in the first half. They can play football very well,” said 52-year-old Wiegman to the NOS about her old team.
“England is well on its way, but Germany, Sweden, France and Spain are also very good countries. It is quite difficult to predict how the tournament will go, but I also think that we are one of the countries that will win for that price.” can go.”
The European Championship will be held in England and will start on Wednesday, July 6. Wiegman’s team opens the tournament with a match against Austria at Old Trafford. Norway and Northern Ireland are the other opponents in the group. The Orange will meet Sweden, Portugal and Switzerland.
The Orange Women had a painful evening in Leeds.
The Orange Women had a painful evening in Leeds. Photo: Getty Images
‘We used to have trouble scoring’
Although England won with large numbers from the Orange Women, Wiegman has mixed feelings about the exhibition game. The national coach thought the difference between the first and second half was too great.
“The result is great. In the other top matches we have played, we had quite a bit of trouble scoring. That went well now. It’s great if you make five against a country like the Netherlands,” she said.
“In the first half we had trouble with the way the Netherlands played, with a lot of dynamics and a surplus in midfield. We couldn’t get a grip on that. Our pace was so low on the ball that the Netherlands could always keep up.”
In the run-up to the European Championship, England will only practice against Switzerland, which is the opponent in Zurich on Thursday. The Netherlands will play another World Cup qualifier with Belarus (Tuesday) and an exhibition game against Finland (next Saturday).