A look at the names in Group D at Women’s European Championships in Switzerland makes football hearts beat faster. Defending champion England, France and the Netherlands promise top games in the preliminary round. But it is also clear: for a nation, the title dream ends in the preliminary round.
France against England, England against the Netherlands, the Netherlands against France: Group D – which also includes new tournament Wales – is probably the hardest in the euro in Switzerland in addition to the German group. The last two European champions are represented with “The Lionesses” and “Oranje”.
With all the necessary respect for the Welsh selection performance, it cannot be assumed that the debutants from the island can seriously intervene in the fight for one of the two front places.
England: Defending champion With clear ideas
The kicker from the neighboring country, on the other hand, is different: the expectations in the mother country of football are huge. For the first time in 55 years, an English football team competed in a big tournament as defending champion after the trophy was won in the home in 2022. Nevertheless, not everything went smoothly for Sarina Wiegman and her team. The Dutchman has been head coach since 2021 and led England to the title. A feat that she had succeeded with with her home country five years earlier.
Sarina Wiegman led the Netherlands and England to the European Championship title.
The 55-year-old was responsible for twelve EM games as a trainer, and she always went off the pitch as the winner. Nevertheless, she speaks with a view to the opponents of “Three finals”. In view of the challenge, however, one will not hide: “We want more, we want to play for the title.” For this they had taken new ground in preparation, tried “To turn every stone to prepare us as well as possible”.
Resignation causes unrest among the “Löwinnen”
In advance, the resignation of three deserved players made for a few discounts. Mary Earps, still awarded the best goalkeeper of the tournament in 2022, and Fran Kirby resigned from the national team shortly before the squad. Millie Bright announced on the evening before the nomination that she is currently not able to “Mentally and physically to give 100 percent” and withdrawn voluntarily.
In one fell swoop, three icons of the 2022 squad were no longer there, which also caused violent reactions in the English boulevard, Wiegman’s skills as a team manager were questioned. But that was not irritated and received backing from the association, which had already decided in January to extend their contract early by 2027 – regardless of what was happening at the European Championship. Now she still has to prove that this advance of trust was correct.
Mary Earps will not be guarding England’s goal in Switzerland.
Netherlands: leads Jonker Oranje back to the top?
The Dutch team also goes to the tournament with large ambitions. “We are here to win the euro”said Andries Jonker confidently. The former coach of Bayern Munich and VfL Wolfsburg, who has been looking after the Dutch women since 2022, that it was not really going on at the last big tournaments.
EM title 2017, Vice World Champion 2019 and afterwards? Not much! Three quarter -finals at EM, World Cup and Olympics and a fourth place in the Nations League do not reflect the claim of “Oranje”. So Jonker tried to give the team a new face with a rejuvenation cure. “We tried to give us a clear identity. We tried to define what we stand for”according to the 63-year-old.
With the European record national player Sherida Spitse (244 games) and striker Vivianne Miedema (99 goals in 124 games), Jonker still has the necessary experience in the team. He sees one himself “High energy, lots of strength, real football quality and an offensive playing style” with his players. You should take the initiative regardless of the opponent and push through your game.
Sherida Spitse (right) is the European with the most missions for her country with 244 international matches.
Headache at the starting eleven
The development also leads to a (luxury) problem. After numerous injury worries in 2024, Jonker now has all women on board again. Thanks to a core of “15, 16, 17 top players”, the coach has not yet found its final starting.
Thanks to the supposedly easiest group opponent Wales at the start, an advantage for the Netherlands could already have an advantage for the Netherlands, since England and France will take away points in a direct duel and so at least one of the two teams will be under pressure. On the way to the big goal it doesn’t matter who the next opponent is: “We will give everything and it doesn’t matter who we play against it”according to Jonker.
France: longing for the first big trophy
In contrast to England and the Netherlands, the Grande Nation is still waiting for the first title at the women’s national team. However, this longing should now be breastfed in Switzerland. The work of Laurent Bonadei has not only been organized since Hervé Renard’s take office after the Olympic Games at home in the previous year.
The departure in the Olympic quarter -finals had caused a mood damper. Afterwards you have on “Cohesion” and the “Mentality” worked and now have “A selfless, committed group who wants to deliver a good show on the pitch”so Bonadei. Accordingly, the 55 -year -old head coach is not even afraid of the opening game: “It will be a very intense first game in which we are right in the middle of this top -class competition.”
Laurent Bonadei hopes for the first title for France.
Bonadei does without a lot of experience
Similarly to the English women, there were discussions about the squad in advance in France. The non -consideration of Wendie Renard, Kenza Dali and Eugénie Le Sommer was not only understood. After all, Bonadei does without the experience of more than 450 international matches due to the booting of the trio. Precisely because the French got a blockade in the important games in large tournaments, the question arises whether it was the right way to do without these seasoned players.
With the new captain Griedge Mbock Bathy and Maëlle Lakrar, Bonadei has a strong central defender duo that manages to coordinate the defensive properly. The fast attackers Sandy Baltimore and Kadidiatou Diani should provide the necessary impulses in the other direction and keep their team in the tournament with goals as long as possible. Ideally until the final when the nerves play along.
Clear favorite? False
Both France and England and the Netherlands have justified hopes to reach the co-phase of the tournament, a clear favorite cannot be identified. A lot will really depend on how the start runs. The Netherlands could really have a small psychological advantage. One thing is clear: there will be many disappointed players after the last match day because three teams are simply too much.