Sarina Weigman eager to face her friend Emma Hayes in marquee clash as the Lionesses face off against Hayes’ USWNT.
Sarina Weigman and England hope to learn from going toe-to-toe with Emma Hayes’s resurgent side.
Just the idea of the European champions hosting the Olympic champions is enough to create excitement. This is much more than a friendly between the world’s top-ranked teams, though, especially when you consider Emma Hayes’ victorious return to Wembley and an England team that has a lot of room for improvement after falling to Germany in their previous meeting at the national stadium.
The USA, who are ranked No. 1 and have looked completely revived since Hayes left Chelsea to take command in May, are the best test for an England team looking to maintain their championship at the Euros in Switzerland next year.
“As long as I’ve been an England player, it’s been one of the most exciting games to play in,” the right-back Lucy Bronze said. “There seems to be a rivalry that’s blossomed out of nowhere over the last kind of decades. And we know, no matter what players are on the pitch or who the manager is, it’s a competitive, high-level game.
“It’s a good level because the US just won an Olympic gold medal. It takes a lot to win a tournament – we know that. To win the Olympics you have to be intense, you have to be ruthless, you have to have a crazy mentality. I think that sums up the USA perfectly, so I think if we can go toe-to-toe with a team like that. See the mentality that it takes, learn from any mistakes that we make in the game. Push ourselves and show what we’re capable of as well, show what we can do against a top team like that. It’s going to put us in very good stead for the next eight months.”
Sarina Wiegman, spoke about her friendship with Hayes on Friday but the Dutchwoman said. “It’s the same now when we play the USA or the Netherlands. You really want to beat your friends, even more maybe than when it’s not your friends. They’re the No 1 of the world. Emma Hayes, we used to collaborate and now we’re opponents. Whilst in the football world we’re actually one family but we’re absolutely competing tomorrow.”