England must use playing at home to their advantage if they are to end their semi-final hoodoo and win Euro 2022 this summer, according to Karen Carney.
The Lionesses have reached the final four in each of the previous two World Cups and did likewise in the last European Championship in 2017 when they lost against the host nation the Netherlands, who were managed by current England boss Sarina Wiegman.
Wiegman, who replaced Phil Neville as England boss in September, certainly appears to have whipped her squad into good shape judging by Friday’s warm-up against the Dutch at Elland Road when they ran out emphatic 5-1 winners.
“I played in Holland in 2017. They beat us and went on to win it and they had that home crowd advantage with the buzz and the atmosphere… players embrace that. I think we will have to constantly play on that,” Carney, who was capped 144 times, tells i.
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“I really do think that England have a great chance but there are four or five teams who are all on the same level. I don’t think there’s a really big gap now between the best and rest – it has been narrowed down. You see that in men’s and women’s football, the gaps are getting smaller and smaller. Because the margins are so small I think the home advantage will be massive.”
There has certainly been an uptick in mood and momentum since Wiegman took charge.
England lost seven of their final 11 matches under Neville and Hege Riise, who stepped in during the interim period between Neville’s departure and Wiegman’s arrival, presided over a win and two defeats in her three games.
But under Wiegman, England have rediscovered their winning touch and made themselves difficult to beat, securing 11 victories and two draws in 13 games.
“I was fortunate to meet her at the Euros draw and she was amazing,” Carney says enthusiastically. “I think everyone who has worked with her speaks really highly of her and I got that vibe of ‘we’ve got a good one here’. It was cool to meet her in person and it echoed what everyone else has been saying [about her].
“She has a great CV behind her and is a manager that has already won a major tournament on home soil. She’s made the team defensively solid, you can see that she wants to defend properly and get numbers behind the ball. And she’s not afraid to mix it up. We saw when she was quite happy to put Millie Bright up top and go for it.”
Wiegman hasn’t shied away from making big decisions either. The headline news from England’s squad announcement concerned a player who was left out rather than any who were included: Steph Houghton, the player perhaps most synonymous with the Lionesses’ rise over the past decade and captain in each of the previous three tournaments, was controversially left out.
“She’s just not ready to compete,” was Wiegman’s pragmatic assessment of the centre back, whose season was ended in January due to Achilles and ankle injuries. Houghton’s armband successor is Arsenal midfielder Leah Williamson, who was handed the role in April.
“First and foremost, Steph’s been an incredible servant to our country and an unbelievable captain but an England jersey and the captaincy is unfortunately only ever borrowed,” Houghton’s former teammate says.
“The baton has now been passed over to Leah for this tournament and she’s got experience in the younger age groups, she’s been captain of Arsenal and probably been nurtured into this role.”
Williamson, 25, symbolises a new era for England, but she is far from the only one. There is plenty of excitement surrounding Manchester City winger Lauren Hemp, 21, who Carney believes will be “really key” for England following a season in which she scored 10 Women’s Super League goals and won the PFA Young Player of the Year for the fourth time in five seasons.
Manchester United forward Alessia Russo is another one to watch, according to Carney, who also believes that Manchester City midfielder Keira Walsh has gone under the radar given how impressive her WSL performances have been.
But while Houghton is absent, there remains a strong core of experienced players running through the heart of the squad, including Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright, Jill Scott and Ellen White.
Although there is an argument to be made that a 12-month delay to the tournament may have hindered England given the likes of Fran Kirby have struggled with injury over that period, Wiegman’s squad does have a nice balance to it, blending youth with know-how.
Time will tell whether it will be enough to see England overcome that final hurdle.
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