While Sarina Wiegman had just announced her England squad for the last international break of the year, most of the questioning had nothing to do with her selection, to the point that the media officer reminded the journalists that a squad had been announced and fixtures were coming up.
This is the first time the England manager has been spoken to in a press conference since Mary Earps' books, which criticised the manager and Hampton. So the questions were along that theme, and journalists were apologising for constantly returning to the topic, as it seemed she was fed up with that line of inquiry.
The most shocking thing she said was: “I would have done the same thing against. I think what I said all the time is that we have to incredible keepers in the gokeepers group... and at the end, I made that decision... and that's what it is for me."
Wiegman made it clear she has not spoken to Earps since the book came out, and it doesn’t look like it could happen in the future, so maybe Earps wouldn’t get her England goodbye.
She spoke on how this was a private matter and involved a lot of private conversation, and she will always keep it private. By keeping this private, she can maintain trust with the players, allowing them to feel comfortable speaking with her.
Regarding the media, fans, and coverage on the matter, the manager was not spurred and noted that the team is visible.
She went on to say this is the reality of a coach who makes decisions on wanting to win, and that all players, including those who experience things very differently, are affected.
The back-to-back-to-back Euros-winning manager is missing concerns about division in the squad: “No, I'm not worried about that. I think there's always, like when there's in teams, there's always dynamics going on."
Since the last camp, Arsenal confirmed that Michelle Agyemang tore her ACL on international duty against Australia, and now Katie Reid has torn her ACL.
Many players have spoken out about the demanding schedules being a significant focus and a significant factor in ACL injuries, including, most recently, Keira Walsh.
Wiegman admitted it is frustrating that the scheduling issue keeps coming up, especially from the players, and that nothing has been done about it.
She stressed the need to "learn, we need to have a look at the calendar. We need to collaborate. On different levels and make good positions."
About 6% of sports and exercise research is conducted exclusively on women, she noted, adding that while research is increasing, it will take time.
Lauren James is back for Chelsea and nearly scored against St Polten (it went down as an OG), but she was not called up for England because the manager did not want to take any risks in her recovery as she continues to move forward.
There have been two first senior call-ups: Anouk Denton and Freya Godfrey. The latter had been doing well for the club and brought something different to the squad for Wiegman.
With no Hannah Hampton, it seemed like there was an opportunity for Ellie Roebcuk to come in. While they still keep a close eye on her, she’s further away right now.
England's homecoming was not just about travelling around the country, but also about facing countries they would not usually encounter, especially those outside Europe.
She said: "We play opponents from different continents, which is really nice too, because they give us different challenges and with China, they will give us like an Asian country, different to what Ghana will give us, and we'll get a lot of learning.”
They will be facing China and Wembley, which they are excited about, mainly as 80,000+ tickets have been sold. Plus, Wiegman returns to Southampton to face Ghana, the venue where she managed her first game for England back in 2021.
With the likes of Leah Williamson and Alex Greenwood injured, questions about leadership and strength in defence, the manager has no concerns about stars like Lucy Bronze, Keira Walsh, Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp in the squad. This will allow other players to step up.
This squad looks very different to the Euros squad but new faces and young faces shows that the lionesses are in good hands for the future and brighter than ever.
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