#Letakan iklan disini
Football Jun 20, 2026

England Women: Sarina Wiegman looking for Lionesses to show their true selves as Lauren Hemp admits to sleepless night after Spain thrashing

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
England Women: Sarina Wiegman looking for Lionesses to show their true selves as Lauren Hemp admits to sleepless night after Spain thrashing

Sarina Wiegman is looking for a response from her England players after the 4-0 defeat to Spain that left some of the Lionesses suffering from a sleepless night.

The defeat in Mallorca was not only the biggest in Wiegman's tenure but also the worst for the Lionesses since 2009 and one that has left World Cup qualification out of their hands.

England go into Tuesday's game against Ukraine knowing that they need to better Spain's result against Iceland to earn automatic qualification for next year's tournament in Brazil, or they will have to qualify via a two-legged play-off.

However, Wiegman is more focused on her players atoning for their poor performance against the world champions than trying to better Spain's result.

"Of course it was a difficult Friday night that hurt. But we've moved on too because we have another game [on Tuesday]. There was good energy in the team, the team stuck together and we really want to show that.

"We sat on the pitch straight after the game and said, 'okay, this one is really hard to take'. It felt like a hit on the chin.

"It's really easy when things go well that everyone sticks together and we have conversations. But at moments when you're having a setback like this, then we really see who we are.

"You can't always control everything. We wanted to control more last Friday, definitely. We want to get control of the game tomorrow also. But how are you going to make sure that it's never going to happen?

"You're not going to be sure. You want to make the chance as high as possible to improve your style of play, and to get your game plan right and execute it. And that's what we always want to do."

Wiegman confirmed there will be a member of her staff watching Spain's game against Iceland, which kicks off at the same time as the match at Hill Dickinson Stadium, but said no information will be passed onto her players.

"We have someone there, so we will know," she added. "We're not planning on sharing that with players. We know what to do. We have to win this game and that's what we're going after. But for us [the staff], of course, we want to be updated."

The manner of defeat is uncharted territory for much of the England squad and Lauren Hemp revealed she and other members of the squad couldn't sleep after the humiliation in Mallorca.

"The best thing that we've done this week is continue to be positive and upbeat because the last thing we want is everyone to be flat going into a game like we're going into [against Ukraine]," Hemp said.

"We've all stuck around each other and lifted each other up. That first night, it was very hard for me to get some sleep and for the rest of the girls.

"As soon as we review the game, it's then important to look forward on to the next.

"We didn't play how we wanted to. We didn't execute the game plan like we should have. For us as players, the thing we love doing is getting back out on the pitch and improving ourselves as a group."

Tags:

football news

Share this article

Related Posts

Celtic: Scottish Premiership 2026/27 fixtures and schedule

Celtic: Scottish Premiership 2026/27 fixtures and schedule

Celtic begin their Scottish Premiership title defence at home to Dundee on August 3, live on Your Site.The Monday night clash, which will kick-off at...

Enzo Maresca to Manchester City: Italian's connections with club make this deal sensible - but can Pep Guardiola's replacement bring success?

Enzo Maresca to Manchester City: Italian's connections with club make this deal sensible - but can Pep Guardiola's replacement bring success?

One of Pep Guardiola's more memorable quotes from his time as Manchester City boss is "we cannot replace him." It was 2021 and a tearful Guardiola was...

World Cup 2026 fixture schedule and UK kick-off times: Day-by-day breakdown of all 104 matches including England, Scotland

World Cup 2026 fixture schedule and UK kick-off times: Day-by-day breakdown of all 104 matches including England, Scotland

Here's your day-by-day breakdown of the 48-team, 37-day World Cup which features 103 matches leading up to the final on July 19.All the kick-offs for...

World Cup 2026: Spain show why they are favourites as Lamine Yamal inspires statement win over Saudi Arabia

World Cup 2026: Spain show why they are favourites as Lamine Yamal inspires statement win over Saudi Arabia

It may have taken them a week but Spain have arrived at the World Cup - and their rivals for the trophy will be wary.The European champions were blunt...

Scotland at the World Cup: Steve Clarke's qualification 'dilemma' ahead of crunch Brazil clash

Scotland at the World Cup: Steve Clarke's qualification 'dilemma' ahead of crunch Brazil clash

Steve Clarke has a "dilemma" on his hands ahead of Scotland's game with Brazil on Wednesday with his side walking a qualification tightrope, according...

World Cup 2026: England boss Thomas Tuchel has Marc Guehi pushing for recall after uncertain John Stones, Ezri Konsa performances against Croatia

World Cup 2026: England boss Thomas Tuchel has Marc Guehi pushing for recall after uncertain John Stones, Ezri Konsa performances against Croatia

England's attack caught fire against Croatia but their defence in Dallas was far less convincing.The centre-back partnership of Ezri Konsa and John St...