Sarina Wiegman plans to end 57 years of hurt for England in World Cup final

Sarina Wiegman has gripped the hearts of the nation ever since leading England to a first major trophy last summer, 56 years after Bobby Moore lifted the World Cup in 1966. Now, having guided the Lionesses to a first Women's World Cup final, Wiegman is now within touching distance of ending England’s 57 years of hurt on the global stage too.

The FA initially had to wait to appoint the Wiegman, a wait that paid off says CEO Mark Bullingham.

In an emphatic 23 months in charge, winning two Arnold Clark trophies, the Women's Finalissima, Euro 2022 and now heading into a World Cup final, she has decorated herself as one of the best managers in the world and is already a three-time Best FIFA Women's Coach.

But England have faced major adversity in the 13 months between winning the Euros and reaching the World Cup final. Three major players were ruled out through injury, two others retired, while a key midfielder got injured during the tournament and another star ended up being suspended.

"I'm so proud of the team - it has been really impressive how the team has responded to every challenge we've had," the England boss said, speaking on the pride she has for the side.

"It shows so much resilience but also eagerness and conviction that we want to do well."

In Hait, Denmark, China, Nigeria, Colombia and Australia, the Lionesses have so far come up against an array of attacks and defences and have remained unbeaten. That is something they have over final opponents Spain, who were torn apart by Japan in the group stage.

"On Sunday we will face challenges again but we know how we want to play, we know the strengths but also the weaknesses of Spain, and it's just trying to exploit the weaknesses and take out the strengths," Wiegman explained ahead of facing Spain.

Reaching the final holds big implications for England, as the first for any senior team since 1966.
But, despite being Dutch, Wiegman revealed how much England and English football means to her and that she feels fully engrossed in the desire to win through how much it means to English people.

"I don't hear it that much because I get out of the noise, But I know it’s there," she said.

"When we started working, September 2021, I felt that the country was so desperate to win a final in a tournament. Everyone was saying that and the players too. I thought: it’s very real."

Wiegman said rather than focusing on the want to win, she redirected her attention on how to win: "Stop talking about the result because we know what we want.

"I heard again: 1966. Everyone's talking about 1966. So let's be at our best on Sunday and try and be successful. Another thing: football is so big in England. It's so in the culture. That's incredible to experience. It's so big. It’s everywhere. That's pretty cool too."

READ THE LATEST LIONESSES WOMEN'S WORLD CUP 2023 NEWS HERE

Wiegman has reached the final in all four major tournaments she has competed in; winning two European Championships - with Netherlands in 2017 and with England in 2022. This is already her second World Cup final too, suffering a 2-0 loss to the United States with the Dutch in 2019.

Speaking on reaching her fourth major tournament final, Wiegman added that it’s a special thing but has had little time to relish in the achievement.

"When you are in top sport, it's normal that everyone wants to make the final but you can't all be there. Not many teams get to finals. To get to four, that is very, very special but as soon as you get there, I switch to thinking about what we still need to do. We are in the final, but everything now, all my thinking, is how do we beat Spain," she explained.

Recalling her experience of reaching the final in her last campaign with the Netherlands in 2019, reeling from the heartbreak of the loss that she suffered, Weigman continued, "Well I thought in 2019, I know a couple of moments, we could have won, but then we would have stolen it a little bit.

"I think this is a totally different situation. This is England v Spain. We are in a very, very good place. We have grown into this tournament and the players feel very comfortable. They feel confident. We have recovered really well. We have everyone fit. So we are really ready to go."

It would be easy for the 53-year-old to call it quits after the highs and successful moments so far, but she says that working with people, the players and the FA are what give her the energy to continue on the journey even when she has faced a lot of adversity.

"What I really love is to work with people and work with very ambitious, talented people. That gives me energy," she commented on what motivates her to keep going.

Using Katie Zelem as an example, Wiegman dropped her from the squad for the April fixtures against Brazil and Australia. But, after seeing her progresses and deciding to switch things up, brought Zelem back in for the World Cup squad. The Manchester United captain then started England's group stage clash with China, and that kind of thing drives Wiegman.

"When I think, '[Zelem] really went on it, played really well and she's so good in the team on and off [the] pitch. I could give plenty of examples for that. That's what I enjoy so much," the boss explained.

"Of course sometimes you have [to give] very disappointing messages too which take a lot of energy but that's part of the job too. But connecting people, trying to help players to support players and help them a little bit in their development, which helps them in life too.

"That's what I love about working with people. And yes I want to win and I want to be the best too but that gives me the energy,” she said revealing that motivation a bit further.

Her connection to the Lionesses team since her tenure began has been an incredible relationship that has led Wiegman and England to European glory and now within touching distance of becoming World Champions too.

"I always see that they want to work really hard,” she said.

"Sometimes you even have to slow them down a little bit. They're very committed and very eager to improve and the main difference is sometimes they don't embrace mistakes so we say 'Go and take action', and mistakes are part of football, mistakes are part of life. Everyone makes mistakes, but you have to take action and accept the mistakes but take action again.

"I always say if you take action, you can do something phenomenal and you can make a mistake. It can be both ways. I think that's a big difference that now everyone feels confident and comfortable to just take action and everyone is supporting each other."