Only wins now can drown out the noise for blunt Sarina Wiegman

“What struck me the most was Sarina’s honesty and direct way of communicating.” That is what Mary Earps said about her first conversation with the England manager in Sarina Wiegman’s book What It Takes.

Four years on, that directness feels far less of a positive. Wiegman’s announcement of her Euro 2025 squad from St George’s Park on Thursday came under the cloud of a string of high-profile exits from the team.

Earps had announced her international retirement two weeks ago, after reportedly being told – one expects honestly and directly – that Hannah Hampton would be England’s first-choice No 1 in Switzerland. Earps’s decision was followed by Fran Kirby’s, who had been told by Wiegman that she would not even be part of the squad.

But the biggest surprise came on Wednesday morning when vice-captain Millie Bright posted on social media that she was withdrawing herself from selection because she was “unable to give 100% mentally and physically”. A day later, she revealed she had undergone a minor operation on her knee, while there has been some suggestion of upheaval in her personal life.In the space of the three weeks between the announcement of England’s Nations League squad for games against Spain and Portugal and their Euros one, 218 caps had disappeared.

Wiegman gives little away as a manager, although the laughs she gave as she was asked if she was too blunt or if her team were in crisis felt forced rather than relaxed. “For me, it is really important that I am honest, that I treat people in the right way,” she said. “I can’t always control how people respond to that.”

The decision from Bright is a particularly big blow. When asked if she had spoken to Bright about what her role at the tournament would be, Wiegman would only awkwardly confirm that Bright would have been in her squad.

“Of course we’ve had conversations as I have conversations with players all the time. I’m not going to tell what those conversations are about but it’s the same as with other players I have conversations with.”

Bright has started all of England’s last 13 games at major tournaments, captained them at the 2023 World Cup, and had an outstanding season for Chelsea. But she has struggled at points for England and was notably substituted at half-time in a match against Belgium after being at fault for three goals conceded in the first half. There was also an early penalty concession against Germany.

However, she did start alongside Leah Williamson in England’s most impressive win of the year, a 1-0 victory over Spain in February, and the assumption was Wiegman would revive the successful centre-back pairing that won Euro 2022.

The question hanging over Wiegman is if the way she has carried out conversations with her squad has left her team at risk for the tournament. Earps’s exit means Hampton is the only capped goalkeeper going to the tournament; neither Khiara Keating nor Anna Moorhouse have ever played for the senior team. Similarly the decision Wiegman made on Kirby has left England looking very thin in midfield, with only five named in the squad.

“We have to announce it as midfielders, defenders and strikers but we can move around some players in different positions,” she said. “On paper, it looks like not much depth but in the team we are.”

In the place of an extra midfielder, Wiegman has selected 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang. The Arsenal forward only has one cap but she scored 41 seconds into that appearance against Belgium.

The big relief for England will be that Lauren James has been named in the squad, despite not playing since sustaining a hamstring injury on England duty in April. Wiegman insisted she expected her to be available in some capacity for England’s first match against France on 5 July.

Wiegman has taken big decisions about her squad in the past. Former captain Steph Houghton was excluded in 2022 while Alex Greenwood was dropped to the bench at the 11th hour that summer, when she decided to push Leah Williamson back from midfield to defence. Those choices were vindicated by the fact that England went on to win the tournament. Here, the risks are clear. If Hampton struggles in goal, minds will wander longingly back to the imperious performances of Earps in 2022 and 2023.

Any sense of defensive weakness will prompt the question of whether Wiegman could have done more to persuade Bright to play. Injuries to Grace Clinton, Jess Park or Ella Toone will leave a hole that Fran Kirby could have ably filled. “Before there is a major tournament, there is always noise,” Wiegman said.

Only good performances will make it go away this summer.

Photograph by Adam Davy/PA Wire