Mentally strong, cunning and risky: what Europeans think of England’s Lionesses

“Against France, England did not really impress, even though they finished the match much better and could even have come back to equalise.” says AFP reporter Alice Lefebvre.

“Even with this defeat, England's elimination was never considered because they already had that composure on the pitch. This defeat woke them up, as we saw against the Netherlands and Wales. Their pride was hurt.

“Against Sweden and Italy, I was at the stadium, and it was the same scenario. And that’s what’s even more impressive. They had the mental strength, twice in a row, to turn everything around. On the sidelines, Sarina Wiegman never showed any stress, just joy at the last-minute goals scored by substitute players.

“That’s what France is missing: mental strength in big games and substitute players who can make a difference. All this to say that I am not surprised that the English women have reached the final again, as they always manage to raise their game in major competitions, unlike France.”

Clearly the Netherlands also know Sarina Wiegman particularly well, given that she led them to the European Championship title in 2017. Jonna ter Veer from NOS Sport describes England as having a “Dutch link” because as well as Wiegman, England’s assistant coach Arjan Veurink will take over as the Netherlands manager after the tournament.

“My personal prediction has always been that the final would be between England and Spain. The game between the Netherlands and England was a fantastic game. The Dutch got beaten so badly, and you could see it coming from the start. I was amazed how they took revenge from their loss to France and really acted as a team.

“I don’t think personally that England have played that badly. They are never the underdogs and other teams really want to beat you. They want to exploit your weaknesses. It’s twice as hard.”

After scoring four against the Netherlands, England finished off their group stage by winning 5-1 against Wales.

“I think England were in a very different place when they played Wales, compared to playing France and the Netherlands,” says Sion Misra, a freelance Welsh football writer.

“But I think it’s a shame that we haven’t seen this England team kick on since then. The football has been very direct and it’s not been that fun to watch. There is a little bit of surprise that they have made the final, not because of the players they have, but because of their style of play. It wouldn’t surprise me if they win the tournament though. It just feels like their name is on the trophy.”

That feeling that perhaps England were just supposed to make the final was certainly strong when they beat Sweden on penalties in the quarter-final despite going 2-0 down.

“The Swedish people are absolutely devastated,” says Frida Fagerlund, a senior writer for Aftonbladet in Sweden.

“They feel like we definitely should have beaten England and no-one can really understand how we actually ended up losing.

“But what everyone can see, and this is the main reason England have reached the final, is the squad depth which neither Sweden nor Italy have.

“It’s absolutely fascinating to me how England really divide people in Sweden. There is this presumption that the English are a bit arrogant when it comes to football. People feel that England have got quite lucky but what is luck and what’s just great coaching? That’s the big question for me.”

England’s semi-final opponents Italy were just one minute away from knocking them out, until Michelle Agyemang equalised to send the game to extra time.

“I've always thought that England, along with Spain, were the strongest teams in the tournament,” says Mauro Munno from CalcioNews24.

“That’s why seeing them in the final doesn’t surprise me.

“What did surprise me was that they came close to elimination against both Sweden and Italy, two teams that are, in my opinion, clearly inferior. My feeling is that in the end, they prevailed almost through a superiority in terms of experience and cunning rather than on actual merit.

“Sarina Wiegman is often spoken of as a strategist, but I don't understand why the playing time for players like Kelly and Agyemang is so limited. I believe both deserve to be more than just ‘super subs’, and while their introduction against Italy was decisive, it was also inexplicably late.

“In the end, the results proved her right, but how much did she risk? England’s potential is extremely high, but so far it has only been fully unleashed against the Netherlands and Wales.”

England’s recent international superiority, from winning Euro 2022 and reaching the World Cup final in 2023, has clearly impacted on how they are perceived. Despite not playing very well, there is a sense of resignation around the teams they have beaten, and even the one that they lost to, in how they have been able to make the final. Between them and Spain, there is a recognition that these sides are genuinely the two best in Europe, even if they don’t always show it on the pitch.

Photo by Harriet Lander - The FA/The FA via Getty Images