List of All Articles with Tag 'tb'

Sarina Wiegman is happy as England manager and wants to see out the remainder of her contract, despite speculation linking the Lionesses boss to the United States. Wiegman, who will lead England into their first Women’s World Cup final against Spain on Sunday, is set to attract interest from the USA after the resignation of head coach Vlatko Andonovski - following their huge underperformance and last-16 exit at the tournament. The Dutch manager has an outstanding track record and is the first head coach to reach the Women’s World Cup final with two different teams, after guiding her native Netherlands to the final in 2019. Wiegman also ended England’s 56-year wait for a major trophy when the Lionesses won the Euros last summer, with the Dutch also winning the European championships on home soil in 2017. The FA said on Thursday that they would “100 per cent” reject any approach for Wiegman before the end of her contract, which is through to the end of the Euros in 2025, and the 53-year-old confirmed she would not consider any offers after the World Cup. “I’m really enjoying my job and I have the impression that people still like me doing that job,” Wiegman said on Friday. “I have no plans to leave.” When asked about the open position with the USA, the four-time World Cup champions, Wiegman replied: “I’ve heard [about] it. I’m with England, I’m really happy with England and I have a contract until 2025.” While Wiegman is preparing for Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain in Sydney, there is also the potential that the 53-year-old takes charge of a Great Britain team at the Paris Olympics next summer, ahead of the defence of England’s European title in 2025. Wiegman, meanwhile, would not comment on the pay gap that exists between herself and male counterpart Gareth Southgate, the manager of the men’s team. While Wiegman’s annual salary is £400,000, men’s boss Southgate is reportedly paid £5m a year. “Well, first of all I think I feel very comfortable with where I am right now,” Wiegman said. “The FA treats me very well. And that’s the only thing I want to say about that now because I’m really focused on the game.” Read More Women’s World Cup LIVE: Sarina Wiegman says ‘everyone’s talking about 1966’ and backs England to end 57 years of hurt Sarina Wiegman: ‘Stop talking about the result — we know what we want’ Ella Toone or Lauren James? Sarina Wiegman has already made the biggest decision of England’s World Cup

When it gets to this stage before a big game, even someone as experienced as Sarina Wiegman finds she can’t take her mind off it. Or, rather, she doesn’t want to take her mind off it, which is precisely why she’s so experienced. “No, and I don’t want to relax,” she smiles. “It’s Spain,” Wiegman says of her thoughts before taking on Sunday’s opponents. “Everything now is Spain. When you’re so close, well, I have that feeling a little bit anyway, but when you go to the next game, you’re only thinking ‘OK, what’s next? What can we get in front of us? What challenges can we expect? How are we going to prepare the team? “I just want to get ready.” Wiegman has ensured England have never been more ready. The national team are on the brink of bringing a decade-long project to glorious completion and winning a first ever Women’s World Cup because of her crucial influence. The 53-year-old from The Hague can now be classed as the best manager in the game. While the key elements of that story are tactics, patience, strategy and the will – as well as investment from the FA – to hire a manager this good, there is also something acutely personal. Wiegman can talk with authority about the rarefied build-up to such games because this is her fourth major international final, and her second World Cup final. It may also be her first World Cup final win. She has already got so close with the country that means the most to her, having narrowly lost 2-0 with the Netherlands to the USA in Lyon four years ago. Something has changed for Wiegman since then, though. England has changed her, even if her effect on the national team has been far greater. The manner in which Wiegman quickly moves on from questions about herself to talking about the collective is fairly typical, especially in the days before a game. She tends to be much more expansive after a match, and the belief from those who know her is that it’s not just about ultra-focus. It’s also about giving absolutely nothing away to the opposition. She is that guarded when it comes to the game. One of the more surprising elements of a sit-down with Wiegman at England’s Terrigal base, so close to the biggest fixture in sport, is how relaxed she is and how willing she is to get into the personal. There is constant laughter – especially as she elaborates on Dutch directness against English politeness – but also a moment of poignancy as she discusses the various challenges she and the team have faced. The injuries are only a small part. Of true significance is her ongoing adjustment to life without her sister, who tragically passed away shortly before the Euro 2022 campaign. “I’m a pretty positive person but of course I also have feelings,” Wiegman says. “I feel very privileged to work with this team. It has been so great. You have some setbacks with some players that got injured, which was very sad for them, but then you have to switch and say: ‘OK, this is the group of players we think are the best and this is the team now. We are going to go to the World Cup with them.’ “Then of course there are still things in my personal life. When someone passes away who is really close to you, you don’t just say: ‘Oh, it’s two months now, it’s gone.’ I have strategies but of course sometimes that’s still sad and it is challenging for me too.” It was Wiegman’s human nature, as much as her managerial insight, which was why the Football Association were so willing to wait for her in September 2021. So many of the other pieces were already in place, not least a brilliant generation of players. That came from a coaching revolution, and huge investment in the wider game. It just needed, in the words of chief executive Mark Bullingham and women’s technical director Kay Cossington, someone to bring it all together. “She’s created a really strong culture,” Bullingham says. “You can see what she brings in camp in terms of the togetherness. You can see how she galvanises anything, the fact there was a strong plan in place already just means it’s come to fruition really nicely.” That does make it sound much easier than it was, which is admittedly how Wiegman makes it look, certainly at Euro 2022. Even to get there, she had to work around English football culture as much as with her squad. So much of that still centres on 1966, that long wait, that block. “I know it’s there,” she says. “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’.” She felt it was having an effect, so had to work against it. “If you want to win it too much… so what do we have to do? What do we have to do to win, and how can we win? To get results, 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 be successful.” While she insists she gets “out of the noise”, she is clearly animated by this topic, as she immediately apologises for interrupting another question to go straight back to it. “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.” The way Wiegman speaks about this gives an insight into how she works. She doesn’t view it as a profound issue of national identity. She views it as just another problem to solve. That has been the story of her time in the job and, especially, this campaign. Runs like Euro 2022 and this World Cup don’t just come from placing someone like this in a job, after all. It requires proper impact on the training ground. Wiegman found this very quickly with how she figured out the team before Euro 2022, and it admittedly did help that almost everything seemed to go for England in that tournament - not least home advantage. This World Cup has been the exact opposite. Almost everything has gone against them, right down to the crowd in repeated games, above all that semi-final against Australia. Every test has just given Wiegman and her team something new, though, particularly England’s 3-5-2 formation. The biggest test was clearly the loss of three key Euro 2022 players in Leah Williamson, Fran Kirby and Beth Mead, with Lauren James’ suspension from the last 16 only compounding that. As tends to be the case with Wiegman, she and her staff had already anticipated some of the problems. As has tended to be the case with this World Cup, though, there were still more issues. One was how constricted the team looked in those opening 1-0 wins against Haiti and then Denmark. “During the tournament in the first two matches we were struggling a little bit and we had moments where we played really well but we also had moments where we were a little bit vulnerable. So, after the second match, Arjan [Veurink, assistant manager] came to me and said: ‘Sarina, let’s sit down, isn’t this the time to go to 3-5-2?’ “I said: ‘You’re completely right, this is the moment’. With how the squad is built, and the players available, we can get more from the players and their strengths in this shape. So then we changed it.” Tactical insight alone only goes so far, though. Maximising it depends on communication, and understanding. This is another of Wiegman’s qualities. The players feel she is very straight with them. Some of this might touch on her own thoughts about English politeness against Dutch directness. She feels she now understands her adopted country much more. “I tried to learn a little bit more about the English,” she says. “The sayings sometimes are a problem, so I’m trying to learn a little bit more. I do think I understand the people a bit more but English people are very polite and sometimes you go ‘OK, are you now being polite or are you really saying what you mean? “And that’s sometimes finding a balance, because you don’t have to be rude to be direct, so I ask the players and the staff: ‘You can be honest’. It doesn’t mean that you’re rude. Just be direct.” Dutch, in other words? “Yeah,” she laughs. “Dutch, but direct doesn’t mean rude. You can just say what you think and still be very respectful.” It’s why you can take her at face value when she says she isn’t considering any overtures from the United States. Wiegman of course doesn’t actually want to be discussing any of this now, and not just for reasons of diplomacy. “We are in the final, but everything now, all my thinking, is how do we beat Spain.” It’s an insight into why she’s there in the first place. Read More Sarina Wiegman commits future to England after USA speculation England’s deadly duo have already provided the answer to the Lauren James debate What time is the World Cup final on Sunday and who will England play? Sarina Wiegman v Jorge Vilda – a look at the World Cup final coaches Eddie Howe wishes ‘remarkable’ England well in World Cup final Sarina Wiegman clarifies England future after USA speculation

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has backed England to complete a “remarkable” double by winning the World Cup. Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses face Spain in Sydney on Sunday morning hoping to add the most coveted title of all to their Euro 2022 success, and Magpies head coach Howe is firmly in their corner as they provide fresh inspiration for future generations. Asked if the success of the England team was good for football in general in this country, he said: “One hundred per cent, I’ve got no doubts about that. “When you look at the people that I interact with on a daily basis at the training ground or around Newcastle, a lot of those people will be young girls who are Newcastle fans, and that’s great to see. “A lot of that is down to the success of the women’s team recently, and long may that continue because we want it to be a game for everybody. “I was at the Euro final and loved that experience. The atmosphere was an amazing thing. I took my boys to the game and they loved it – that’s one of their best memories. “I certainly hope they can do it. Winning the World Cup off the back of the Euros would be a remarkable achievement for a similar group of players and the manager, so I wish them all the best.” Wiegman, who led her native Netherlands to Euro 2017 glory and the 2019 World Cup final, has enhanced her reputation since taking up the Football Association’s offer of employment to prompt suggestions she could thrive in the men’s game. Howe said: “Just look at the job she has done – I think it’s been remarkable. She’s very calm. I actually really enjoy watching her on the sideline. She never gets flustered, always calm. “I’m always looking at her thinking she’s thinking and analysing what to do next. A lot of the time when I’m watching games, I’m trying to put myself in the manager’s shoes. I think she’s done an incredible job.”

England stand on the brink of greatness. The European Champions are one victory away from being the best team in the world. But this has not been an easy tournament for Sarina Wiegman and her players. While the Euros saw emphatic victories – the best being 8-0 vs Norway and 4-0 vs Sweden in the semi-finals – and exultant home support, England have got into gear in a slower, more controlled way in this tournament (they did beat Sunday’s opponents Spain 2-1 a.e.t. in their toughest match in 2022 excluding the final, in case anyone had forgotten, but that was a rather different Spain team). Sarina is characterised for her consistency, bordering on stubbornness to her critics, but in this tournament she has had to change things up: the shift to a 3-5-2 against China was an inspired throw of the dice after some pretty drab stuff against Haiti and Denmark. The England head coach has also had to do without the enormously gifted Lauren James after her red card against Nigeria, having brought her in to start against the Danes. James was the best player in the group stages for England, scoring three and assisting three. But in her absence, two things have occurred. Firstly, the back three has got better, with Alex Greenwood staking a major claim to being the best player at the tournament, and one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in the world. No one has made more than Greenwood’s 563 passes at the World Cup, according to WhoScored.com, even more impressively, she’s made them at 90% accuracy. Her clipped pass to set up Georgia Stanway’s shot nine minutes in was world class and shows how important she’s been to England’s ability to generate chances. But crucially, the front two has also started to click. The final goal against Australia was sublime: Russo’s pressure caused an Australian error, which was seized on by Lauren Hemp. Hemp drove towards the heart of the Australian defence, while Russo’s cleverly drifting run took her away from a retreating Steph Catley. Hemp’s angle-changing pass was simply brilliant, and Russo’s cool, driven finish was a fitting end to an incisive attack. Hemp was the best player on the pitch against Australia, and the front two’s combination of movement, work rate, and technical ability shone against an excellently stubborn and well-organised Australia side. At times Russo has looked isolated playing for England and being asked to drop deep doesn't suite her game. She's an excellent passer but her real threat is in and around the box. In too many games she's had limited options to link up with. Alongside Hemp, though, who roams left and right as well as dropping deep, Russo always has at least one rapid option central and, often, one or both of the wing-backs and a midfielder bursting beyond. She also has support when playing higher. One of the reasons England scored that third goal was because Hemp could carry it further and release it later, leaving less for Russo to do in terms of beating players and allowing her to focus on the finish. And when she’s left to focus on her work in and around the area, Russo is lethal. She’s one of the purest ball strikers in the camp and her finishing under pressure is as good as anyone at the tournament. England’s front two can both score goals and both want to find pockets of space wide or deep, and both can create differently: Russo’s touch in tight areas, her hold-up play, and her through balls are superb, while Hemp can still show why at club level she’s one of the world’s most effective wingers with her tricky ball carrying and ability to execute technical passes while moving at speed. It’s also worth noting that now only Ellen White and Fara Williams have scored more for the Lionesses at major tournaments than Russo (10 and 8 versus 7). And they’ve been at their best in front of a midfield including Ella Toone. Toone might be less creative and more about linking play than James, but England tick over nicely with her as the more advanced midfielder of the three. Sarina won’t keep Toone in because she scored a worldy, but because she kept the ball well, found good pockets of space, and worked hard in defence. And then, once the game becomes more open and transitional, as finals tend to, James could come on and drive at a stretched defence, take the ball deep, and, although I hope England won’t need it, change the game. So while the focus might be on whether Toone or James starts, Sarina has already made the most important decision of the tournament: shifting to a back three has platformed Greenwood’s passing excellence and unleashed the front two of Hemp and Russo. If they can combine again, England have everyting they need to bring it home. Read More Women’s World Cup LIVE: England prepare for final against Spain and latest reaction to win over Australia Gianni Infantino tells women in football to ‘pick the right fights’ to utilise their ‘power to change’ What time is the World Cup final on Sunday and who will England play? World Cup final referee: Who will take charge of England vs Spain? Lauren James ‘will be ready’ for World Cup final, says Chelsea manager Emma Hayes Sarina Wiegman would be ‘perfectly capable’ of becoming England men’s manager, says FA chief

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes refused to step on England manager Sarina Wiegman’s toes when asked if Lauren James should return to the Lionesses’ starting line-up for Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain. The 21-year-old Blues forward scored three goals and picked up the same number of assists before she was sent off in the Lionesses’ last-16 victory over Nigeria and given a two-match ban for stepping on the back of defender Michelle Alozie. Having served her punishment during the quarter- and semi-finals, James is now available to reclaim her spot in Wiegman’s starting XI – but she remains in competition with replacement Ella Toone, who netted the Lionesses’ opener in their 3-1 last-four victory to eliminate co-hosts Australia. James’ club boss Hayes said: “I think you know, I’m a manager but picking someone else’s team is not my job. It’s Sarina’s. My job is to enjoy it. Those players are prepared for whatever happens and for whatever team Sarina picks. I’m sure Lauren would be ready. “Lauren is just very excited to be in a World Cup final as all of the England players are. They are all excited. “It’s about England as a team and England as a whole and they have all stepped up and filled in, whether that’s Katie Zelem who filled in for Keira Walsh or Ella Toone at least filling in for Lauren James after that quarter-final. “Lauren is an outstanding player and will go on to contribute many more moments for both club and country. As always she will be reflective and will move forward with that.” James, who apologised for the red-card incident on social media, came off the bench in England’s 1-0 Haiti opener to kick-start their undefeated path to the final, then scored the winner against Denmark in her first World Cup start. She bagged a brace in the Lionesses’ thumping 6-1 win over China to conclude the group stage, also assisting three goals in that rout. James’ stock has risen under the watchful eye of Hayes, who has won the Women’s Super League (WSL) manager of the year award six times, including the past four seasons, and predicted her Chelsea charge would be vital to the European champions’ hopes of lifting a first World Cup. Hayes was named FIFA’s best manager in the women’s game in 2021, succeeding Wiegman, who has now won the award three times after also receiving the honour following England’s Euro 2022 triumph. It is no surprise, then, that both women’s names have been floated as potential candidates to take over the US women’s team, a role made vacant on Thursday after US Soccer announced the federation and Vlatko Andonovski had agreed to part ways. The decision came after the FIFA world number one-ranked Americans not only failed to defend their back-to-back titles, but were knocked out by Sweden in a last-16 penalty shootout for their worst-ever finish. Hayes, who has managed Chelsea since 2012, said: “I suspected that question would come up. “I’m very happy at Chelsea, I’ve made that clear. I’ve been there for 11 years, it’s my home. I think the US has wonderful players and perhaps the tournament didn’t go the way they wanted but my focus is on getting home and preparing the team for the start of the season.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Football rumours: Chelsea turn attention to Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson Carlos Alcaraz gets his revenge against Tommy Paul in Cincinnati On this day in 2018: Tyson Fury defeats Francesco Pianeta on points in Belfast

“It is definitely not going to stay stuck in my head,” said Jamal Musiala, but it will probably remain lodged in the minds of many in the Dortmund area. It was the late goal the 20-year-old scored at Koln on the last day of the season, meaning Bayern Munich won their 11th consecutive Bundesliga. By default, perhaps, given that Borussia Dortmund spurned a golden chance to end the longest spell of domination in the Bundesliga’s 60-year history, missing a penalty and going 2-0 down at home to Mainz. An eventual 2-2 draw left Dortmund in their familiar role: in seven of those 11 seasons, they have finished runners-up to Bayern. Summer in Germany has been shaped by a trio who could have been England teammates: Musiala, the Stuttgart-born, Whitgift School-educated prodigy who chose to play for Germany; Jude Bellingham, the Bundesliga’s reigning Player of the Year but whose knee injury left him an unused substitute in Dortmund’s final-day heartbreak and who then decamped for Real Madrid; and Harry Kane, the £100m man who is the most expensive signing in the division’s history. There is a temptation to brand it as the biggest in years, too, though in reality last summer Sadio Mane joined Bayern, a few months before finishing as the runner-up in the Ballon d’Or and from a club, in Liverpool, at a rather higher ebb than Tottenham are now. Yet the England captaincy confers status and, while the Bundesliga has proven itself as a finishing school for young British talents, most notably Bellingham and Sancho, the 30-year-old Kane arrives at the peak of his powers. He draws attention to a division that can be both admired for its principles and feel overlooked in the battle for global television ratings. His league debut, at Werder Bremen on Friday, is the biggest game in world football at the time: his home bow, against Augsburg on Sunday week, clashes with Newcastle against Liverpool, plus Barcelona’s trip to Villarreal. Viewing figures for each may be instructive. “Harry Kane will not only strengthen FC Bayern but also be a real asset to the entire Bundesliga,” said Bayern president Herbert Hainer. Arguably, however, there is a contradiction there: Kane makes Bayern likelier Champions League winners but while the Bundesliga has had competitiveness and social mobility in most other sections of the table, not at the top; until last season, anyway, and Kane could reassert Bayern’s superiority. Only goal difference separated them and Dortmund in May, but seven of the Bavarians’ 11 titles have come by at least 10 points, two by more than 20, and the transfers of two Englishmen could shift the balance of power emphatically in their direction. Certainly, there are reasons to believe last season was Dortmund’s big chance: when Bayern had lost Robert Lewandowski when Mane’s move didn’t work out, when Julian Nagelsmann was sacked, when Thomas Tuchel got worse results than his predecessor. But the former Dortmund coach Tuchel provides one of the subplots this season: given more power on Sabener Strasse after chief executive Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic were fired, the Anglophile manager tried to sign everyone from Declan Rice to Kyle Walker. A bid for Kepa Arrizabalaga, a goalkeeper he benched at Chelsea, failed, leaving Bayern looking for a deputy for the still-injured Manuel Neuer. In Kim Min-jae, however, he has a high-class recruit in the middle of the defence and with Kane, a conventional No 9, the side is otherwise strengthened (the post-Lewandowski void was not just felt at Bayern: the Pole had been the division’s top scorer with 35 in his final season whereas last year, for the first time in Bundesliga history, no one got more than 16). Yet Tuchel has underachieved so far and Bayern can be a febrile, political club. Dortmund, meanwhile, showed great unity after crushing disappointment. Edin Terzic, the coach and lifelong fan, was tearful after the failure to beat Mainz. The process of replacing Bellingham has started with the signings of midfielders Felix Nmecha and Marcel Sabitzer, the latter from Bayern; the trade between them has continued with Raphael Guerreiro going in the other direction. Dortmund have grounds for optimism in their vastly superior form after the World Cup, when they won 15 and lost just one of 19 games, and in the prospect of what Sebastien Haller and Karim Adeyemi might do: neither scored a league goal before the World Cup last season, when the striker was recovering from testicular cancer and the winger made a slow start, but each is a match-winner. RB Leipzig condemned Kane to an unhappy start by beating Bayern 3-0 in the Super Cup. It amounted to an eloquent response to the loss of their four best players, in Josko Gvardiol, Dominik Szoboszlai, Christopher Nkunku and Bayern’s new recruit Konrad Laimer. The hugely gifted loanee from Paris Saint-Germain, Xavi Simons, and the RB Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko look like the pick of their signings but logically Marco Rose’s team are weaker now. The Bundesliga may have a big three of sorts now, but that offers others the chance to play Champions League football. Union Berlin’s swift rise was capped by their fourth-place finish last season; Brenden Aaronson and Robin Gosens are among their summer additions. Freiburg and Eintracht Frankfurt, two who have shown their competitiveness on the European stage in the last two seasons, are contenders to break into the top four. So are Bayer Leverkusen, joined by Granit Xhaka and led by Xabi Alonso, who could further the Bundesliga’s reputation as a breeding ground for coaching as well as playing talent. Intrigue is offered, too, by Heidenheim, promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history and from a town of fewer than 50,000 people; there is room for each one and more in the grounds of five second-flight clubs, in Schalke, Hamburg, Fortuna Dusseldorf, Nurnberg and Kaiserslautern. With Barcelona’s Nou Camp and Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu undergoing works, Dortmund should have the biggest gates on the continent this season. The vast capacities of its grounds facilitate lower ticket prices and add to the popularity of German football: the Bundesliga’s average attendance last season, of 42,966, was the largest in Europe. Plenty of eyes will be on Kane in Germany, though the acid test may be how many outside Germany tune in, just as the test for Bayern is not whether they can win a 12th Bundesliga in a row but a seventh European Cup. Read More Harry Kane embracing new pressure after Bayern Munich move Harry Kane finally gets his move — but it’s not the one he wanted Tom Brady expects friend Harry Kane to have ‘new energy’ in Munich Lionesses and Man City celebrate success – Thursday’s sporting social Meet the 21-year-old Nigerian striker Spurs are lining up to replace Harry Kane Lionesses celebrate reaching World Cup final – Wednesday’s sporting social

What the papers say Chelsea have reportedly added Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson to their list of potential targets up front. According to The Guardian the Blues have already held initial talks with the 22-year-old, as Forest are believed to want £40million for his services. The Independent says Rennes winger Jeremy Doku is attracting a lot of attention from Premier League heavyweights. West Ham, Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea are all said to be interested in the 21-year-old. According to The Telegraph, Monaco have set their sights on Tottenham defender Davinson Sanchez. The 27-year-old is unlikely to feature in manager Ange Postecoglou’s future plans, and could make his exit this summer. And the Daily Mail says Manchester City are looking to beat Brighton to the signature of Boca Juniors defender Valentin Barco. Social media round-up Players to watch Benjamin Pavard: The Bayern Munich defender is set to choose between Manchester United and Inter Milan before the end of the window, according to L’Equipe. Bradley Barcola: RMC Sport says Chelsea and Paris St Germain are interested in the Lyon winger. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

England are through to the Women’s World Cup final for the first time after a stunning 3-1 win over Australia in Sydney set up an all-European title decider against Spain on Sunday. Manager Sarina Wiegman said she was “in a fairytale” after guiding England to the final for the first time, while defender Lucy Bronze was overcome with emotion after playing in two previous semi-final defeats in 2015 and 2019. The Lionesses will play Spain on Sunday in England’s first World Cup final since 1966 and the nation is set to come to a halt as the team look to bring the game’s biggest prize back home. Meanwhile, the FA have confirmed that a plan is already in place for a statue of the England team at Wembley Stadium, while the governing body also said they would “100 per cent” reject any approach from the USA for the Lionesses manager. Follow all the reaction to England’s win against Australia in the semi-finals, get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds, including the latest third place play-off odds here: Read More England finally reach the world’s greatest stage — and that is worth celebrating England’s deadly duo have already provided the answer to the Lauren James debate How England deployed dark arts and cool heads to silence Australian noise

The Georgia Bulldogs are in for a stressful couple of weeks, as a four-star recruit is visiting two top schools before his decision day.The Georgia Bulldogs are a recruiting powerhouse under head coach Kirby Smart, and it has helped lead the program to back-to-back national title victories. For ...

Cardinals Rumors: Adam Wainwright is fighting for his life in the rotationThere's no guarantee that Adam Wainwright continues in the St. Louis rotation beyond his Thursday start against the lowly New York Mets. Waino's ERA is over eight, and it's been trending in the wrong direction...

Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham would not rule out the possibility that Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman could one day lead the England men’s team. The 53-year-old’s stock as a serial winner has risen steadily since securing the European Championship trophy with her native Netherlands in 2017, then doing the same with England last summer. She has now guided England to a first-ever World Cup final, in the process becoming the only manager to do so with two different nations in the women’s showpiece after steering her home country to the same stage four years ago. Asked if Wiegman could be seen as a potential successor to Gareth Southgate, Bullingham said: “I think it’s a bit disrespectful of the Lionesses to project it as a step up. People always say it is, ‘the best man for the job’ or, ‘the best Englishman’. “Why does it have to be a man? I think our answer is always it’s the best person for the job. We think Sarina is doing a great job and hope she continues doing it for a long time.” Pressed as to whether England was ready to have a woman in the top men’s seat, he added: “I think football is behind other sports in terms of lack of female coaches at the top level, and that has to change. “Do I think Sarina could do any job in football? Yes, I do. I’m really happy with the job she’s doing and I hope she stays doing that job for a long time. If at some point in the future she decides she wants to move into the men’s game, that would be a really interesting discussion but that’s for her, right? If and when we get a vacancy in either of our senior men’s or women’s manager positions, we would go for the best person for the job FA chief executive Mark Bullingham “I don’t think we should view it as a step up. If she decides at some point in the future to go in a different direction, I think she’s perfectly capable. “If and when we get a vacancy in either of our senior men’s or women’s manager positions, we would go for the best person for the job, which would be the best person capable of winning matches.” Wiegman’s current contract runs out in the summer of 2025, which would see her through England’s European title defence, with next summer’s Paris 2024 Olympics a possibility – though not a guarantee – should the new Nations League result in a qualification for Team GB. The rampant rumour mill has Wiegman shortlisted as a potential candidate to replace United States boss Vlatko Andonovski, who on Thursday US Soccer announced had stepped down from his position after the double-defending champions were knocked out by Sweden for a worst-ever last-16 finish. Wiegman has a strong affinity for the United States, where she played for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and was awed by the infrastructure that already existed around women’s football in late-1980s America. But asked if the FA would reject an approach should the United States come courting the three-time FIFA Best award winner, Bullingham instantly replied: “One hundred per cent. It is not about money. We are very, very happy with her and we feel she is happy. “We’ve seen lots of rumours and, look, she is a special talent. We know that. From our side, she’s obviously contracted through until 2025. We think she’s doing a great job. We’re obviously huge supporters of her and I think hopefully she feels the same way.” Bullingham said the FA would wait until after Wiegman takes a well-deserved post-tournament holiday before striking up any conversations about extending her stay at St George’s Park. While Bullingham believes Wiegman could have any job in football, he admitted it could still be some time before an England women’s manager would be compensated equally to his or her men’s counterpart. He added: “I think over time, I think there’s where you’ve got to get to. If you look at the disparity in the market and the income coming in, that’s why you’ve got a difference. “I would say that Sarina is, within the market she operates, well-paid. And if you look at the comparison in the men’s game, it’s a different market. I really want those markets to merge, over time, and I think that’s where you’ve got to go, but we’re not there yet.”

Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham would not rule out the possibility that Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman could one day lead the England men’s team. The 53-year-old’s stock as a serial winner has risen steadily since securing the European championship trophy with her native Netherlands in 2017, then doing the same with England last summer. She has now guided England to a first-ever World Cup final, in the process becoming the only manager to do so with two different nations in the women’s showpiece after steering her home country to the same stage four years ago. Asked if Wiegman could be seen as a potential successor to Gareth Southgate, Bullingham said: “I think it’s a bit disrespectful of the Lionesses to project it as a step up. People always say it is ‘the best man for the job’ or ‘the best Englishman’.” “Why does it have to be a man? I think our answer is always it’s the best person for the job. We think Sarina is doing a great job and hope she continues doing it for a long time.” Pressed as to whether England was ready to have a woman in the top men’s seat, he added: “I think football is behind other sports in terms of lack of female coaches at the top level, and that has to change. “Do I think Sarina could do any job in football? Yes, I do. I’m really happy with the job she’s doing and I hope she stays doing that job for a long time. If at some point in the future she decides she wants to move into the men’s game, that would be a really interesting discussion but that’s for her, right? “I don’t think we should view it as a step up. If she decides at some point in the future to go in a different direction, I think she’s perfectly capable. “If and when we get a vacancy in either of our senior men’s or women’s manager positions, we would go for the best person for the job, which would be the best person capable of winning matches.” Wiegman’s current contract runs out in the summer of 2025, which would see her through England’s European title defence, with next summer’s Paris 2024 Olympics a possibility – though not a guarantee – should the new Nations League result in a qualification for Team GB. The rampant rumour mill has Wiegman shortlisted as a potential candidate to replace United States boss Vlatko Andonovski, who is expected to step down after the double-defending champions were knocked out by Sweden for a worst-ever last-16 finish. If and when we get a vacancy in either of our senior men’s or women’s manager positions, we would go for the best person for the job FA chief executive Mark Bullingham Wiegman has a strong affinity for the United States, where she played for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and was awed by the infrastructure that already existed around women’s football in late-1980s America. But asked if the FA would reject an approach should the United States come courting the three-time FIFA Best award winner, Bullingham instantly replied: “100 per cent. It is not about money. We are very, very happy with her and we feel she is happy. “We’ve seen lots of rumours, and look, she is a special talent. We know that. From our side, she’s obviously contracted through until 2025. We think she’s doing a great job. We’re obviously huge supporters of her and I think hopefully she feels the same way.” Bullingham said the FA would wait until after Wiegman takes a well-deserved post-tournament holiday before striking up any conversations about extending her stay at St George’s Park. While Bullingham believes Wiegman could have any job in football, he admitted it could still be some time before an England women’s manager would be compensated equally to his or her men’s counterpart. He added: “I think over time, I think there’s where you’ve got to get to. If you look at the disparity in the market and the income coming in, that’s why you’ve got a difference. “I would say that Sarina is, within the market she operates, well-paid. And if you look at the comparison in the men’s game, it’s a different market. I really want those markets to merge, over time, and I think that’s where you’ve got to go, but we’re not there yet.” Read More Why are England wearing blue kits for the World Cup final? FA chief Mark Bullingham says Sarina Wiegman could be an England men’s candidate US will not poach ‘special’ World Cup manager Sarina Wiegman, FA insists FA to build Wembley statue of England’s Lionesses after World Cup What time is the World Cup final on Sunday and who will England play? How England deployed dark arts and cool heads to silence Australian noise