'Australia is not just Sam Kerr' - England boss Sarina Wiegman wary of Women's World Cup semi-final opponents as she dismisses suggestion the Matildas are 'underdogs'
England boss Sarina Wiegman has a plan if Sam Kerr starts for Australia in their World Cup semi-final — but insists the Matildas have others threats.
WHAT HAPPENED? England will meet co-hosts Australia in the last four of the tournament on Wednesday and, after slowly being reintroduced to the team following a calf injury, there is speculation that Kerr could be in the Matildas' starting line-up for this one. However, Wiegman has stressed that there are other threats for her team to be aware of, too, ahead of the game, with the likes of Caitlin Foord, Hayley Raso and Steph Catley all having wonderful tournaments.
WHAT THEY SAID: “Australia is not just Sam Kerr," she said in her pre-match press conference on Tuesday. «Yes, we have a plan [if she starts]. She can play and she can start on the bench, so that’s the situation. Of course she is a threat, she’s a very good player, so a lot of respect [to her]. But there is more than Sam Kerr, because at the end it is always a team performance. When the team does really well an individual can do even better. That’s the same for Australia and it’s the same for England. There is a lot of pressure on her because everyone expects things from her. I think Australia have grown in the tournament too, they had some difficult situations they had to come back from and they did really well. We expect a very strong Australia tomorrow.»
Asked about Australia boss Tony Gustavsson's insistence that England are the favourite for this game, Wiegman added: «I don’t think they’re the underdog, they’re playing at home. The stadium will be really full. It’s two teams that are very strong and that have grown into the tournament. I think it’s going to be very tight and very, very competitive.»
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