'Players are not robots' - England boss Sarina Wiegman 'very worried' by relentless women's football schedule as Lionesses prepare to return to action - with some stars only having six days' rest after World Cup
England boss Sarina Wiegman acknowledged that the schedule of the brand new Nations League has her «very worried» for her players' fitness.
WHAT HAPPENED? The Lionesses will make their Nations League debut against Scotland, just over a month after losing to Spain in the World Cup final. They go on to play Wiegman's former team, the Netherlands, in their second match just four days before the Women's Super League season begins on October 1.
WHAT THEY SAID: '“I am very worried,” Wiegman said, after announcing her squad for September’s Nations League games against Scotland and Holland. “I was worried before the World Cup and we knew it was a short turnaround. We really have to get connected with FIFA and UEFA to make that better. The game is growing which is really good but it has to grow together and players need some rest too.
“Some players only had six days off and that’s not good for them. The urgency to solve this and make it better is really, really high. It’s so intense. Players are not robots.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Due to injuries to Barcelona's Keira Walsh and Bethany England, who will miss the start of Tottenham's season after having hip surgery, Wiegman has made only five changes to her World Cup roster for the competition. Maya Le Tissier of Manchester United, Lucy Staniforth of Aston Villa, and Manchester City's Jess Park have all been promoted to the 24-player squad.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
WHAT NEXT? The next encounter for Wiegman's England will take place on September 22 when they take on Scotland in the Nations League opener.
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