Mark Sampson describes Silvia Neid as the greatest coach in the history of women’s football and her team the queens of the female game. Such genuine respect should not obscure his enthusiasm for outwitting his Germany counterpart. Thanks to Fara Williams’s extra-time penalty, England beat Neid’s players 1-0 in Edmonton last July to win Canada 2015’s third-place play-off and now their coach wants to repeat the feat.
It will not be easy. With the side ranked No2 in the world still stung by England’s first victory against their country after more than three decades of trying, revenge is likely to hang heavy in the air when Sampson’s side travel to Duisburg for a friendly on Thursday.
Seemingly confounded by the tactically astute young Welshman’s bold decision to showcase a 3-5-2 formation at the Commonwealth Stadium, Neid looked far from amused when the final whistle blew. Nearly five months on, England are braced for a retaliatory response . Their success – or otherwise – in coping with it will be seen as a litmus test of England’s potential before the next European Championship, to be staged in the Netherlands.
More immediately, Duisburg should also serve as the perfect warm-up to next Sunday’s Euro 2017 qualifier with Bosnia-Herzegovina at Ashton Gate. “We want to push ourselves and break into that top tier of world football,” says Sampson. “To do that we’ve got to put in a big shift and give it a good go against one of the world’s best teams in front of a packed stadium on Thursday. Germany will be dead set on revenge after the World Cup. It’ll be a tough ask but we’re excited by the challenge. The players all want to be involved. We’ll be ready.”
This intriguing rematch with Neid – scheduled to step down from her post next year – is the penultimate fixture of the English season. Perhaps appropriately, the final game – against Bosnia – is also England’s first at home since their return from the World Cup.
It will be a surprise if England – expected to canter through qualifying – fail to overcome their Balkan visitors. While Bosnia are unlikely to be quite as accommodating as Estonia proved during the Lionesses’ opening Euro 2017 qualifier, a comprehensive 8-0 victory in Tallinn, Sampson’s biggest problem is raising England’s technical bar.
For all the wonderful unity and commitment his side displayed in Canada, their bronze medal was partly down to his cleverness at concealing deep-seated flaws courtesy of some smart tactical pragmatism and near constant player rotation. Possession retention and creative incision remain areas offering considerable scope for improvement.
He has named a strong squad for the forthcoming double bill with both Williams and Toni Duggan returning after injury. Controversially, there is no place for Beth Mead, the prolific Sunderland striker. “We’re really looking forward to playing in front of our supporters for the first time since the World Cup,” Sampson says. “Women’s football fans in the south-west are among the best in England and I know they’ll come out in force. I’m sure our home-coming at Ashton Gate will be a wonderful occasion.”
“This has been an amazing year, full of special memories. To end it with a match in Germany, one of the biggest tests in women’s football, and then a home-coming in Bristol is fitting. Last November we were well beaten by an excellent Germany at Wembley, but since then, we’ve grown as a group and developed a much stronger mentality.” It is likely to be fully tested in Duisburg.
