Phil Neville has said he believes in every member of his 23-player squad and that no one is along for the ride, as the team get set for their World Cup send-off against New Zealand at Brighton’s Amex stadium on Saturday.
“I have trust in every single one of my players,” said Neville, who has rotated heavily in the Lionesses 2019 friendlies, keen to give as many caps as possible to fringe players before they set foot on French soil.
“That means there are 23 players available for selection tomorrow and fighting for a place against Scotland, Argentina and Japan. They know their value and know their profile in certain positions and certain games that will help us become successful.”
While this is the last chance for some of the squad players to give their manager a starting XI selection headache, Neville has been frustrated with this latest round of friendlies and is desperate for the tournament to begin. “We’ve prepared for them for so long now that the talking is over,” he said. “Let’s just get out to France. There’s nothing more we can do on the training ground with them. They’re prepared, they understand the system, they have a clarity of everything.”
Chelsea’s Karen Carney concurred with her manager. “We’re dying and itching to get out to France now,” she said. “We just want to get out now and get on that training pitch in France and get on with the three group games.”
Saturday’s game against New Zealand is their final hurdle before going out to the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Football Ferns were undefeated in qualifying through the OFC Women’s Nations Cup. However, they have had an inconsistent 2019, struggling when up against a better calibre of opposition. Wins against Argentina, Norway and Mexico have been offset by defeats against Australia, South Korea and a 5-0 thumping by the USA.
Beating England would be a huge confidence boost for the team before a final friendly against Wales on Tuesday and a tough group against Euro 2017 champions the Netherlands, 2015 World Cup quarter-finalists Canada and Cameroon in France.
The Lionesses, meanwhile, have lost only twice since March 2018, against Sweden and Canada in friendlies, and Neville is keen to extend that run. “Winning breeds momentum,” said the 42-year-old. “We place a massive emphasis on winning in training, on and off the pitch. We like to create this competitive environment. I think elite sport is about winning and that’s what we’ve tried to focus on. We don’t want to settle for second best.”
Brighton have opened the top tier of the Amex having filled the lower tier, and building on the increased interest is as important as bringing home silverware. “Win, lose or draw, we’re going there and we’re going to enjoy every single minute of it,” said Neville. “Yes, we want to win the World Cup, but actually we just want to continue the growth of women’s football.”
