Phil Neville wants his England Women team to play with “arrogance, swagger and style” as they face Wales in their first World Cup qualifying match under his management.
Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium is expected to have a crowd of 23,000 for this top-of-the-table clash in Group One. Wales are leaders by a point from England, though they have played a game more. Neville’s side have a 100% record and last month finished the SheBelieves Cup in the US as runners‑up, but he says his team must guard against complacency if they are to continue in his stated aim of becoming the best team in the world.
“To walk out at a Premier League stadium with England Women will be a great honour for me,” he said. “It surpasses anything that I’ve ever achieved as a player. But it’s not really about me, it’s about the players. I think the players are more excited than I am because it’s a big World Cup qualifying game. Wales are top of the group so by the end of Friday we’ve got to make sure we’re back top of the group. Where we believe we should be.
“I’ve spoken for the last two months about wanting to win the World Cup, but we’ve got to qualify for it first. We’re not taking that for granted. We’re playing a Wales team that’s well coached, well organised. They have got some individuals that can cause problems. But my team are used to playing big games, they’re not intimidated by them and in fact it’s something they’re looking forward to. They’ve got the attitude of ‘bring it on’. That’s what’s been impressive this week.
“Now it’s about going out there and playing in the style I want them to play. Having the confidence to go out there, that’s the most important thing. When I came out of SheBelieves the thing I thought was that the team need more belief in the style that I want to play. You’re playing for England, I want them to play with a certain arrogance, swagger and style.”
Neville says that his experience at the SheBelieves Cup and the past two days of training on the south coast have proven invaluable in building an understanding with his new squad. “As a coach you’ve got to connect with your players and the moments away from the training pitch are the most quality times,” he said. “Because players played on Sunday the first day and a half of this week were recovery days so I managed to have individual meetings with every single one.
“My management style is to tell the players where they stand in my squad and what I think they need to become best in their position in the world. It’s as simple as that. It’s about how are we going to become the best in the world and it’s the last 5% that’s always the hardest. I’ve outlined my plan to the team as individuals this week. I expect them to perform for their clubs like I expect them to play for England. That’s where I really want to raise the bar. We’ve got 10-12 players who could compete on the world-class level. I want 23 or more.”
Neville says he expects more Lionesses matches to be played at Premier League stadiums and for them to return to Wembley, as demand among fans grows. “I think it shows where the game’s going that we’re now filling Premier League stadiums,” he said. “I have fixture meetings all the time and the picture for the next year is that people are now looking at bigger venues, better stadiums against top opposition. There will be another England game at Wembley, that’s something I think the FA are committed to. We’ve got a Premier League stadium that’s going to be packed to the rafters, full of people coming to support my team, and that should fill us all with excitement.”
