England head coach Sarina Wiegman said that her side were ‘a little sloppy’ against Canada in their opening Arnold Clark Cup match at The Riverside Stadium last night.
The Lionesses dominated the first half and deservedly went into the break 1-0 up thanks to a Millie Bright volley but they were less effective in the second half as opponents Canada grew into the contest. The game ended 1-1 with Manchester City’s Janine Beckie scoring an impressive goal for the visitors early in the second period.
When speaking in the post-match press conference, Wiegman indicated that there is lots of work to be done with England having been sloppy in possession in periods of the game.
“We have learnt so much,” Wiegman said. “This was a game that we wanted and we have got two more. Now you see under the highest pressure in and out of possession and in transition moments they will harm you if you don’t do well.
“In the first half, we did really well, although we saw some things that we could do better, for example switching fields as sometimes we were a little sloppy.
“In the final third, we need to be more composed to get that last pass right and score that goal because I think we should have scored more goals than one and that was a great goal.
“In the second half, we had to get connected again but Canada did something a little different and it was hard for us to adapt. Spaces became bigger and we were not tight on the ball so we got in transition moments all of the time. That is what we will dicuss tomorrow and try to do better on Sunday.”
Defender Bright had never scored for England prior to Wiegman’s time in charge of the Lionesses but she has become prolific, netting four goals in seven games. Wiegman praised the Chelsea centre-back for her performance against Canada.
She said “She had a big impact on the game. She scored that goal then in the final minutes, Canada put in a cross and she got her head on it. She felt very good in the game and from the start, she has felt very comfortable in the team and she plays well.
“Tonight, her impact and contribution in the game was huge because she scored a goal and was very important in defence.”
England return to action on Sunday when they take on Spain at Carrow Road in Norwich in their second Arnold Clark Cup match.