Super Sarina Wiegman has turned England from nearly-women into serial winners
“Am I in a fairytale or something?” asked Sarina Wiegman as England soaked up beating Australia in the semi-final of the Women’s World Cup.
Instead it should be the Football Association pinching itself at having the good fortune and foresight to appoint someone who has underlined her status as one of the best coaches anywhere in football.
Wiegman’s CV speaks for itself. This World Cup is the fourth consecutive major tournament in which she has guided a team to the final.
Twice she has won – at the European Championships of 2017, with her native Netherlands, and 2022, with the Lionesses. Against Spain on Sunday in Sydney, the 53-year-old can complete a golden hat-trick.
Needless to say, England’s success under Wiegman is no fluke. The Lionesses have been virtually unbeatable under her, winning 32 of her 38 games in charge and losing just once.
From perennial nearly-women they have become serial winners and added to their Euros triumph when they won the inaugural Finalissima against Brazil in April.
Her success casts the record of her predecessor, the hapless Phil Neville, in an even harsher light.
The high point of the former men’s international’s tenure was leading England to the semi-finals in France four years ago, but after that results waned badly and the improvement since Wiegman arrived in September 2021 has been transformative.
The Lionesses may not have thrilled spectators throughout the current Women’s World Cup, with a 6-1 rout of China during the group stage the only time they have truly cut loose.
But they have been efficient, hard to beat and have found different ways to win – qualities that other England teams in football and beyond have found hard to come by.
That is down to the Wiegman Effect. The former PE teacher from the Hague, who cut her coaching teeth and men’s and women’s football has brought calm, diligence, authority and a laser focus to England.
In a little short of two years, that winning cocktail has taken the Lionesses to the very top.
The semi-final win over a tough Australia side put them in touching distance of history and sparked joyous scenes both in Stadium Australia and back home.
“We achieved the final and it’s unbelievable, it feels like we’ve won it,” Wiegman told the BBC. They haven’t yet, but England have already hit the jackpot by hiring Super Sarina.