This was a game that allowed whatever clouds had gathered around this England team to lift a little.
A comprehensive 7-2 win over Austria emphasised the usefulness of the first of these two friendly fixtures. In another world, a more successful one, England would have been participating in the Women’s Nations League semi-finals with the hope of Olympic qualification.
“We move forward,” said manager Sarina Wiegman after the game. “Of course, it’s a disappointment [to not qualify]. But you have to move on and try to turn that around.”
Wiegman’s time in charge has been dominated by back-to-back tournaments. In her first year, she built up to the European Championship and in her second, the World Cup. Now, with no Olympic Games for Great Britain’s women this summer, she has almost 18 months to evolve her England side ahead of Euro 2025 in Switzerland.
Questions over whether she could rejuvenate a successful team were probably the biggest charge against Wiegman during her time at the Netherlands, along with a reluctance to rotate her starting XI. That meant all eyes were on the line-up against Austria but Wiegman rang the changes.
Grace Clinton (top photo) received a first cap having been an unused substitute throughout two previous camps, and there were starts for…
