England head coach Sarina Wiegman has promised to experiment “a little less” during her side’s upcoming fixtures against Brazil and Australia as preparations for the 2023 World Cup step up.
Wiegman gave minutes to younger members of her squad and tried players in different positions during February’s Arnold Clark Cup, but sees April’s fixtures against two top 10 sides as an opportunity to test England defensively.
England play Copa America champions Brazil in the first ever Women’s Finalissima at Wembley on April 6 before facing World Cup co-hosts Australia at the Brentford Community Stadium on April 11.
“We will experiment a little less because we have two games and are at a different stage but we are also in a period where we have many games and the load on players is high so we try to manage that too,” Wiegman said. “We will play to win but also to develop. Then we will see what we still want to see and how players come out of the game.
“We’re getting closer to the World Cup so you want to get closer to our team selection but it’s still three and a half months to go and still things can happen internationally and at club.
“This moment playing Brazil and also Australia gives us a new opportunity. We expect to be challenged more defensively than we were…
