Rachel Yankey column: England are fearless and won’t be intimidated by Australia home backing
2023-08-15Last Updated: 2023-08-15
181 5 minutes read
Tomorrow’s match will be a great occasion, because the rivalry between the two countries in any sporting environment is right up there.
I feel confident about the Lionesses winning this one, especially given Australia went to penalties against France in their quarter-final on Saturday. They must be emotionally drained after that, even if adrenaline can sometimes keep you going.
My confidence comes from the mentality of England’s squad, and it reminds of my days playing at Arsenal. When England went 1-0 down to Colombia on Saturday, I said, ‘There is no way we won’t win this game’.
That is what it was like at Arsenal. Even if we went a goal down, we would say, ‘It doesn’t matter, we’ll get back into the game’.
That is how I look at this England team, and credit must go to Sarina Wiegman for creating that environment.
Within our camp we would believe we had a really good team, but we would not publicly say it. And you think, why shouldn’t we say it? You almost put doubt in your own mind.
But at Arsenal, every season, we were not afraid to say, ‘We are in for four trophies and we want to win them all’. Now, we only did that once, but the aim and mindset was there. If we got to an FA Cup Final and lost, we classed that as underachieving. That was the standard we held ourselves to.
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 | Best Images | England
This England team have got to a stage where they are not scared to say, ‘We need to be held accountable and it is not good enough if we do not get to a final or win it’.
On paper, the Lionesses are favourites for this semi-final, but in the stadium they will be massive underdogs — and that can work in their favour.
I used to love nothing more than a crowd being totally against us and just flipping it all on them. There is nothing better than upsetting and quietening a stadium. I don’t think England will be fazed by a massive crowd booing or jeering them; they will not crumble under that pressure.
Australia will be a great test, especially their wingers Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso. They have been unbelievable.
I think Sarina will play the same way, with the 3-4-1-2 formation, and that means Alex Greenwood and Jess Carter have once again got to be on top form. There will be times where Foord and Raso get in behind, but England can hurt Australia, too.
I liked England’s two goals against Colombia, because both strikers looked sharp.
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