How Wiegman broke from tradition against Australia to find a new midfield spark
Lucia Kendall's impressive debut rewarded rare experimentation from England's head coach
Experimentation is not a concept familiar to Sarina Wiegman.
England’s successful head coach has always leaned on a tried and tested formula involving experienced players. Whether in friendlies or one-sided qualifiers, Wiegman likes to work within a fairly strict framework.
That was until we saw the Wiegman equivalent of free jazz at Pride Park on Tuesday night. In England’s 3-0 victory over Australia we witnessed two debutants, a long-awaited start for Maya Le Tissier at centre-back and a rare opportunity from the first whistle in the forward line for Aggie Beever-Jones.
The players rewarded Wiegman for her relatively creative starting XI and, even though the performance from Australia was particularly poor, there was a positive energy and confidence about the European champions that had been missing in the 2-1 defeat to Brazil at the weekend.
One of Wiegman’s debutants, Lucia Kendall, earning her first senior cap along with Taylor Hinds, was something of a surprise selection in this window’s squad.
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