LUCY BRONZE believes her Barcelona move has boosted her England form following her Champions League triumph with the club.
And the full-back admits she is still “heartbroken” by the Lionesses’ World Cup semis loss four years ago.
Bronze and her team-mates will take to the field against Haiti on July 20 in their Group D opener at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The Euros champs were put through their paces in training on Saturday in Queensland, following a 0-0 warm-up draw with Canada on Friday.
Their upcoming clash with the tournament debutants in Brisbane, comes seven weeks after Bronze celebrated her fourth Champions League trophy win.
The Lioness, 31, who joined Barcelona last term along with team-mate Keira Walsh, said: “I think the pair of us drive a different kind of standard now at England training.
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“We’ve been able to add that when we’ve come back into camps.
“It’s not the style of play necessarily.
“It’s the expectation and the quality you expect from a team that wins trophies like Champions Leagues and playing with the best players in the world.
“It gives myself and Keira massive confidence.
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“It was her first Champions League win and while it was my fourth, it’s something that gives you a lot of confidence going into the World Cup.”
Bronze, who moved Barca last June after a two-year spell at Manchester City, is playing in a World Cup for the third time in her career.
The full-back was part of a Phil Neville-managed England side that lost 2-1 to the United States in the contest’s semis in France in 2019.
Bronze used the word “heartbroken” to describe the feeling that result evokes.
Of her past England experiences in the tournament, she said: “Every World Cup that I’ve played in we’ve been so close.
“The difference between us and the US on the day that we played them was a VAR decision, a penalty save.
“That’s two things in one game, it was crazy, crazy close.”
A finish in the top two spots in Group D would see England enter the World Cup’s knockout phase for the first time under head coach Sarina Wiegman.
The team have been hit by injuries to three of their biggest stars from last year’s Euros.
Skipper and centre-back Leah Williamson, Fran Kirby and Euros Golden Boot winner Beth Mead are all battling their way back from knee issues.
On the need to step up in their absence, Bronze added: “I’ve played that role in the majority of the tournaments I’ve played in.
“The team and the manager expect that from me because I’ve always had to bring high level performances.
“Although Leah is a huge part of the team, in the run-up to the Euros last year she didn’t play in the back four.
“We played with Alex (Greenwood) and Millie (Bright) as our centre half partnership the whole year under Sarina and we didn’t lose a game then.
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“Anybody that has watched Alex and Millie play in the WSL knows that they’re two of the best centre halves in the world.
“Leah is a huge miss but I wouldn’t say it’s a reshuffle, we’re just going back to a different team which has already played together.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
