SARINA WIEGMAN admits to being concerned by the “tight turnaround” for her players between the World Cup and the Women’s Nations League.
The Lionesses boss was speaking on Wednesday after announcing her squad for clashes with Scotland and the Netherlands this month.
Keira Walsh and Bethany England, who featured for the team during the World Cup, will both be absent due to calf and hip injuries.
And Wiegman mentioned some players having just six days off in between the end of the tournament and the start of England’s training camp for the Women’s Nations League.
They include Arsenal stars Alessia Russio and Lotte Wubben-Moy.
While Wubben-Moy did not play in the World Cup, Russo appeared in seven games for England at the tournament including their 1-0 loss to Spain in the final on August 20.
Both are included in Wiegman’s 24-strong Women’s Nations League squad
The team will play Pedro Losa’s Scotland side on September 22 at the Stadium of Light and the Netherlands in Utrecht on the 26th.
Of her concerns about the short break for players between the contests, Wiegman said: “I was worried before the World Cup and we knew it was a short turnaround.
“We really have to get connected with Fifa and Uefa to make that better.
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“Next week they come in and some players have only had six days off which after such a high-pressure competition is not good for them.
“We have major tournaments in the summer all the time (at the moment).
“The urgency to solve it and make it better is really high.
“We all know the challenges have been addressed for a while now but we also know changes cannot be made overnight.
“But the conversations are going on and we just need to keep doing that and hopefully find a better solution to what we have.”
Midfield ace Walsh will miss the team’s battle with Scotland in their first ever Women’s Nations League game on September 22 due to a “small calf injury”.
It follows the Barcelona and Lionesses star sustaining and recovering from a knee injury in July during the World Cup.
And Tottenham striker England is currently recuperating after undergoing surgery on September 4 to treat her hip problem.
Lucy Staniforth, Maya Le Tissier and Jess Park have all been named in the squad after being included on Wiegman’s World Cup standby list before the contest in Australia and New Zealand.
But Beth Mead and Fran Kirby have been left out with the duo needing more game time after returning to club action for Arsenal and Chelsea.
Wiegman added: “Beth (Mead) needs to take the next step to get games and get consistency.
“Fran (Kirby) is really close. She played some friendlies already and did well.
“Again it is a little too early. I am very looking forward to seeing them play.”
England’s squad update comes 13 days after Wiegman dedicated her Uefa Women’s Coach of the Year award to World Cup winners Spain.
The team saw their triumph overshadowed by former Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales being slammed for planting an unwanted kiss on the lips of forward Jenni Hermoso.
This month during an interview with Piers Morgan he announced he had quit his role following the row.
The ex-Spain football federation chief, who has been provisionally suspended by Fifa, will appear in a Madrid court on Friday.
This follows Hermoso, who is her national side’s record goalscorer, filing a legal complaint against him.
And Wiegman hopes more attention will be paid to Spain’s World Cup triumph rather than the controversy surrounding Rubiales.
She added: “We would like to leave that now and celebrate those players.
“Players need to be listened to and we need to move on.
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“The women’s game has improved so much but there’s still a long way to go, not only in Spain but everywhere.
“We need to try and make the world better for those players.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
