I’m worried the Lionesses might go three years without a competitive fixture before the Euros

NO date has been set for the Women’s Euros which were due to take place in this country next year after the men’s competition was pushed back to 2021.

Critics have slammed UEFA for treating the women’s tournament as an “after thought” but I think it’s the complete opposite.

The men’s Euros was set for this year so of course Uefa had to 100 per cent decide on that before thinking about the women.

There’s no point in rushing headfirst into a plan because we’ve got to think what is best for helping the game grow.

One option would be to have it straight after the men’s tournament next year which there are benefits to.

Punters will be buzzing off the men’s tournament and then straight away will have more games to go to.

Or we could push it back a year but then feel the knock-on effects of having the World Cup a year later.

The qualifiers would have to fit in with the women’s Euros and the last thing I want is to see the games suffer.

We’ve got time to figure this out and come up with a sensible solution so people have got to be patient.

I’m worried that as hosts of the tournament the Lionesses could potentially go without a competitive fixture for three years.

Obviously if the Tokyo Olympics goes ahead this year then some of the England players will represent Team GB – but that isn’t enough.

WE MUST DO EVERYTHING TO WIN HOME TOURNAMENT

We’re planning a home Euros everything should be put into place to make sure our Lionesses are successful.

We want them to go into that tournament thinking they’ve done everything they possibly can to go out there and win.

I just think the fact England won’t be meeting up and training for competitive fixtures really isn’t good enough.

And the failure at the She Believes Cup should be a reality check as we prepare for these Euros.

I am the first one to praise the Lionesses when they do well but failing to defend their title is simply disappointing.

They lost out to America and Spain and only beat Japan by a goal meaning they have suffered seven defeats in 11 games.

That is UNACCEPTABLE and everyone involved including the players and the coaching staff must take a long hard look at themselves about how they can push on.

PHIL NEVILLE MUST BE BRUTALLY HONEST

If the manager Phil Neville or any of the players aren’t reflecting, then they definitely won’t move on in the right direction.

Phil is under pressure, I think the honeymoon period of him getting appointed is over and he is being scrutinised on not producing results with England.

I was a strong advocate of him being appointed two years ago and implementing new ideas.

But Phil and his coaching staff need to be brutally honest about team selection and the playing style because it’s not working.

He has tried to bring in a style since he took over and England have been poor since the World Cup so he cannot continue being stubborn with his tactics.

Phil is an emotional guy and you can see the cracks of frustration and pressure of the poor form is beginning to show on him.

He has said himself if he is not the right person for the job he will walk away and it’s for the FA and himself to make that decision so I cannot speculate.

He has 15 months left on his contract and was rumoured to be meeting with the FA this week to discuss his future.

It seems he has the full support of FA director of women’s football, Baroness Sue Campbell so it’s likely he will be leading the Lionesses for the foreseeable future.

But it’s time to be brutally honest, the performances were not up to scratch and this isn’t the first time.

FEAR FACTOR HAS GONE

She Believes was the final nail in the coffin of a disappointing run of results after last year’s World Cup.

I’m not saying the Lionesses have gone backwards because I absolutely love each and every one of those girls.

I support them 100 per cent and I’m their biggest cheerleader and I want them to prove the critics wrong and pick up a gold medal at the Euros whenever that may be.

Countries used to be terrified of playing us, we had this fear factor and I think that’s gone now.

A lot of hard work has been done in previous years to transform England into one of the best sides in the world.

In March 2018 the Lionesses were second in the Fifa world rankings – their highest ever position.

This slump in results means we’re now sixth and falling behind.

We’re far from closing the gap on America and Neville’s side have got to graft because other countries like Spain have shown they are catching up.

A ‘World Cup hangover’ is in no way a good enough excuse and with the amount of investment ploughed into our league we’ve got to step up.

Phil Neville led the Lionesses to the semi-finals of the World Cup last yearCredit: Reuters

Ellen White scored England’s only goal at the She Believes CupCredit: USA TODAY Sports

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk