SARINA WIEGMAN wants England to avoid being swept up in Euro glory nostalgia when they face Germany for the first time since the 2022 final.
This evening her Lionesses return to Wembley for a friendly against the team they beat to become European champions.
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Both teams, who have qualified for the next European Championship and are ranked among the world’s top four teams, have undergone some changes since the 2-1 win for Wiegman’s players.
Aston Villa skipper Rachel Daly launched her international career in April.
The 32-year-old Leeds-born forward, with 84 caps to win the WSL’s Golden Boot in the 2022-23 season, started every game for England at the last European Championship.
Meanwhile, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, 56, who guided Germany to the final, left her job as head coach by mutual consent last November.
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Her departure followed their shock exit from the Women’s World Cup group stage last July.
The team will also be without the services of long-time forward Alexandra Popp for tonight’s game, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m.
The prolific striker, who has scored 66 international goals, will play his 145th and final game for his country next month when they face Austria.
And while Wiegman sees England’s EC win against Voss-Tecklenburg’s former team as a moment to cherish, her sole focus is on preparing for next year’s competition.
The Lionesses boss said: “It was one of the greatest moments of my career and of my life. We will always cherish that.
“But going forward it is a completely different German team, and we are a different team because we have also moved on.
“That’s the start of it [going into] the next euro, next summer.
“We always want to go faster, but I think the game has increased, the level of the leagues in international football has increased and developed.
“That’s what we want, so that means we have to evolve as well.”
England’s results have been mixed at times since reaching last year’s World Cup final in August, where they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Spain.
Three of the six qualifiers in which they secured their place at next year’s European Championships resulted in two draws and one defeat in addition to three wins.
Wiegman expects to face a powerful and physical test from Germany, now led by head coach Christian Wuck.
They have won four of their last six competitive matches.
She adds: “Germany have always been a strong team, very physical and one that wants to play possession but also doesn’t hesitate to play long balls.
“They’ve got a new coach now, so they’ll probably do some other things as well, and it’s a challenge for us, but a good one.”
Tonight’s game could see Wiegman struggle with the headache of choosing a central defender.
While Leah Williamson missed Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to West Ham last Sunday as her club looked to manage her load, the England captain is set to start for the Lionesses.
Her centre-back colleagues Millie Bright, Alex Greenwood and Jesse Carter are all in solid form for their clubs Chelsea, Man City and Gotham FC.
Wiegman said, “It’s definitely a headache because they’re all really good and really competing for minutes.
“But it’s definitely the headache I want, and it’s a tough decision to make.”
England’s first friendly of the season in the run-up to next year’s European Championship follows a mixed start to the season for Williamson’s club side, who are currently fifth in the WSL.
The Gunners are currently on the hunt for a new women’s head coach after Jonas Eidevall resigned earlier this month.
His departure followed after the team picked up one win from their first four WSL matches this term and suffered a 5-2 loss to Bayern Munich in their Champions League group stage opener.
And former Man City Women’s boss Nick Cushing has reportedly been linked with the vacant role.
Asked if her confidence ahead of England’s upcoming games had been affected by Arsenal’s recent results, Lionesses skipper Williamson said: “There’s no difference in confidence levels.
“We are all footballers and deal with different scenarios.
“Now we’re here with England and it’s been a consistent environment, at least for the last couple of years, so now we’re back and it’s nice.
“It has been a different start to the season.
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“Results tell a story, but I think (from) the work I’ve seen going on, especially from my club, and I can only speak for that.
“But you can see again that the level throughout the football world has risen and everyone is enjoying that challenge.
“It’s a Euro year now. Everyone is focused.”