Lionesses boss – and ‘honorary Brit’ – Sarina Wiegman breaks her silence on Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as England supervisor
- Netherlands-born Wiegman has overseen Lionesses’ strong spell of success
- Tuchel has been handed an 18-month contract to work similar magic with men
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Lionesses’ boss Sarina Wiegman has thrown her support behind incoming England manager Thomas Tuchel.
The former Chelsea boss was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor last week, but the Football Association has come under criticism from some quarters for their decision to appoint a foreign manager.
Wiegman, who hails from the Netherlands, has been in charge of the Lionesses since 2021 and won the Euros on home soil in 2022 before leading the country to a World Cup final last year.
She and captain Leah Williamson were asked for their thoughts about the reaction to Tuchel’s appointment given the Lionesses’ success with a foreign manager.
Wiegman replied: ‘I’m just really happy that I was appointed!
Sarina Wiegman has backed her opposite number on the men’s team to succeed with England
Thomas Tuchel was appointed in October amid mixed reactions due to his German heritage
‘I will give my everything, I’m totally convinced that’s what Thomas Tuchel is going to do too.
‘He’s very committed, he’s shown how good a coach he is and I hope that he will bring success for England.’
Williamson, who described Wiegman as an ‘honorary Brit’, added: ‘I think firstly you can’t pick and choose when it suits us just based on a result.
‘We’ve had great times with Sarina, I think she’s an honorary Brit now anyway. The slang, she’s not quite up to scratch (on).
‘I think England teams want to win. The best coach will always be appointed. I know that there is so much, we’re across all the plans of the FA, the women’s game especially.
‘I can’t speak for the men’s game but there’s so many opportunities for English coaches and more and more opportunities are coming up.
Captain Leah Williamson spoke of how happy she was with her Netherlands-born coach
‘It’s not really my place to speak on managers but I know that we’ve all been very happy with Sarina.’
The Lionesses take on Germany in a friendly at Wembley on Friday as they begin their preparation for next summer’s Euros.
Fran Kirby will miss the game due to a small injury while Lotte Wubben-Moy is still undergoing concussion protocols and will also miss out.
