Our son is getting some goldfish for his birthday. I suggested the name “Sarina” for one of the two fish he is eyeing up but, at the moment, he prefers “Millie”, after the England captain, or maybe even “Earps” after yet another impressive tournament from England’s seemingly unflappable keeper – Mary Queen of Stops.
It has been lovely to see him so wrapped up in this World Cup. I have done the dad thing and explained that fans of English football aren’t really used to this. We are good at organising stuff but rarely win. We get easily sidetracked and argue about side issues like whether Prince William should attend the final and we tend to combine blind optimism with an unflinching belief that if something can go wrong – a refereeing decision, an injury, a penalty shootout – it probably will. Sarina Wiegman came along and has married our deep desire for success with her Dutch pragmatism and it is a marriage made in football heaven – even though her team fell at the final hurdle.
When Louis Van Gaal turned up at Manchester United, I hosted his first opportunity to talk directly to the fans. There were 600 of them who hung on his every word, and he told them how good he was and how he would be ruthless with a bunch of players who, he felt, had “gone a bit soft”. His approach didn’t work. He lost the players, lost too many games and, eventually, lost his job.
Wiegman is also Dutch but she is very different. I’ve enjoyed listening to her players talk about her direct approach in training but she never seems to suffocate her stars. Incredibly high expectations are twinned with a willingness to let her team make decisions on the pitch and express themselves.
It’s also great when the TV director shows us a shot of Wiegman during an intense moment in a game and – while many around her are losing their heads – she never shows any sign of losing hers.
Some of that calmness and confidence comes from success. Today’s World Cup final was the fourth straight time she has taken a team to the last match of a major tournament. It’s easy to see why the squad seem so composed when the pressure rises.
Sarina might be smooth but England’s progress to the final was anything but. Three of their biggest names – Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby – were all ruled out through injury before it even started, and Keira Walsh and Lauren James have also missed key matches down under through injury and suspension. There was also that ludicrously nervy penalty shoot-out against Nigeria before the rousing win over the hosts, Australia.
In the end, the Spanish team they met in Sydney proved a little too tasty. Their improvement over the past decade has been remarkable and they strangled England and were worthy winners. Football isn’t coming home but the team have enhanced reputations and an ever growing legion of fans.
Baddiel and Skinner were singing about 30 years of hurt back in 1996 and England have had to wait until today, 27 more years on, to play in another World Cup final. This group of players may have failed to add the Coupe du Monde to the European Championship they claimed last summer but – led by Wiegman – they have changed the face of football.
The biggest job now for the FA will be trying to persuade Wiegman to stay beyond the end of her contract in 2025. Whatever happens, let’s enjoy the magical moments this team have given us all and all agree that, if anyone gets a goldfish, we call it “Sarina”.