Mark Sampson regards the trade-off between pain and gain as irresistible. “The message we’re giving the players is simple,” the England manager said. “These three weeks can change the next 50 years. Three weeks of hard work and we’ve got 50 years to live as legends. Three weeks to make history and live the rest of our lives as champions and winners.”
Sampson has always possessed a politician’s knack for summoning the right soundbite at the right moment but his manifesto for Euro 2017 glory seems compelling. It will be fully tested on Wednesday night when England face their Group D rivals Scotland but it would represent a shock were the Lionesses to stumble against Anna Signeul’s side.
“We’re ready to do something special,” Sampson said. “In our hearts, we believe we can do something big but it’s going to be tough.”
He is not deceived by Scotland’s image as ingenues, making their first appearance in a major finals. “A lot of people probably think this is a banker for England,” he said, “but Anna has some talented players, Scotland are very well organised and will make it difficult. We know the quality of Jane Ross [the Manchester City striker] who was the second top scorer in last season’s Women’s Super League.”
England, after finishing third in the 2015 World Cup in Canada, arrive in the unprecedented position of being ranked alongside Germany and France as favourites. The pressure of such expectation can do strange things to teams and it is something Sampson has addressed. “We talk a lot about using expectation as a positive,” he said. “We haven’t been at our best in recent games but we now expect to find a way to win and we’ve harnessed that. If we’re not at our best against Scotland, the expectation will be the thing that drives us through.”
Although his squad’s fully professional status – not to mention the Football Association’s £17.7m annual women’s football budget – has enabled England’s coach to ensure his team have never been fitter, some observers question whether they equal France and Germany technically.
“We feel confident we’ve got the technical tools to answer any questions opponents ask,” he said. “We wouldn’t be able to compete if we weren’t at the right level technically, fitness-wise, emotionally and psychologically but our biggest weapon is our players’ ability to find solutions to problems. We have the ability to think on our feet; we’re very difficult to beat. I don’t believe there’s a better team than us at problem solving.”
England can prove it by shedding a reputation as notoriously slow starters and winning their opening game at a major tournament for the first time since 2005 but Jill Scott suspects it may not be entirely straightforward. “Scotland will be really competitive,” said Sampson’s veteran midfielder. “They’ll definitely raise their game by 25%, 50% even.
“The opening 15 minutes is going to be really important; it’ll be end to end and there’ll be a lot of emotion but we’ve got to control that, get the ball down and gain some possession.”
Kick-off is not until 8.45pm Netherlands time (7.45pm BST). “It’s a bit late, I’m usually in bed by then,” Scott said. “I watch Coronation Street and go to bed.” Mindful of potential disruption to body clocks, the ever meticulous Sampson has adjusted meal times and down time to ensure adrenaline levels have not dipped by half-time. “Game days are usually quite chilled and relaxed,” Scott said. “Mark’s really good about that – he knows people need their own time and don’t really like lots of meetings on match day. I’ll have a little nap in the afternoon.”
While Scott and her team-mates conserve energy, Signeul frets about Scotland’s pre-tournament loss of Kim Little and Jennifer Beattie, two extremely influential players, to injury.
“I was devastated for Jennifer – she’s one of my good friends at Manchester City,’ Scott said. “City’s Jane Ross is here though and what a great player she is. We know that, if there’s a chance in the box, she’s probably going to put it away. It’s good we’ve got City defenders – Steph Houghton, Demi Stokes and Lucy Bronze – who play against her in training.”
Scott trusts England’s superior fitness will prove decisive. “We’re definitely fitter than ever,” she said. “We’re full-time athletes now and we couldn’t be better prepared. There’s no excuses.”
Jordan Nobbs agrees. “It’s been intense,” said Arsenal’s key midfielder. “I don’t think we could have been run any more but it’s pushed us to the next level.”
Sampson is careful to ensure mental fatigue does not diminish such focus. Accordingly his squad have been to Amsterdam’s Anne Frank museum and had individual time to explore the canal-side walks and boho boutiques studding their atmospheric medieval base in Utrecht
“It’s been nice to see a bit of culture and also have your own time to chill out,” Nobbs said. “It’s beautiful here and our hotel’s pretty amazing. Everything in it has ‘Lionesses’ on it, it feels like it’s ours and we’re meant to be here. It feels like they [the FA] believe in us so much they’re doing everything possible to get us across that line.
“This team’s in a great place, we’re really feeling the vibe. It’s the first time we’ve been one of the teams to beat but if you want to be elite you want to be feared. We’ve got a great chance of winning this tournament. We have fit players, we have talented players but the main thing is our belief in each other.
