What Premier League elite managers should learn from Sarina Wiegman and Lioness success in order to maintain steady European success

Sarina Wiegman’s side defeated record winners, Germany in Sunday’s final by a score-line of 2-1 after the end of an intense 120 minutes of football action in Wembley.

A contest, which was a repetition of the 2009 final, when England lost to Germany in a completely on sided affair that ended 6-2 to the Germans at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki.

That was the second time England had reached the final of the Women’s Euro, after also reaching the final in the maiden edition of the competition, where they lost 4-3 on penalties to fellow host, Sweden in Luton.

However, on their course to winning the competition for the first time , they won all their games, scored most goals, 22 and conceded the least, two, of any other teams in the competition but this would not have come to be had it not been for the ruthlessness of manager, Sarina Wiegman.

The ruthless tactical moves made by the Dutch woman is what English managers should learn from if they are to make their dominance in Europe a consistence one.

English teams arguably have the best squads in Europe with the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool winning the Champions League in recent times while Manchester City have reached the final and semi finals in each of the last two editions.

If they are to continuously maintain good performances on the continental stage, they need revisit Lioness’ conquest, starting from their quarter final win against arguably the best possession obsessed side in Europe, Spain.

Despite England winning all their group games by an aggregate of 14-0, the first test of the players’ mental strength and the Manager’s tactical prowess was when they conceded for the first time in the competition.

The goal came six minutes before the hour mark in the quarter final against Spain, a side that was already outplaying them up the time of the goal.

Wiegman, whose side had scored multiple goals with her starting XI made some big decisions in the final third, withdrawing the trio of Beth Mead, Fran Kirby and Ellen White very early after Spain took the lead.

The duo of Fran Kirby and Beth Mead have been England’s best player up to that point but things doesn’t seem to be going their way on the night, and Wiegman was not having second thought about bringing on players who could be said that are not as good as the former duo.

The trio of Chloe Kelly, Ella Toone and Alessia Russo came on and six minutes from time, the substitutions paid dividends when Ella Toone was set up by Alessia Russo for Lioness’ equaliser.

Six minutes into extra time, Georgia Stanway scored what was the winner to send England into the last four, where they again had it easy, thrashing Sweden 4-0 to reach a third final.

In the UEFA Champions League, managers of English teams seem to have no other plan whenever things are not going well for them. The substitutions made by Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola in the semi final second leg against Real Madrid ended up haunting them.

In the quater final second leg at the Bernabéu, Chelsea were already leading Real Madrid heading into the final 10 minutes but Thomas Tuchel failed to get hold of the advantage, and Real Madrid got back into the game before going on to seal qualification in extra time.

In Sunday’s the final, it was an unusual first half performance, which saw them recorded their lowest percentage pass completion as Germany gave them not many chance to express themselves.

Again, Wiegman to the rescue. Another tactical masterclass saw her threw in both Ella Toone and Alessia Russo into the fray at the expense of Fran Kirby and Ellen White.

Few minutes later with only her second touch of them game, Ella Toone gave England the lead in the final, at a time they were temporarily down to 10 women because Beth Mead’s injury had to be attended.

Unfortunately for the Arsenal Women striker, she was unable to continue much longer and missed the chance to make history by becoming the first player to reach seven goals in any European Championship tournament, Men or Women.

Germany’s equaliser eleven minutes from the end of normal time was another big blow to Lioness’ cause, of which momentum had also switched to the German way.

Chloe Kelly, who had came on for the injured Mead scored her first ever international goal, four minutes into the second half of extra time to win a first major honour for the Lioness.

In both games the Lioness found very tough in the competition, their substitutes have scored 75 per cent of the needed four goals to overcome the opposition.

This is what the Premier League managers have to learn and as well the players. Being dropped to the bench doesn’t qualify you as not good enough but to have a chance to come on later and become the hero.

And to the managers, being out of the starting XI might mean those on the pitch are your best but even average men have their own day and the good ones also have days off. Making the right tactical switch and in time might save more than nine.

Lioness have won their first major tournament neither because they have Beth Mead who was named the best player and top scorer of the competition, nor because they have the likes of Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly to come from the bench and changed the game.

It came to be only because they have a manager, who knows her players well, when it is right to have them come on or go off and is not afraid to make the calls.

It is no coincidence that Wiegman has now won back-to-back Women’s European Championship with different countries having led her country of The Netherlands to the title, five years ago.

Pep Guardiola and the likes might be more technically gifted but these little details also plays a big role in achieving success in competitions that requires knockout.

It was evident with Real Madrid in the last season’s UEFA Champions League. Manager Carlo Ancelotti was able to go past the likes of PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City thanks to his substitutes.

These are lessons for managers to learn, most especially the English teams, if they are to maintain consistency in their quest to dominate Europe and as well maximize the quality of players in their disposal.

Author: Kehinde Hassan Afolabi