Following their opening game defeat against France in Euro 2025, England's Georgia Stanway has called on her Lionesses teammates to rediscover their roots and embrace a "proper England" mentality ahead of their crucial clash with the Netherlands. The Bayern Munich midfielder believes that a return to their core values is essential to turn things around against the Dutch.
Stanway expressed her frustration with words, stating a desire for action on the pitch. "I didn't want to do the press conference today because I'm fed up of talking," she admitted. "It's time that we focus and we want to put things right on the grass. We want to create action from what happened on Saturday and the only way to do that is in the game on Wednesday."
The midfielder emphasized the need to revert to a "traditional style of football" characterized by "tough tackles" and a deep connection to their roots. She wants the team to remember why they are here and "remember playing for the little girl that wanted to be here". Stanway highlighted the importance of bravery and ruthlessness in overcoming the Netherlands, particularly as they aim to defend their 2022 title. "We have to be brave and we have to be ruthless," the 26-year-old asserted.
The Lionesses are in a precarious position after losing 2-1 to France. A loss against the Netherlands in Zurich on Wednesday, coupled with a France win against Wales, would see England crash out of the tournament. Stanway acknowledged the severity of the situation, stating, "If we're not good enough on Wednesday, then we don't deserve to continue the tournament".
Despite the pressure, Stanway remains confident in her team's ability to rise to the occasion. "We know as individuals what we're capable of, we know as a team what we're capable of and we just have to do it," she said. She also stressed the importance of communication on the pitch, especially during challenging moments. "We want to make sure we've got the eye contact and are communicating in the good and the bad moments, because that's when we get the best out of each other," Stanway explained.
Lucy Bronze, who is competing in her seventh major tournament, provided perspective by reminding her teammates of their opening game loss against France in the 2015 World Cup, a tournament where they eventually reached the semi-finals. Stanway described this as a "together moment," emphasizing that the team is capable of performing and wants the fans to continue supporting them. "True fans stick with us to the end," she affirmed.
Stanway views the loss against France as a "bad night out" and believes the team can cure their "hangover" by returning to their roots against the Netherlands. She is eager for the game to arrive, stating, "We're all just dying for the game to come around as fast as possible because we want to make sure that we're stepping on that pitch knowing what we've experienced but also wanting to make a change".
