Serial winner Sarina Wiegman aims to turn fairytale into reality

England have overcome the odds to reach tomorrow’s showdown with Spain. An injury-depleted squad, missing its talisman Leah Williamson, has gone all the way to the final despite a further injury setback to Keira Walsh and an untimely suspension to the stand-out flair player Lauren James.

The Football Association chief executive, Mark Bullingham, has spent the past few days warning off rival nations from making an approach for Wiegman. The 53-year-old's stock as a serial winner has been rising steadily since first winning the European Championships six years ago with her homeland.

She has now guided England to a first-ever Women's World Cup final, on the back of last year’s Euros success. The 53-year-old is known for her calmness under pressure and an ability to see through the bluster. She is not one for platitudes and hype. It is no surprise that during a press conference earlier in the tournament Georgia Stanway felt the need to clarify that her coach is not a machine.

There is a devotion to Wiegman from her players that has been particularly noticeable during this tournament when performances have not always been eye-catching. “I think we just believe, we believe in the backroom staff and what they’re training us to do every day,” said Chloe Kelly, scorer of the Wembley winner in last year’s European Championships final against Germany. “We’re on the pitch and we just enjoy ourselves. You can see that we’re having fun out there, and when we’re having fun, look at what we do.”

Last summer, the head coach had a settled starting line-up, not needing to change the starting XI for six games in a row. Had there not been such cohesion within the group it could have been dispiriting for the substitutes but Wiegman was able to keep the camp unified.

This time it has been very different, particularly with the many injury setbacks – Williamson, Beth Mead, Fran Kirby all fell by the wayside before the squad headed down under. Wiegman adapted to the situation and for group stage game against China she dropped Ella Toone and changed from her tried and trusted formation of 4-2-3-1 to a 3-5-2.

In the knock-out stages, when James was sent off against Nigeria, Wiegman switched to a 4-4-1 and the team was able to hold on and win the penalty shootout.

“She’s very cool and she’s a very calm head, which is so important when you’re in high-pressure moments,” said striker Alessia Russo. “It’s great to have someone leading us who knows how to deal with those high-pressure moments, as well as someone who keeps everyone calm on the pitch.”

Against Australia in the semi-final, Wiegman continued with the three-man defence that has served them well. With attacking wing-backs England were able to get numbers forward and the hosts were on the back foot for most of the match, despite Sam Kerr’s deflected equaliser. In attack Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo received the service they needed to make an impact. Australia were ultimately overpowered with the raucous and partisan home crowd silenced by the end

“She’s a phenomenal coach, she’s a genius,” said Rachel Daly. “She doesn’t get enough credit and she’s great to play for. She’s so honest, and her knowledge about the game is a joke as is everybody on the staff. They work so hard behind the scenes to make us the best prepared we can be, and I think you can see that.”

It is all a far cry from the team she inherited. Her predecessor was former England international Phil Neville, who left his post in September 2021. A team which lost semi-finals in three consecutive major tournaments between 2015 and 2019 has been close to unbeatable since, losing only once in 37 matches. During that time they have become European champions before going on to beat their South American counterparts Brazil in the Finalissima in April.

Spain now lie in wait in tomorrow’s final. It is an opponent the Lionesses know well, following that nail-biting extra-time comeback victory over Jorge Vilda’s side in the quarter-finals of Euro 2022 at the Amex Stadium.

For two of England’s players, Walsh and Lucy Bronze, who play their club football at Barcelona following moves from Manchester City last summer, there will be some familiar faces in the opposition. Nine members of Spain’s World Cup squad are teammates of the England pair.

Sydney, host venue of Sunday’s final, will be packed full this weekend of ex-pats and a fair few England supporters who have travelled over from these shores. Wiegman has spoken of reaching the final as “a fairytale”. It is not usual for such a calm and pragmatic figure to speak in such emotional terms but that is the effect a World Cup can have. Deep down, she knows the fairytale will only become a reality if England lift the trophy.