Sampson on England's World Cup bid
Monday, June 8, 2015
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For the first time since 1995, England are in a major tournament without Hope Powell as manager and Mark Sampson speaks to UEFA.com about their chances.
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After 15 years and seven major final tournaments under Hope Powell, England start their FIFA Women's World Cup bid against France on Tuesday with a different manager: Mark Sampson.
The former Bristol Academy WFC coach took over at the start of 2014 after Powell's departure following a disappointing UEFA Women's EURO 2013 campaign. Sampson's England wrapped up qualifying with a perfect record and travel to Canada having won the Cyprus Women's Cup in March, though having lost friendlies to Germany, the United States and, last week in Ontario, the finals' hosts. Sampson speaks to UEFA.com about the event in prospect and his time in charge.
UEFA.com: What do you think of your three opponents?
Mark Sampson: It's going to be a tough group for us, clearly. We've got France, who go into the tournament as many people's favourites in terms of the form they've produced over the last calendar year, and obviously the quality of players they've got.
You've only got to look at their domestic teams, who are consistently reaching the finals and winning European Champions Leagues, so it shows the quality of player they've got. And they look like they're really coming together as a team as well.
And in terms of Mexico and Colombia, we're going to face a different style of opponent. We watched Mexico consistently over the course of the Cyprus tournament, and obviously they finished third which was no mean achievement; when you look at the quality of the teams who were in that tournament, they finished above the likes of Italy and Holland. So they will certainly be a team who will cause lots of problems. And Colombia are in good form as well, good recent wins against Ecuador, and they look like a team who can produce different styles of performance, given the opponents.
UEFA.com: You've been able to recall quite a few players who have been out of the England team for some time. What was it like though, with for example Lianne Sanderson, Jodie Taylor or Katie Chapman, saying: "We want you back"?
Sampson: It's always a special moment for the player, to be called up to an England squad, whether it's the first time or the hundredth. And for me to give that announcement to them is always an important moment. But I think those type of conversations, first and foremost, are fact-finding.
You've got to work out as a coach not only whether they fit in as a player – because you've made that decision prior to the phone call, you obviously feel that as a footballer they fit your plans, they fit your philosophy and tactics – but you've got to make sure that their character fits in with the group.
And in those three examples, certainly after one conversation, that was very clear – that Katie, Lianne and Jodie would fit well into our group and bring a lot, not only on the field but off it. And since they've come back in they've all been fantastic. Not only on it but off it, in terms of their character. I'm sure they will be pushing for a place [in Canada].
UEFA.com: Are you surprised just how well Fran Kirby has taken to international football?
Sampson: Not necessarily. We all knew in our country that Fran was a hidden talent, and it was only a matter of time before that was shown on a major stage. But in terms of how quickly it has happened for her, I think we're all a little bit surprised. The fantastic debut against Sweden [a 4-0 win last August], then topped up with some excellent performances in Cyprus and a very good performance against China recently.
UEFA.com: How important was it, after a comfortable qualifying campaign, to play top nations like Germany and the United States in friendlies?
Sampson: They are the type of teams that if you want to be successful at major championships you've got to find a way to beat them. But not many teams have done that in recent years – found a way to beat the likes of Germany, USA or France. So we're in a good place now that we know what we need to do in terms of giving ourselves the best possible chance when we cross the white line against these teams, and obviously our first game is against a very talented French team who will certainly pose a huge threat to us.
UEFA.com: You had the chance to play Germany at Wembley. How much did you enjoy that experience?
Sampson: For the women's game in England, it was a super occasion. It's something we really feel that we can build on. You look at the amount of people who came to watch that game, in horrific weather conditions, it's certainly a big statement to the global game, that in England women's football is really on the up.
And we backed that up with big crowds at MK Dons [against the US], nearly a sell-out at Manchester City recently [against China] ... So there's certainly an appetite for women's football at the moment in the country, and we've just got to make sure that as a team we keep doing our best to keep feeding that appetite. We want to make sure that when we come back people are behind the team, fully supporting, and want to come and watch our games.