England Women Set For History

'We're Going to Wembleyyyy!'

England women play their very first game at the ‘new’ Wembley Stadium for the very first time against arguably the best side in Women’s football –rivaling the USA- and European Giants in that respect, Germany. After about 55,000 tickets were sold it’s going to be –already- a record crowd for the English side and they are very much looking forward to it.

English striker, Karen Carney also makes her 100th cap for the country, the former Chicago Red Star forward has played 99 times for the country scoring 23 times and still just 27. Carney had a spectacular FA WSL season despite her side, Birmingham failing to win the league or qualify for the Champions League as she claimed the FA WSL golden boot.

But it won’t be Carney’s first time playing at Wembley, Carney and eight other players in the squad to face the Germans have once grazed Wembley, back at the London 2012 Olympics, under the Team Great Britain. Man.City Ladies trio, Karen Bardsley, Steph Houghton and Jill Scott, Chelsea’s Claire Rafferty, and Eniola Aluko, as well as Arsenal’s Alex Scott, Liverpool’s Fara Williams and Arsenal legend, Kelly Smith, were all included in that Great Britain squad.

However the dream of glory was cut short as Team Canada eliminated them in the quarterfinals of the tournament, but the major highlight was the 70,000 people who came to watch them in their 1-0 victory over a very famously talented Brazil to qualify out of the group.

Now another chance beckons to raise the awareness of women’s football in the country, as the English leagues get better and more competitive, especially following that epic finale of the season.

A lot has changed since 2012, Hope Powell is no longer the English coach. After 15 years she was sacked when her English record was called into the question, Mark Sampson is the new man in charge, and it’s not even been a year now, but there’s already springs in the step of the English players.

Sampson seems to have changed things around and provided more opportunities for players. There’s no more a regular starting eleven, if your performance has been good enough you are sure to get a call up, just ask Lianne Sanderson and Fran Kirby.

England Women are now number 7 in the world and after beating European giants, Sweden, 4-0 earlier this year, the confidence has moved up a notch. A 100% record in qualifiers with 52 goals scored and just 1 conceded is really incredible, all eyes on Wembley now, to test if they can battle it out with one of the very best in front of a worthy record crowd.

Among the initial nine players who were mentioned earlier that are in the squad for the game against Germany are, Siobhan Chamberlain (Arsenal), Carly Telford (Notts County), Laura Bassett (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Liverpool), Alex Greenwood (Everton), Demi Stokes, Jade Moore (Birmingham City), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Jo Potter (Birmingham City), Jess Clarke (Notts County), Toni Duggan (Manchester City), Fran Kirby (Reading), Lianne Sanderson (Arsenal) and Jodie Taylor of the Washington Spirit.

Who to look out for?

How talented is this squad? Seriously? Aside from the dangerous Karen Carney there’s Chelsea’s Eniola Aluko, who scored 13 goals in the European Qualifiers, Man.City’s Toni Duggan can produce some mind blowing finishes upfront and Fran Kirby is a brilliant youngster.
Also look out for Lianne Sanderson who can create a great deal of chances and City’s captain and Left Back, Steph Houghton may lash out the occasional TV goal belter.

Also, England Women have never won Germany, what a magical day it would be if they finally did at Wembley?