England arrive on French Riviera and thoughts turn to Scotland
England have arrived on the Côte d’Azur determined to be perfect guests off the pitch but extremely awkward opponents on it.
Phil Neville’s squad checked into their hotel on the Promenade des Anglais on Tuesday night to be greeted by a mix of local dignitaries and schoolchildren singing a specially adapted version of Three Lions.
Its familiar lyrics have become something of an anthem of failure for England men’s teams over the years, serving as a soundtrack to assorted disappointments, but the Lionesses believe they can transform the song into a triumphal march over the coming weeks.
Before banishing all those “years of hurt”, though, they could do with beating Scotland here on Sunday in a game Jill Scott believes could define their tournament. Win and England will be on course to finish top of Group D and looking at a relatively straightforward passage to the semi-finals. Lose or draw and the prospect of scrabbling to secure second spot and consequently a much trickier route to the latter stages beckons. “It’s one of the biggest games of our lives,” says the Manchester City midfielder. Considering Scott is embarking on her fourth World Cup and is not really given to hyperbole that is quite some statement but she knows Shelley Kerr’s side are almost unrecognisable from the one England thrashed 6-0 in the opening match of Euro 2017 in the Netherlands.
“What’s important is that we don’t get lost in the emotion of the occasion,” Scott says. “We have to stay logical and remember it’s just a game of football.”
The amount of heavy security, featuring abundant armed police, guarding England’s training base on the outskirts of Nice necessitated visitors undergoing airport-style screening while negotiating considerable French bureaucracy. The landscape felt radically different from the relaxed atmosphere of the last World Cup in Canada four years ago. While threats of terrorist attacks have left France on high alert, England know there can be no room for complacency when they kick off against radically altered opponents on Sunday.
“I played in the 6-0 but I haven’t even thought about that game, which probably shows how much I think this one is going to be completely different,” she says. “Scotland didn’t have the experience they have now. I definitely think it’ll be a much tighter affair than the last one.”
Jennifer Beattie, Scotland’s key centre-half, missed Euro 2017 through injury but has arrived in Nice fully fit. “Jennifer’s one of my best friends at Manchester City,” Scott adds. “I remember once last season she had a bad back and I said, ‘Just look after yourself’. And then I said, ‘No, maybe you should overtrain so you’ll be knackered for the summer. We had a bit of banter but Scotland’s definitely not a straightforward game. It’s going to be difficult and we’re going to have to fight for the right to get the ball down and play. It’s important we get that win, so we’ve got to have the right mindset.”
It has been announced England will play a friendly against Germany at Wembley on 9 November, as the Lionesses build up to Euro 2021, which they are hosting.