LUCY VOWS TO COOL IT
Bronze has a golden rule over partying
LUCY BRONZE didn’t allow herself to be caught up in the wild celebrations of England’s dramatic passage to the semi-finals of the Euros. That’s because the bitter experience of three crushing disappointments have taught her to keep her perspective.
Those defeats, in the Lionesses’ last two World Cup appearances and one in the European Championships five years ago, hurt her badly.
And it was the latest one – a 2-1 reversal in Lyon against the United States – that struck the hardest emotional blow.
Bronze, 30, said: “Obviously, after our victory over Spain there were a few rowdy players and celebrations in the changing room.
“I’m one of those people who don’t get too far ahead of themselves. I didn’t get too caught up in it. I was sitting in the tunnel for a while with our photographer.
“I’m lucky enough to have experienced semi-finals with England – on the other hand I have been unlucky enough to have experienced defeat.
“And thatworld Cup probably taught me more than anything else.
“Every time I was on the pitch, it felt like I couldn’t do much wrong. I was on a high – right on top of my game. I was viewed as one of the best players in the world.
“I was playing in France where I was living at the time. In fact, I lived next door to the stadium we played in.
“It was what dreams are made of, so losing hit me a lot harder than other people because I guess when you are in the best form of your life you feel like it is your time.
“It taught me that even when you are at your best, things can always still go wrong. It’s probably why I’m staying cool, calm and collected now.
“I’ve been at the very top and still been knocked down.
“It’s a feeling I don’t enjoy being reminded of but it’s something that I learned a lot from. It’s something I try to share with the girls now.”
Despite her reluctance to be drawn into any fanfare after the
2-1 quarter-final defeat of Spain – thanks to a winner from Georgia Stanway (right) – Bronze believes this time it’s different.
As she looked forward to the sem-final against Sweden, Bronze said: “In previous semi-finals we’ve always had other things to deal with.
“Whether that was players missing through injuries or suspensions – it kind of shook the team a little bit.touch wood, everything is going the way it should be with this one and that’s a bit different.
“I’ve been in some strong squads but the depth we have now, the level we can train at, is
incredible.that’s why we’re seeing these performances – seeing out games against Spain or beating Norway 8-0.
“The level of our training is so high because the depth of our squad is so deep.”