Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Nev’s greight expectations for Lionesses
Neville reveals how Lionesses are more than ready to call each other out
PHIL NEVILLE says he can see the growth in his Lionesses – by the number of arguments kicking off.
England’s head coach is looking to develop an atmosphere where no one is afraid to speak out.
Neville says he has studied the USA – the reigning World Cup holders – and admires their ruthless nature.
There are echoes of that from his own playing career when the likes of Roy Keane would lay down the law at Manchester United.
And he believes that ethos is vital if England are to progress.
He said: “The USA have a winning mentality. They will run over anyone to get a victory.
“They are not afraid to fall out. They demand from each other. That’s what winning teams do.
“They are not afraid to have a go because winning is the most important thing – that’s what we are working on. When I first came into the England job, there was a real niceness about the camp.
“But there was an incident in the Japan game where a couple of the players were really challenging each other on the field. I’m encouraging that.
“Sometimes it takes a good, oldfashioned b **** cking.
“We said to them early on that you can’t go through a game of football without saying to someone: ‘Come on, you need to do better than that.’ Or, ‘you’re passing needs to be better, work harder, stay with your runners.’
“It can’t always be: ‘Thanks, well done.’ We have brought that mentality in. We see it in training.
“Yes, there are certain standards and tones of voice and there’s a manner in how you speak to someone. That’s a respect thing.
“They are self-demanding and self-policing. At the start, we had people drifting into corners, talking in ones and twos.
“Now they go into a huddle and call each other out. We have a leadership committee. That’s why we have four captains in the squad. I need them to be my eyes and ears.
“I came in the dressing room at the interval during the Japan game and they knew straightaway exactly what we needed to do in the second half. And they did it.”
England’s World Cup campaign so far has been good-humoured. There is a collective spirit which shines through.
However, at the business end of the tournament, Neville can only pick 11 players. Some are going to miss out and the ones who do aren’t happy.
Neville admits it is a side of management that has ‘left a bit’ on him. But he is now making no apologies for being ruthless.
He added: “They all want to play. There’s three here who keep hearing me talk about rotating giving people opportunities and they are looking at me as if to say: ‘Don’t let me down, you promised us.’
“Beth Mead wasn’t happy the other night. She feels like she’s in good form and wants to play in every game. Nikita Parris didn’t speak to me for 24 hours after Japan. Abbie McManus didn’t put a foot wrong against Argentina and was left out against Japan. That’s football.
“They’ve all bought into it. Now we’re in the last 16, it’s about picking the best side in every game. We’ve given them opportunities for the past 18 months. Now it’s about being ruthless and winning.
“I have said the style of play is non-negotiable. But it’s about winning and we have to become serial winners.”