Lucy serves notice
Bronze could have been playing at Wimbledon... instead she’s bidding for Euro glory with England
THE Women’s European Championship kicks off in Holland tonight but, rather than preparing for England’s opener, Lucy Bronze could have been at the Wimbledon Champions Ball instead — if her mother had her way.
Manchester City defender Bronze, England’s modest PFA Player of the Year, was a promising tennis player who mum Diane believed had big potential.
But Bronze chose football and, even when watching Jo Konta go further than any British woman in 39 years at SW19, neither her nor her family would go for ‘ what could have been’ now.
England are among the favourites at Euro 2017, placed in Group D with Scotland, Spain and Portugal, and have a real belief they can go two steps better than the thirdplaced finish of the World Cup two summers ago.
So even watching K on ta’ s exploits on breaks from manager Mark Sampson’s strenuous double sessions has not turned Bronze’s head. The Lionesses kick off against Scotland on Wednesday in Utrecht and all focus is on six consecutive wins to be crowned as champions of Europe.
‘With Wimbledon on and Jo Konta doing well my mum has said: “That could’ve been you!”,’ Bronze says. ‘She wouldn’ t trade it now!
‘I was all right to be fair. I had tennis lessons up in Jesmond, Newcastle, which is quite a big tennis centre, and I did do all the proper competitions up until I gave up.
‘I stopped liking it but I liked playing because I love being competitive. But my mum wanted tennis and I think she soon realised that it wasn’t for me and that football was the way.’
That competitive streak has served England well so far in her 44 caps so far, particularly of late.
They won seven of eight games in qualifying and the month-long training camp they are nearing the end of has been fired by combative passions from Bronze and her team-mates.
That is the modern characteristic of England’s Lionesses: fierce and unafraid to get what they want. The World Cup run in 2015 that captured the imagination of the nation was not enough for Sampson’s squad. They were underdogs in Canada but enter this tournament with a real belief that Germany’s title might be theirs for the taking. ‘Although the bronze medal was great, it left a sour taste in a lot of people’s mouths,’ Bronze, 25, says.
‘We could have pushed on a bit more — now this is our chance. Going to the World Cup we weren’t that sure on what we were going to do — that’s probably why other teams were a bit unsure about us. We didn’ t have our identity whereas going to this Euro we do.’
No stone is left unturned. Manager Sampson has already identified weaknesses in opponents for his team to exploit and that confidence flows through his players.
‘It’s probably the best prep we’ve ever had for a big tournament,’ Bronze adds.
‘I’m quite close with video analyst Emma Allsop and she’s telling me, “Yeah — we’ve nailed Scotland down, we’ve nailed this team down, we’ve nailed this team down, we know exactly what they’re going to bring at us”.
‘A lot of other teams will be relying on big players, big names, their core XI, their core group of five players. But we’re relying on the squad to really mix it up for whatever suits whichever game.’
Bronze’s family, mum included, will be in tow all the way to the final if the games go that far. Even her dad, who is Portuguese, will be cheering for the girls in white when they face his home nation — who tried to approach Bronze to play for them as a teenager.
Away f rom f amily support, Prince William has promised the players he will get out to Enschede, Holland, on August 6 if England make it to the final. But there may be one significant absentee from the Bronze clan.
‘My grandma told me yesterday that if we make the final then she can’t make it,’ she says. ‘She said she’s at the finals of Bowls National Championship finals in Leamington Spa that weekend… so she’s occupied with that!’
In a summer of England success, the Lionesses ambitions are big enough that a long tournament stay is already the expectation of the players — and their families.