England’s biggest enemy at the 2023 World Cup will be fatigue

As the final whistle blew in Wiener Neustadt on Saturday evening England’s players looked a little flat.

After goals from Alessia Russo and Nikita Parris secured a 2-0 victory against Austria the Euro 2022 winners did not seem remotely like a team who had just sealed qualification for next summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

This downbeat demeanour had nothing to do with complacency — as the Lionesses’ manager Sarina Wiegman says winning “never” gets boring — and could not be blamed entirely on the underwhelming venue.

If England — and Euro 2022 quarter-finalists Austria, too — deserved better than to play in front of only 2,600 fans in a ground with just two functioning stands, one of which was overshadowed by a giant water slide belonging to the adjacent aqua park, their downbeat body language appeared more about fatigue than disappointment.

As outstanding as Wiegman’s side are — since taking charge a year ago England’s Dutch coach has choreographed 19 wins and two draws in 21 games — they could surely do with a rest. A team which has scored 108 goals and conceded only five on Wiegman’s watch were back in action a mere 34 days after beating Germany at Wembley to win Euro 2022.

On Tuesday the party atmosphere generated by a full house congregated at Stoke for a now academic World Cup qualifier against Luxembourg will doubtless offer an adrenaline boost but England’s biggest enemy in next summer’s World Cup is arguably not the United States, Germany, France, Canada, Spain or Australia but overload.

Possibly Wiegman’s biggest concern is that her European champions are segueing into their various domestic seasons — England’s Women’s Super League kicks off at the weekend — so soon after a major tournament.

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