Clockwatch Oranje

Will falling short for Olympic qualification benefit England?

For a minute, it looked like they were going to do it. When Lucy Bronze scored with the last kick of the game, it seemed like England had found the magical goal they needed with the Netherlands 3-0 up against Belgium. But the slight advantage of having three extra minutes to find another ensured that Damaris Egurrola’s injury time double would send the Dutch through. 

It was a frantic evening of Nations League football, and the best justification of bringing in the tournament so far. With England 4-0 up at half-time against Scotland, the Dutch knew they would have to score goals if they wanted to finish top of the group. In the end, they managed it, condemning England to a second placed finish in their group and Team GB to no summer Olympics.

There was no guarantee that progressing from the group would have landed Team GB with an Olympic place - England would have needed to win at least one more match - but the failure to make the tournament has led to a mixed reaction.

This is the first Olympics in four editions that Team GB will not have qualified for.

They participated in their first tournament in 2012 automatically as hosts, before qualifying in 2016 but not participating due to a failure to come to an agreement between the four nations. Agreement could be found for 2020 but the appointment of Hege Riise as coach with England awaiting Sarina Wiegman made it feel like more of an afterthought. Despite its rightful importance for other countries, football at the Olympics is simply something that Team GB has never really taken to heart.

Regardless of this, England as competitors would have wanted to qualify but now faced up with the reality that they have not, the benefits of not going are clear. From a practical perspective, it gives them a summer off. English players have competed in international tournaments for three consecutive years, playing every match possible in the latter two of those. With the next European Championships in 2025, Olympic qualification would have meant five top level international tournaments in a row, something that now only the Dutch may do if they qualify. 

A break is important from both a physical and a mental standpoint. Despite women’s footballers playing far fewer matches than their men’s counterparts, the standard of care they receive remains lower and the rate of increase has been stark. Mentally as well the relentless cycle of competition is draining. 

But beyond even that, it is very hard to refresh national teams if there is no time in which to do it. Coaches are already limited by international breaks and with back to back international tournaments can be forced into a tunnel vision, only focusing on what exactly is in front of them. Wiegman deserves credit for the formation change which helped take a wobbly England to a World Cup final, but there is more work to be done. 

This is a new experience for Wiegman herself. She only ever completed one full international tournament cycle as head coach with the Netherlands, and their weak showing at the Olympics was instructive of the challenges faced. Having won the Euros and reached a World Cup final, they lost on penalties to the USA in the quarter-finals after a chaotic group stage. Now with England, Wiegman will take on a second Euros in 2025 with the sheen of that initial unbeaten run with the side firmly scrubbed off.

There are key issues to figure out over the next year and a half. The improvement of Niamh Charles seems to have answered the left back question but lingering concerns remain over Lucy Bronze whose somewhat erratic performances over the past year have shown her at her best and worst. Alessia Russo appears to have lost her starting striker role to Lauren Hemp but neither have been truly convincing. Meanwhile, the number 10 position also looks up for grabs depending on where Wiegman wants to put Lauren James.

The break also gives younger players time to force their way into the squad. The elevation of Jess Carter, Niamh Charles and Lauren James to regular starters shows there is a path with the competitiveness of the Nations League having been a helpful opportunity to prove themselves. But there are also a crop of players just below them who will be looking to cement time in England camps ahead of Euro 2025. That includes individuals like Katie Robinson and Jess Park who have dropped back into the under-23 set-up as well as recent call-ups like Grace Clinton. The extra year without an international tournament will give those players an added incentive to push for inclusion.

Going to the Olympics would have been an amazing experience for the Team GB players selected but there is no doubt in my mind that it would have also hindered England’s performance at Euro 2025. Now Wiegman gets time to ponder the evolution of this team, the players get a rest, and we all still got to enjoy one of the most exciting international breaks that women’s football has experienced in a while. Hard to say fairer than that.