“First of all, we will taste the European Championship atmosphere,” says Serneels the day before the first of four practice matches. “In addition, there is the quality of the opponent, we meet one of the favorites for the European Championship.” England is eighth in the FIFA rankings. Belgium 20th.
“And after a month of work, we want to see where we stand. England comes into action for us (at the European Championship) and therefore has a 4 to 5-day lead in preparation.”
The Flames started that preparation with a large group of 33, today 28 remain. Isabelle Iliano was injured at the beginning of June, today Serneels left 4 more names Jarne Teulings, Shari Van Belle, Marie Detruyer, and Zenia Mertens.
“It’s a sporty choice,” Serneels explains. “For some, there are alternatives to their position. I also had to take into account the type of teams, and how we will play at the European Championship. For example, we were often dominant in qualifying, but it might be different here…”
Cayman only joined the group today, she won’t be playing tomorrow.
On July 10, the Flames open their European Championship against Iceland. The coach does not think his line-up against England will be the same tomorrow night. “Each player is in a different phase of preparation. Janice Cayman joined the group today and will not play tomorrow.”
“Some players struggle with minor ailments, nothing bad, but we don’t take any risks. We will give playtime to the girls who can use the minutes right now.”
Vanhaevermaet: England is a good value indicator
Tomorrow’s match will be something special for Justine Vanhaevermaet: she is the only Red Flame active in England, at Reading. “We are playing in England just before the European Championship. The atmosphere will be special. I am looking forward to it,” says the 30-year-old midfielder.
“England is a very strong team with many players of an international level”, says Vanhaevermaet, who is struggling with a slight problem with her Achilles tendon, but is still signed up for training.
“It will be a good value indicator. It will give us a foretaste of what awaits at the European Championship, where many top teams will be. And we will already be able to sniff some of the European Championship atmospheres.”
Like national coach Ives Serneels, Vanhaevermaet also thinks England is one of the favorites: “There are others, but England is part of it. The English media are increasing the pressure by the way.”
The Flames were reduced from 32 to 28 today. The coach will announce his final selection of 23 on Monday. “There was already some tension yesterday because the reduction from 32 to 28 was coming. Some players had doubts. But the decision lies with the coach.”
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