- Hege Riise and Rhian Wilkinson are to lead the England women’s national team
- Both highly successful players who have made a huge impact in the dugout
- Let’s take a closer look at the two women and what they bring to the Lionesses
In bridging the gap between the times of Phil Neville and Sarina Wiegman, England have turned to two national icons. But it was in the red of Norway and Canada, rather than the white of the Lionesses, that Hege Riise and Rhian Wilkinson achieved this legendary status.
Riise, the oldest partner, was one of the outstanding players of her generation, with the medal of the winner and the player of the competition prizes to prove it. Most recently, she excelled in the dugout, and her nomination for Best FIFA Women’s Coach 2020 – an eventual award won by Wiegman – featured a run of six consecutive titles by LSK Kvinner at Lillestrom.
The 51-year-old, former Pia Sundhage fan with the U.S. women’s national team and coaching Norway’s U-23 side, promises to give the self-assured Phil Neville a different coaching style. and often bullish. Carli Lloyd, one of the American players who worked underneath, described Norway as “a kind of shy, woman with very few words,” saying: “But the words she says to you are spotty and helpful. Her feedback is awful. When she needs to make a point, it’s to the point. If you approach her with difficulty, she always has the right things to say. “
The painting by Lloyd was confirmed by Riise himself in an interview with FIFA.com. “As a coach, my style is listening more than I talk,” she told us last month. “I’m looking to involve my players in decisions, to give them confidence and also, I hope, a little calm to do their job. I like close connections with my players, and being open to chat – not just about football, but about everything.
“I feel I have a responsibility to give something to every player I work with, and to develop it in some way. For me, that is being a coach. “
Riise also reaffirmed her long-standing desire to lead a national team and compete again on the highest levels in the game. “Coaching a national team at a World Cup or EURO has always been an ambition,” she said. “Those big competitions are the only thing I miss playing. “
HEGE’S GOVERNANCE IN BRIEF
- Gold winner at the 1993 UEFA Women’s UEFA, 1995 FIFA World Cup and 2000 Olympic Games
- The player of the tournament at EURO 1993 and the 1995 World Cup
- Winner of six consecutive Norwegian league championships as LSK Kvinner coach
Wilkinson knows about Riise’s qualities, and is described as a “privilege” reuniting with a coach she played in the mid-2000s at LSK Kvinner (known as Team Strommer then). The 38-year-old enjoyed a prestigious career course of her own, winning 181 caps for Canada and bronze medals at the 2012 and 2016 Women’s Olympic Football Championships.
But while Riise, an elegant midfielder, thought of seeing the game “almost as if it were going slowly”, Wilkinson is more automatically evaluating its capabilities. “I did the same thing: take the ball to Sincy (Christine Sinclair),” she joked recently.
The 38-year-old, until last week, had been an assistant coach with a Canadian women’s team while in charge of the country’s youth sides. She also graduated from the FIFA Coach Counseling Program, in which she was, at the same time, led by former England coach: Hope Powell.
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RHIAN WILKINSON IN BRIEF
After finishing Canada’s U-17s in fourth place at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, Wilkinson’s high stature led her to apply for the head coach post after Kenneth Heiner -Moller leaves.
“Canada Soccer didn’t think I was ready yet,” she said, generously offering praise to Bev Priestman, the successful candidate. Priestman, of course, had wanted Wilkinson to remain part of her fans, but there was a desire to spread her wings even before this job with the Lionesses became available.
“I realized, just as a player, that you have to make tough decisions about your comfort zone. And leaving it and learning from others and challenging yourself, ”she explained.
So it is that a coach described as “a real character, a great talent” by Heiner-Moller will now work with a squad that includes some of the world’s top football players, including the best-crowned female actress recently, Lucy Bronze. And while few would have expected this Norwegian-Canadian double action to bring England into the challenges ahead in 2021, all the evidence is that the Lionesses are in hands. safe.
