For England manager Mark Sampson, entertainment is not the focus ahead of his side’s second World Cup fixture, in which they face Mexico on Saturday. Instead, he’s solely fixated on victory.
England currently sit bottom of Group F after a narrow 1-0 defeat to France, but the table is little to go by for predictions of the final standings. The Blues were expected to be the hardest opponents the Three Lionesses would line-up against during this stage of the competition, and the task of Mexico and Colombia may not appear as daunting.
However, in a tournament fuelled by spectacular football and glamorous goals, the boss is not interested in putting on a show for supporters as they face a nation ranked 19 places below England. Sampson is relishing the prospect of victory on the grand stage, and is willing to take any measures to lift the World Cup.
“If the players win the World Cup, that would be the biggest boost the women’s game could ever get,” he said. “If we can do that playing in an entertaining way, fantastic.”
Sampson opted for a considerably defensive line-up and tactics, against the French in England’s opening game, but the 32-year-old will now hope to put his attacking force to use, and will be more expansive in the two remaining group outings.
“We can’t afford to lose this game,” he added. “I’m not sure it’s a must-win game, but it’s definitely a must-not-lose game.
“We’re really confident that if we bring our maximum, foot-to-the-floor football, fifth-gear football, this England team and this England performance will be good enough to get us on the board and put us in a good place in the group.”
The Welshman has previously confirmed all 23 players would be fit, despite injury scares and a potential illness for Fran Kirby, which saw the second-tier star overcome expectations to feature as a second-half substitute against France.
Sampson is currently experiencing his first major tournament in charge of England, and has been praised for his willingness to adapt and alter the line-up to individual opponents.
“We always have to take the previous game into consideration, that’s only fair on the players,” the manager continued. “The real England for us is our ability to show different sides, to make sure we’re not a one-trick pony.
“Certainly on Saturday we will see a different England at certain points during the game.”
Kick-off for this Group F fixture is 9pm BST and it will be shown live on BBC Three.
