England have not discussed their historic rivalry with Germany ahead of their meeting in the women’s European Championship final on Sunday, opting instead to focus on the “here and now”, coach Sarina Wiegman said.
The England women’s team were beaten 6-2 when they last faced eight-time champions Germany in a Women’s Euro final in 2009.
“We approach this game exactly the same as every other game we have played,” Wiegman told reporters. “We don’t talk about the rivalry between England and Germany; we want to show how good we are and play our best game.
“There’s so much eagerness in this team to win. And so much resilience. We want, we want so badly to show again, we are the best and to play our best game. That’s what we’ve been trying to do all the time. And then hopefully, that will bring us to win.
“That’s basically where we’re at. And then on top of that, we talk about players but not history – it is the here and now.”
Wiegman said that her team has already inspired the nation with their march to the final, but added that the true significance of winning a major tournament might not be felt for years.
“I think we have been an inspiration for the country already,” Wiegman said. “You know when you win a major tournament it really makes a difference and that would make me very proud. But I don’t think further than that.
“Most of the time you don’t realise the impact until probably 15 years later.”