Arsenal duo offer England new attacking dimension, says manager | OneFootball

Sarina Wiegman has backed Beth Mead and Chloe Kelly to give England a cutting edge in their Nations League clashes with Belgium, praising their contrasting styles.

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Sarina Wiegman believes the reintroduction of Beth Mead and Chloe Kelly will sharpen England’s attacking edge ahead of their Nations League double-header against Belgium, with the Arsenal pair offering complementary threats on the flanks.

Mead missed England’s February fixtures against Spain and Portugal through injury, with Kelly called in late as her replacement.

Now, with both fully available, and Kelly getting regular minutes at Arsenal following her January loan from Manchester City, Wiegman is counting on their contrasting styles to unbalance Belgium’s defensive structure.

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“Quality,”Wiegman said when asked what the pair bring to the team. “What you see at Arsenal is they swap around a bit. They are totally different wing players, so they bring something different, which helps the team. That’s what I expect with them, that we have opportunities up front we can use and harm the opponent. It’s important because you get in a rhythm.”

For Kelly, this represents a timely resurgence. The 26-year-old has struggled for consistency in recent months but looks rejuvenated in North London. “What we want is she shows her qualities and she’s at her best because it will help the team. You need the minutes and you can tell she’s enjoying it now,” Wiegman added.

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England, who began Group A3 with a 1–1 draw in Portugal before beating world champions Spain 1–0 at Wembley, host Belgium at Ashton Gate on 4 April before the reverse fixture in Leuven four days later. Wiegman believes the win over Spain was a statement of intent.

“We showed we are still a top team,” she said. “We had a bit of disappointment against Portugal but I think tactically they did a couple of things really well and we had to adapt to that. That was a different game. In between these games we had some team meetings and conversations and you could see and feel on the pitch we fought for this win (against Spain). We knew it was a very competitive game because Spain are the world champions so that brings confidence to the team.

“Belgium will give us different challenges and we have to adapt again. It’s going to be two tough games but we’re looking forward to meeting up with the team again.”

With Belgium posing a new kind of test and qualification margins tight, England will need every ounce of attacking sharpness. For Wiegman, Mead and Kelly could be the difference-makers — not just for their ability to create, but for the unpredictability they bring together.

Leah Williamson and Alessia Russo have also been named in Wiegman’s squad.

In other international news, Emily Fox has been called up to the USWNT for friendlies against Brazil on April 5 at SoFi Stadium and April 8 at PayPal Park, while Katie McCabe has been named in Carla Ward’s latest Republic of Ireland squad for April’s Euro qualifiers against Greece on April 5 and April 9.