Building Lionesses 2.0 - Wiegman's new challenge awaits

When Sarina Wiegman took the reins as England manager in September 2021, she declared she had "come to bring the next level".

Winner of the 2017 Women's Euros with her own Netherlands and runner-up at the subsequent World Cup in 2019, she certainly had the pedigree, but could she deliver on her promises?

Five years on, Wiegman has pocketed two more European Championships and acquired another silver medal on the global stage.

Not only that, but the success of her Lionesses exploded the women's game in this country, taking it not just to a new level, but to previously unthinkable heights.

And yet on the day Wiegman extends her deal until after the Euros in 2029, her newest challenge could be her hardest yet.

England manager Wiegman signs contract extension

Wiegman's successful England teams have been built on a core group of players from an outstanding generation - but a few cracks have appeared this year.

Seven of the team that started against world champions Spain in June also played in the Euro 2022 final against Germany - and their 4-0 defeat in Mallorca laid bare the gap England must bridge to the world's best.

That result also consigned England to two rounds of play-offs to reach next summer's World Cup.

Beating Greece this month navigated the first of those, with games against Ukraine, who they have beaten twice already in 2026, to come before Christmas.

Nevertheless, finding successors to those who have spearheaded the success will not be straightforward.

Defensive stalwarts Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood will be 37 and 36 respectively by Euro 2029, while Leah Williamson and Keira Walsh will be 32.

Other key players such as Alessia Russo and Georgia Stanway will also have turned 30, far from past their best, but still a consideration.

"We have to continue the evolution of the Lionesses," record goalscorer Ellen White told the Women's Football Weekly podcast. "We can't stay stagnant or keep trying to win in the same ways all the time."

Former England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis thinks one of Wiegman's strengths as a manager is her willingness to give young players a chance. "She's not afraid of bringing in players who have never been capped before," Brown-Finnis told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Wiegman is looking right across the spectrum and asking who's on form, who can add to my squad, who can fill a position or a couple of different positions?"

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, former Lionesses captain Steph Houghton said: "You can see Wiegman is trying to change a few things. The last camp she brought on Lexi Potter for her debut and she is now starting regularly for Chelsea. As a young player you need that to thrive in this environment.

"She is seeing the progress of young players coming through to press those who have been in the squad for a long time."

Greek takeaways: What did we learn from Lionesses' win?

It is not as though Wiegman has ignored squad regeneration.

During her time in charge, she has handed debuts to 24 players, but only Lauren James, Hannah Hampton and Lucia Kendall have become established starters.

Those games against Greece offered a clue to her next steps.

In Crete, Manchester City's Laura Blindkilde Brown, 23, showed glimpses of her ball-playing ability, while in the second leg 20-year-old Chelsea academy graduate Potter impressed in midfield.

London City's Freya Godfrey, 21, and talented 18-year-old Erica Meg Parkinson also got their first caps as Wiegman scrutinised her options.

Figures earlier this season showed the number of homegrown starters has been dropping in the Women's Super League (WSL) over the past four campaigns, with the league's growing prestige attracting more foreign stars.

The Football Association (FA) chief football officer Dan Ashworth said Wiegman has helped bring "a golden age for women's football in this country".

To prolong it, she will need to keep producing fruit from increasingly arid ground.

'Alarming' - does WSL have a homegrown problem?

Could Potter be England's next breakthrough star?

Prior to Wiegman's appointment, England women had performed well at major tournaments - finishing third at the World Cup in 2015 and fourth in 2019 - but winning Euro 2022 was something new.

WSL attendances rocketed, media coverage surged and clubs amplified their women's teams. However, four years on, there is evidence to suggest interest has plateaued.

Initial crowd figures for the 2026-27 season are down on previous campaigns, while only 18,587 fans watched England beat Greece 5-0 at King Power Stadium, nearly 10,000 fewer than qualifiers at Nottingham Forest's City Ground and Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium this year.