England manager Sarina Wiegman has lauded Arsenal stars Chloe Kelly and Beth Mead for the quality they add to the Lionesses ahead of their Nations League clashes against Belgium. Initially absent from the squad list for the fixtures with Spain and Portugal back in February, Chloe Kelly was called up as a replacement for the sidelined Beth Mead, her club teammate.
Now, both influential wingers have made Wiegman's latest squad selection.
With Kelly getting more game time at Arsenal after her January switch from Manchester City, Wiegman sees the duo as significant threats to Belgium. Explaining their impact, Wiegman said: "Quality. What you see at Arsenal is they swap around a bit."
Highlighting their contrasting styles on the wing, she believes their inclusion enhances the team dynamics, providing offensive options that can disrupt any defence: "They are totally different wing players so they bring something different which helps the team. That's what I expect with them two, that we have opportunities up front that we can use and harm the opponent."
Wiegman emphasised regular play as crucial for Kelly to demonstrate her full potential and benefit the squad: "It's important because you get in a rhythm. What we want is she shows her qualities and she's at her best because it will help the team."
Acknowledging Kelly's resurgence at Arsenal, Wiegman added: "You need the minutes and you can tell she's enjoying it now."
Meanwhile, Tottenham's Jess Naz finds herself out of the latest England setup along with injured players Laura Blindkilde Brown and Ruby Mace. Despite recent dips in performance, Wiegman assured Naz remains in consideration for future selections, citing her exclusion as purely tactical: "There's no injury concerns, that's based on selection."
Sarina Wiegman, the Lionesses' boss, commented on the status of players and recent performances: "There is high competition and I think Naz had been struggling with form and hopefully she gets that back but she is close to selection."
After a mixed start to their Group A3 fixtures with a 1-1 draw in Portugal and a 1-0 triumph against Spain at Wembley, England's women's team is preparing for their upcoming matches.
The Lionesses are set for a home game against Belgium at Ashton Gate on April 4, followed by an away clash in Leuven just four days later.
Wiegman noted the significance of the victory over reigning world champions Spain: "I think a lot of confidence, we showed we are still a top team. 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."
Reflecting on the journey since the Portugal match, she added: "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)."
She further remarked about the edge the success can give her squad: "We knew it was a very competitive game because Spain are the world champions so that brings confidence to the team."
Finally, looking ahead to the Belgium match-ups, Wiegman acknowledged: "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."