Man City's Esme Morgan discusses forming new England partnerships and competition for places
02.07.2023 - 16:31
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Manchester City defender Esme Morgan has offered an insight into England's World Cup preparations as the competition for places heats up and new partnerships are forming.
The 22-year-old was named in the Lionesses' starting line-up to face Portugal in their send-off match on Saturday afternoon, partnering Jess Carter in the heart of the defence. Despite the stalemate at Stadium MK, the fixture offered some insight into manager Sarina Wiegman's thinking heading into another major tournament.
England will fly out to Australia in a few days' time to ramp up their preparations ahead of their opening fixture against Haiti on July 22. Despite the looming tournament, Morgan insists there hasn't been much talk about the World Cup and everyone is still competing for a place in the team.
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"Not really (we don’t think about the World Cup)," she said post-match. "The prep is focused on the team we’re playing, so in the days leading up it’s all Portugal, what’s their style of play, what do they do in attack or out of possession. It’s very much focused on that.
"We’ve got so many talented players across the pitch. There’s so much competition across the back line (as well) and we’re really lucky that everyone is so versatile we can swap in and be flexible.
"That’s good going into the tournament because different games will have different requirements to take advantage of the opposition. If people can be shifted around to suit the tactics then I think that’s a really good strength for us.
"It’s really exciting and a challenge to be a part of. It’s