Powell Pushing Players to Perform

Tony Leighton’s feature frames 2010 as the year Hope Powell must turn silver into gold, after England’s most successful season: a Cyprus Cup win, a European Championship final lost 6-2 to world champions Germany, and a European title for the Under-19s. The senior team have climbed mountains but haven’t reached the top, Powell says; they are so close, yet a million miles away, and the last hurdle from silver to gold is the biggest challenge. The piece dwells on her stinging criticism after the 3-0 World Cup qualifying win in Turkey, where eight senior players were missing through injury, illness or non-footballing commitments. That was no excuse: England lacked quality, some of the passing was atrocious, and stupid decisions made the game difficult, though she could not fault the work ethic. With Spain to come home and away, Powell backs her players’ determination.