Beth Mead admits England’s Euro qualifying group is “not the nicest” but hopes they can achieve “consistency” in their upcoming fixtures.
The Lionesses begin their European Championship title defence with qualifying games for next year’s tournament, starting with Sweden at Wembley on April 5 before facing the Republic of Ireland in Dublin four days later. Group A3 also includes France, who England will play in May.
April’s fixtures will be the first set of competitive games since their Nations League disappointment in December, where England’s hopes of securing a spot for Team GB in the Paris Olympics were ended and Mead believes they are in a “tough group” for the upcoming qualifiers.
Speaking about her reaction to the draw, the England forward told PA news agency: “We came in from training, saw the draw- it’s not the nicest group in the world!
“I think me and (Arsenal team-mate) Katie McCabe had a little joke about having to play against each other and winding each other up with her playing for Republic of Ireland.
“There’s no easy game in women’s football these days and I think we’ve ultimately got a very tough group and we’re going to have to be on top of our game to do very well in this group.
“I think the biggest thing for us as an England squad is consistency, we let ourselves down in some Nations League games and now we’ve just got to be consistent in the way we play, the way we’re building.
“Hopefully we can get two wins on the board this international break which puts us in really good stead for the rest of the games in the group.”
Mead is an ambassador for McDonald’s Fun Football and was celebrating the return of sessions, which will see 500,000 children across the UK provided with free football coaching this spring.
She is in action on Sunday as Arsenal hunt for silverware in the Continental Tyres League Cup Final against Chelsea at Molineux, but after the international break only five Women’s Super League games remain.
The title race is out of Arsenal’s control with the team sat six points away from joint-leaders Chelsea and Manchester City, and Mead admits the Champions League is the target now.
“I think looking forward to the rest of the season as a team we’ve got to, as cliche as it sounds, game by game, three points on the board,” Mead added.
“Our ultimate goal now is to get Champions League football and you never know what happens in football, but it’s out of our hands title-wise now and we’re very aware of that.
“Throughout the season itself I think consistency has been our biggest problem, we’ve been a little bit up and down with some games, lost some games that arguably we probably shouldn’t have.
“That’s something we need to rectify going to the end of the season, then we reset and start again fresh next year.”
Mead also has an eye on former club Sunderland, who are top of a tightly-contested Women’s Championship with three games to go.
Four other teams remain in the running to secure promotion to the WSL and Mead, who joined Arsenal from the Black Cats in 2017, highlighted the importance of keeping all the women’s leagues competitive.
“I’ve been to a few games in the Championship this season, I obviously follow Sunderland still and they’re top at the moment so hopefully they can keep themselves there,” she said.
“It’s amazing to see how much talent is coming through and the backing these clubs in the lower leagues are getting from the men’s side of things.
“That’s what we want to keep doing, we want to keep every league as competitive as possible and make England still one of the best leagues in the world.”
Beth Mead was celebrating the launch of this year’s McDonald’s Fun Football programme, available to all children aged 5-11 across the UK. Sign up now for your nearest FREE session at mcdonalds.co.uk/football.
Cavalier SC clinch Jamaica Premier League title in dramatic penalty shootout victory over Mount Pleasant
Cavalier SC secured their third Jamaica Premier League title in thrilling fashion on Sunday night, defeating defending champions Mount Pleasant FA 4-3 on penalties at the National Stadium in Kingston.
After a hard-fought 1-1 draw in regulation and extra time, the match was decided by a tense penalty shootout. Cavalier SC goalkeeper Vino Barclett emerged as the hero, making two crucial saves during the shootout. Nicholas Hamilton, who entered the game late in extra time, sealed the victory with the decisive penalty.
Mount Pleasant had taken the lead in the 65th minute through Devonte Campbell, whose well-placed shot found the net. However, Cavalier SC quickly responded just two minutes later when Richard King leveled the score from close range.
Despite both teams pushing for a winner in extra time, neither could break the deadlock, leading to the drama of penalties. Initially trailing 0-2 in the shootout, Cavalier SC staged a remarkable comeback, holding their nerve to prevail 4-3.
In the playoff for third place earlier in the day, Arnett Gardens secured a convincing 4-1 victory over Waterhouse.
Cavalier SC's triumph marks a significant achievement for the club, avenging last year's final defeat to Mount Pleasant and showcasing their resilience and determination throughout the season.
Injured Ederson replaced in expanded Brazil Copa America squad
Brazil coach Dorival Junior has replaced the injured Ederson for the Copa America and called three more players up to an expanded squad.
South American governing body CONMEBOL announced that teams can now name a 26-man squad, up from the original 23 allowed at the tournament.
Dorival Junior has called upon Juventus defender Bremer, Atalanta midfielder Ederson and Porto forward Pepe as the extra players for his team.
Manchester City's Ederson will not be fit to play at the Copa America, so Sao Paolo's Rafael has been called up in his place.
The goalkeeper suffered a small fracture on his eye socket in a heavy collision with Cristian Romero against Tottenham and missed the end of their league season.
Brazil’s original 23-man squad, announced earlier this month, did not include Casemiro, Richarlison or Gabriel Jesus, though 17-year-old prodigy Endrick was included.
Selecao are nine-time winners of the Copa America and will kick off their campaign against Costa Rica in Group D on June 24.
Outgoing Brighton boss De Zerbi not walking into new job
Roberto De Zerbi insisted he does not have another job lined up after overseeing his final game as Brighton and Hove Albion boss on Sunday.
One day after surprisingly announcing De Zerbi's departure, Brighton ended their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 home loss to Manchester United.
That meant they slipped below rivals Crystal Palace to finish 11th in the table, their first bottom-half placing since finishing 16th in 2020-21.
De Zerbi has been linked with several big clubs since leading Brighton to European qualification last season, with Bayern Munich, Milan and Napoli touted as possible landing spots for the former Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk coach.
However, De Zerbi says he has not reached an agreement with any other club, telling reporters: "There isn't any club – no-one offered me anything. At the moment, nothing.
"I hope to work in the Premier League again. I don't know where or when, but it was an honour to work in the Premier League."
Sunday's defeat was De Zerbi's 70th Premier League game in charge of Brighton, with his top-flight win percentage of 37 per cent (26/70) the highest of any boss in the Seagulls' history.
Battling a lengthy injury list for much of 2023-24, Brighton made a total of 143 changes to their starting lineup throughout the course of the campaign, with only Manchester City in 2019-20 (144) ever making more in a single Premier League season.
Asked by BBC Match of the Day if there was a particular reason for his exit, the Italian added: "We didn't find the agreement to move on. I want to keep my way.
"I know very well what I want to do and I know I am a coach and I have to accept the policies of the club.
"They gave me an incredible chance. They gave me the possibility to know incredible people, to play and to work in the Premier League, to play in the Europa League. They gave me the opportunity to know this club, this city, these fans and that I cannot forget."
Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna and Nice coach Francesco Farioli have both been tipped as possible contenders to replace De Zerbi, with Brighton having a reputation for excellent succession planning under owner Tony Bloom.
Asked about the search for a replacement on Sunday, Bloom said: "We always try and have a plan. We have got a plan. We now need to execute that plan."
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