Millie Bright has expressed her confidence that she will be ready for England’s World Cup opener as she continues her recovery from knee surgery.
The defender, captain of the squad heading to the tournament in Australia and New Zealand in the absence of ACL injury victim Leah Williamson, underwent an operation after limping out of a Chelsea match in March.
While Bright expects Saturday’s World Cup warm-up game against Portugal in Milton Keynes will come too soon for a return to action, she is feeling positive about the Lionesses’ opening Group D fixture against Haiti in Brisbane on July 22.
The 29-year-old, who has been doing individual work during the squad’s camp at St George’s Park, said: “The knee’s really good.
“I think we are a little bit ahead (of schedule) actually. Coming into it, there’s a big chunk of time before the first game, so we’re really confident and everything is going exactly the way we wanted it to go.
“I think Saturday will be a little bit too soon. I’m not back with the girls yet and I don’t think we want to rush that. Obviously, we have a lot of time until the first game.”
Asked if she thought there was any danger of her being undercooked, Bright said: “No, not at all.
“I think the amount of minutes I’ve played leading up to this has been ridiculous, through the roof, so if anything I feel mentally and physically fresher than I’ve ever felt.
“I can’t remember the last time I had longer than two weeks off. It’s been a fair few years now. A blessing in disguise I call it, that I’ve mentally and physically been able to completely just have a clean slate and let my body recover. I’ve played through many injuries but this one, I just couldn’t quite get there.”
There had been concern for Alex Greenwood after she went down with an injury during Tuesday’s training session, but the Manchester City defender has said she “will be OK”, adding: “(It is) on the shin. It’s sore, but it’s football. It was a tackle, part of the game.”
Meanwhile, Aston Villa midfielder Lucy Staniforth has been added to England’s standby list in place of forward Jess Park, who is returning to Manchester City for rehabilitation on a shoulder injury.
Staniforth joins Maya Le Tissier on standby and both will remain with Sarina Wiegman’s 23-player squad until the Haiti match, with the European champions set to fly to Australia next Wednesday.
Staniforth said: “I looked at my phone and saw it was Sarina and I was thinking ‘what’s going on?’
“I kind of thought once the first week (of England’s pre-World Cup camp, which started on June 19) was out of the way, if there was any chance of getting brought in, it would be then. I was surprised obviously.
“I got her to repeat the whole tournament schedule again for me about three or four times because I just kept saying ‘sorry, when are we travelling?’ I just hadn’t followed it because I wasn’t involved. I was so out of the loop. I was buzzing. I wanted to get in the car quick and get straight down there.
“I was supposed to go to Ibiza with my mum on Monday which is obviously very unfortunate. My mum was buzzing for me and of course wanted me to go. She wasn’t bothered about Ibiza. She will still go on her own. If anyone sees someone on their own in Ibiza, she’s looking for a bit of company!”
Sunshine Girls face setback with Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard’s withdrawal from Horizon Series against England
Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls have suffered a significant blow ahead of their upcoming Horizon Series against England’s Roses with the withdrawal of star goal shooter and team captain Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard. Netball Jamaica announced today that Fowler-Nembhard, who has been a crucial presence in the goal circle, will be unable to participate in the series due to medical advice, affecting both the Manchester games on November 16 and 17 and the Jamaican leg on November 25 and 26.
Fowler-Nembhard, who has been training with the team for the past month, was anticipated to play a vital role not only in scoring but also in mentoring the new players who recently joined the senior squad. However, Netball Jamaica President Tricia Robinson emphasized the importance of prioritizing Fowler-Nembhard’s health. “Netball Jamaica is focused on her health and well-being and will provide updates as necessary regarding her condition. Romelda Aiken-George will instead join the team in England for the series,” Robinson said.
Sunshine Girls’ head coach Sasher-Gaye Henry expressed disappointment over the unexpected loss of Fowler-Nembhard but reinforced the team’s commitment to supporting her recovery. “Jhaniele is the captain and a very important player for Jamaica, and so we are quite disappointed that she will not be able to participate in the Horizon Series. However, our priority at this time is her health, and we are committed to supporting our players every step of the way. Additionally, we remain confident in the strength of our squad as we move forward with the series,” said Henry.
As the Sunshine Girls prepare to depart for England, Netball Jamaica extended their gratitude to fans for their understanding and continued support, assuring them that the team is ready for what promises to be a highly competitive series despite this setback.
'Composure' and 'focus' key to beating new look Bochum, says Alonso
Bayer Leverkusen must show consistency and focus upon their return to Bundesliga action after their Champions League hammering against Liverpool.
Those were the words of Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso, who endured a miserable return to Anfield as the German champions were beaten 4-0 on Tuesday.
Luis Diaz's second-half hat-trick and Cody Gakpo's header compounded Leverkusen to defeat, though that result had been coming according to Alonso.
Die Werkself have managed just one win from their last five Bundesliga outings, dropping them to fourth having taken 16 points from their nine league games this term.
Alonso's side are nine points worse off compared to last year, with the last reigning champion to start a campaign so poorly being Borussia Dortmund in 2012-13 (15 points).
"We have to become consistent in the game with our concentration and mentality," coach Xabi Alonso told a press conference on Friday.
"That's what we need to improve most. We want to be consistent in our way of playing but also our mentality and our focus. Every moment is important.
"It is not enough to play well over 80 minutes. We need it over the entire time with 100% presence on the pitch.
"If not then we make mistakes and mistakes at this high level are costly."
Leverkusen make the trip to the Vonovia Ruhrstadion to face bottom club Bochum, who have managed just one point from their nine games so far this season.
Only Greuther Furth (2021-22) and 1. FC Saarbrucken (inaugural 1963-64 Bundesliga season) have started off worse than Bochum in the league.
But considering Bochum's -20 goal difference, they have recorded the worst start ever by a Bundesliga team, resulting in Peter Zeidler's dismissal last month.
Dieter Hecking was announced as the club's new head coach earlier this week, and Alonso is expecting a tricky encounter this weekend.
"We want to be consistent. We can do it better and tomorrow it is important to play well. We are prepared for all situations," Alonso said.
"We know what to expect," Alonso said. "The intensity in Bochum, a new coach. They want to change the mood and mindset. But we are prepared. We know what to expect.
"We have to know it is very important for us. Tomorrow there are no excuses for not playing well. We face a good opponent, but we have to be prepared."
Motta expects Juventus to be at '200%' for Turin derby
Thiago Motta is confident Juventus will be at full intensity for the Turin derby as they looked to close the gap on the Serie A leaders, Napoli.
Although Juve are the only team in the Italian top-flight who remain unbeaten, Motta's side lie sixth in the standings with 21 points after six draws in 11 games. Torino are 10th with 14 points.
A victory on Saturday would give Juventus an advantage, bringing them closer to leaders Napoli and second-placed Inter, who face each other on Sunday.
Juventus are unbeaten in their last 18 matches against Torino in Serie A (W13 D5), keeping a clean sheet in eight of these matches, including the two most recent. They are also unbeaten in 18 against their rivals on home soil in the league.
Motta, whose side drew 1-1 at Lille on Tuesday, said he is aware of what the rivalry means to the people of Turin ahead of his first 'Derby della Mole' as Juve coach.
"There are good feelings because I see the team doing well with the usual right attitude. There is a special atmosphere with our fans, and we want to give our best to play a great match," he told reporters.
"The importance of a derby is that the city lives it in an intense way, we will have to do our best to play a great game. Derbies, in general, are beautiful matches to play. Here I felt exactly that, and we will try to give great joy to our fans.
"The team is physically fine. We had three days of recovery and this makes the difference. I see the team and I have faith in everyone's commitment. Tomorrow we will enter the game at 200%."
However, Juve will be without Douglas Luiz, Nicolas Gonzalez and Vasilije Adzic, who are sidelined with injuries.
"Douglas Luiz came with us to Lille at my request to speed things up. Yesterday in training he still didn't feel great. So we won't risk him, and we'll see him again after the [international] break," Motta added.
"Nico Gonzalez won't be there. Adzic also had a problem and will need to be evaluated. He won't be there tomorrow."
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