Powell ready to go again
Saturday, 17 September, 2011
Hope Powell is excited by the fresh challenge of Euro 2013.
Having taken England to a fourth successive major finals, and come within a whisker of the Semi-Finals, Hope Powell is excited by the prospect of having another go at taking the Three Lions all the way.
Despite bowing out at the last eight of the Women's World Cup in Germany, England had many positives to take from the tournament including beating the eventual winners of the tournament, Japan.
With those experiences still in mind, Powell is eager to start again on the road to qualifying for UEFA Euro 2013 and the finals in Sweden in two years time. Starting against Serbia on Saturday.
Speaking to TheFA.com, Powell said: “This is a new campaign, one we are all excited by, and we have to build on not just our experiences from the summer, but from the other tournaments and qualifying campaigns we’ve had previously.
"No coach would ever neglect what has gone before; you have to build on what went well and improve on what didn’t go so well and that is what we will aim to do with each and every game over the next two years."
The foundations of success are undoubtedly stability over many years, Powell has been in charge since 1998, and that platform is now broader than ever.
Indeed having hosted the UEFA Women's European Championship in 2005, England were runners-up to Germany in the last tournament held in Finland two years ago.
“We have a strong base to build on," Powell admits. "Our performance in Germany shows how far we have come. We were unbeaten in a World Cup, apart from a penalty shoot-out, and that is no mean feat.
"We would admit that we didn’t play to our best but we managed to top the group, beat the eventual world champions and came within minutes of a place in the semi-final, so we should be proud of what we achieved.
"It was also really pleasing that some of the younger players got to experience a World Cup environment because that will stand them in good stead in the years to come.
“One of the biggest challenges we face now is that we have to start another qualifying campaign after the biggest event in the history of the women’s game.
"We have to make sure that we manage each qualifier professionally and not take anything for granted. We have to be efficient in our approach and prepare as diligently as we always do. When we do that we usually perform well."