WSL enters into force and Sweden follows experience – how the EC 2022 team compares
The Women’s Super League will provide more players than any other league at this summer’s European Championships, including all but three of England’s squad.
The 16 squads announced for the tournament include 64 players from English clubs, all but five from the top division, to make it out of Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga as the most represented league.
Last season’s top three of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City are among nine clubs worldwide to provide 10 or more players, Barcelona leads the way with 16, and here the news agency PA evaluates the composition of the troops.
England counts on home comforts
England will host the tournament and the vast majority of Sarina Wiegman’s team will be on familiar ground.
According to UEFA’s official squad lists for tournaments, Manchester City provide eight of the 23 players, even after Steph Houghton’s exclusion and Lucy Bronze and Georgia Stanway’s departures for Barca and Bayern Munich respectively. Rachel Daly, who plays in the United States with Houston Dash, is the second foreign-based player.
There are also four each from champions Chelsea and second Arsenal, three from Manchester United and Aston Villas goalkeeper Hannah Hampton.
The group game will set them against Norway, whose seven WSL players match the most for any nation other than England. Chelsea’s Maren Mjelde and Guro Reiten, Manchester United duo Maria Thorisdottir and Vilde Boe Rise, City defender Julie Blakstad, Arsenal’s Frida Maanum and Reading’s Amalie Vevle Eikeland will face familiar enemies on July 11 in Brighton.
Italy and Spain each include 22 players based in their own league, the only exceptions being Azzurri’s Everton midfielder Aurora Galli and United and Spain defender Ona Batlle. Germany and Portugal each have 21 home-based players, the former group making a strong contribution to the Frauen-Bundesliga’s 55 selections.
At the other end of the scale, Finland has only two players based at home – Aland United’s Anna Westerlund and HJK Helsinki’s Essi Sainio – and Denmark three in goalkeepers Katrine Svane (Aarhus) and Laura Worsoe (Odense) and North Zealand midfielder Kathrine Kuhl.
Now or never for Sweden?
Sweden enters the tournament in second place in the world, after only the dominant USA, and will enjoy its chances to challenge for the trophy.
However, it can be as good as they get, as they also have the oldest average age at 29 years.
Goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl is 39 while midfielder Caroline Seger and defender Linda Sembrandt, 37 and 35 respectively, are also among seven players over 30 years.
While the shorter round than usual for next summer’s World Cup gives greater hope for at least some of them to play, the United States will stand in the way at that time.
Teenage midfielder Hanna Bennison represents almost the entire Swedish youth movement, with only three other players – Amanda Nilden, Filippa Angeldahl and Rebecka Blomqvist – for 25 years in her tournament squad.
Finland has the second oldest squad with Italy, Switzerland and Northern Ireland also averaging over 27. England are just below that and have no under-21 players at all – Hampton and winger Lauren Hemp are the only players in Wiegman’s group born since early 2000s.
Spain have the youngest squad with an average age of 25.6 years as they seem to make an impression here while building for future tournaments.
Defender Irene Paredes is the only one over 30 in the squad and the continued development of her club Barca, which provides 10 of the 23 players, should prepare them for long-term success – although the absence of Pachuca playmaker Jennifer Hermoso may hamper their chances this summer.
Belgium, Norway and Denmark also come in under 26, with the tournament’s heavyweights Netherlands, Germany and France just above it. Portugal has the most under 21 players, four.
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