Phil Neville has given England women new belief, says Siobhan Chamberlain

Published on: 13 March 2018

Phil Neville's side beat France, drew with Germany and lost to the USA at the SheBelieves Cup

Goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain says the England women's football team have already seen improvements under new manager Phil Neville thanks to the former international's "winning mentality".

England finished runners-up in the prestigious SheBelieves Cup following a narrow 1-0 defeat by hosts the USA in their last round-robin match.

"He is a born winner," said Chamberlain, who added that England now have the "belief" to go on and win the 2019 World Cup in France.

Highlights: Germany women 2-2 England womenHighlights: England 4-1 FranceNeville: "I've got to fight on behalf of my players"

"When he got the job, a lot of people were saying 'should he get it because he doesn't know the women's game?' But at the end of the day, football is football.

"He is very experienced in football and he has obviously brought in his own ideas. It's only been a short time - just a few weeks - but I am sure it will develop over the coming months.

"It's a really exciting time to be involved with England," she added.

The Lionesses put in a dominant performance to beat France 4-1 in their opening game of the SheBelieves Cup, the first in charge for Neville, who won six Premier League titles as a player with Manchester United and was capped 59 times by England.

They then drew 2-2 with Germany after coming from behind twice, a game in which Chamberlain won her 50th international cap.

"If you had said a few years ago that England would be frustrated by a draw with Germany you would have taken that," she added. "But we were frustrated not to win and we had a few chances late on.

"It shows how far we have come to be frustrated by a draw against Germany."

Media playback is not supported on this device

SheBelieves Cup: 'I've learnt a lot about my players today' - Neville

Chamberlain believes Neville's "attention to detail" can take the team from "third to first in the world" and says the ultimate aim is to become champions of the world.

"He comes from a footballing background and with a winning mentality," she said.

"Coming into our set-up, it's those small details which will help us in having a better winning mentality and having a bit more belief. That togetherness we already have as a team can be taken up a notch."

Now back from international duty, Chamberlain is preparing to face a number of her England team-mates when she puts on the gloves for club side Liverpool Ladies in their SSE Women's FA Cup quarter-final match against Chelsea on Sunday.

Liverpool were knocked out in the semi-finals last year by eventual winners Manchester City, while Chelsea were beaten on penalties by Birmingham City in their last-four tie.

Source: bbc.com

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
Learn more