Danny Kerry described the draw against Spain yesterday as one of the lowest moments of his life, but I think that he is failing to do justice to the achievements of both him and his team. The England Women meet Japan for a place in the 5th/6th play-off in the Samsung Women's World Cup here in Madrid tomorrow, and if they emulate the men by coming 5th they have achieved all that could reasonably be expected of them. They were placed in a particularly tough pool, with Netherlands and Germany the teams to beat. They achieved the latter by beating Germany, but the surprise of Pool A was Spain, who managed to take the scalps of Germany and China before coming up against the Dutch. Englands 1-1 draw against Spain was no disgrace and I think England need to get a sense of proportion before moving on to the all-importand game agains Japan.
I bumped into some of the England squad shopping in Madrid this afternoon. They looked relaxed and this is the approach they need to take with them for their match toorrow. They have beaten the Japanese as recently as August. With that memory fresh in their minds they should do well. It is true that there have been times that England looked in awe of their opponents, particularly the Dutch, but this is a comparatively young side. Kerry would do well to put yesterday's game behind him and look to a promising future.
