Ex-Tottenham captain believes failure to qualify for 2024 Olympics could do Lionesses ‘a world of good’
Failing to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games could be a blessing in disguise for the Lionesses, says former Tottenham captain Jenna Schillaci. England left Team GB’s Olympic qualification hopes hanging by a thread when they suffered a 3-2 defeat to Belgium in Leuven in the Women’s Nations League. The Lionesses were left to rue missed chances against BelgiumGetty The Lionesses sit third in their group, but will only have a chance to qualify for the Olympics by winning the entire competition if they finish top of their group. They need wins in their remaining matches against the Netherlands and Scotland, but also need Belgium to drop points in their remaining match – leaving their fate out of their hands. But Schillaci believes missing the Olympics could be exactly what the Lionesses need after a busy few years of international football. Speaking on talkSPORT’s Women’s Football Show, Schillaci admitted England’s chances looked slim. She said: “”Looking at the England group, there is a strong possibility that they might not actually make it. “But I don’t know if it would be the end of the world if they didn’t. “I just think the players have been at it since the return of COVID with the domestic season, World Cup, Euros, Olympics. I don’t know if the break would do them a world of good, to be honest. “But yeah, looking at it, it could go any way and we may have to start looking ahead to a summer without football.” England have gone from strength… …to strength…Getty …to strength – but a rest could be goodGetty England are the representative nation for Team GB which means only they can secure Paris 2024 qualification for the Home Nations. They must not only top their qualifying group, but then go on to win their semi-final match and possibly the final of the Women’s Nations League in order to do so. But the Lionesses have had a busy few years. After storming to a famous victory at the 2022 European Championships, England then maintained their run of excellent form to lift both the Arnold Clark Cup and the Finalissima trophies in 2023, before narrowly missing out on a World Cup win as they lost to Spain in the final. Schillaci believes that after such an intense and successful period, not being at the Olympics would not be a disaster. “If you’re looking at the injuries, the loading of these players that they’ve had over the last three years and three summers just packed with football, I think if you were to give any competition up it might be the Olympics over the EUROs and the World Cup.” The Lionesses are next in action against the Netherlands at Wembley Stadium on Friday, December 1. Their final group match is against Scotland at Hampden Park in Tuesday 5 December – a match which Scotland must, strangely, lose if they hope to feature at the Olympics. You can tune into talkSPORT’s Women’s Football Show every Monday from 7pm on talkSPORT 2.
Failing to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games could be a blessing in disguise for the Lionesses, says former Tottenham captain Jenna Schillaci.
England left Team GB’s Olympic qualification hopes hanging by a thread when they suffered a 3-2 defeat to Belgium in Leuven in the Women’s Nations League.
The Lionesses sit third in their group, but will only have a chance to qualify for the Olympics by winning the entire competition if they finish top of their group.
They need wins in their remaining matches against the Netherlands and Scotland, but also need Belgium to drop points in their remaining match – leaving their fate out of their hands.
But Schillaci believes missing the Olympics could be exactly what the Lionesses need after a busy few years of international football.
Speaking on talkSPORT’s Women’s Football Show, Schillaci admitted England’s chances looked slim.
She said: “”Looking at the England group, there is a strong possibility that they might not actually make it.
“But I don’t know if it would be the end of the world if they didn’t.
“I just think the players have been at it since the return of COVID with the domestic season, World Cup, Euros, Olympics. I don’t know if the break would do them a world of good, to be honest.
“But yeah, looking at it, it could go any way and we may have to start looking ahead to a summer without football.”
England are the representative nation for Team GB which means only they can secure Paris 2024 qualification for the Home Nations.
They must not only top their qualifying group, but then go on to win their semi-final match and possibly the final of the Women’s Nations League in order to do so.
But the Lionesses have had a busy few years.
After storming to a famous victory at the 2022 European Championships, England then maintained their run of excellent form to lift both the Arnold Clark Cup and the Finalissima trophies in 2023, before narrowly missing out on a World Cup win as they lost to Spain in the final.
Schillaci believes that after such an intense and successful period, not being at the Olympics would not be a disaster.
“If you’re looking at the injuries, the loading of these players that they’ve had over the last three years and three summers just packed with football, I think if you were to give any competition up it might be the Olympics over the EUROs and the World Cup.”
The Lionesses are next in action against the Netherlands at Wembley Stadium on Friday, December 1.
Their final group match is against Scotland at Hampden Park in Tuesday 5 December – a match which Scotland must, strangely, lose if they hope to feature at the Olympics.
You can tune into talkSPORT’s Women’s Football Show every Monday from 7pm on talkSPORT 2.
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