England v Belgium: Beth Mead rebounds from Tokyo Olympics snub to make Lionesses Euros squad

Yesterday, England manager Sarina Wiegman named her 23-player squad for the home tournament before bringing them up to speed with a trio of warm-up friendlies against Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland this month.

Whitby-born Mead was selected after interim England and Team GB head coach Hege Riise left her out of last summer’s squad to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The snub only motivated Mead, who has since been in scintillating form for club country – earlier this month, the 27-year-old was named Arsenal’s Player of the Season.

“I guess I’ve figured out how to channel my anger and energy into my football a little bit better now,” said Mead, who made 33 goal contributions for the Gunners this term.

“And I’m a little bit more confident than I probably was last season.

“I’m in a good place. I’m in a good headspace, I feel good. My football has been good. So I’m just trying to channel that energy in the right way.”

Since Wiegman took charge of the Lionesses in September 2021, the manager’s clarity has had a positive impact on Mead.

“I think I’ve known where I’ve stood and what she’s expected of me,” said Mead, who has scored 12 international goals over the last nine months.

“She’s given me a lot of confidence on the pitch and on the training pitch.

“So for me, it’s been easy to go on the pitch and do what I know I can do and have the backing of my manager.

“I would say I’ve been a lot more free. And the expectation that she has for me, I understand a lot more than in the past.”

Following a World Cup qualifying campaign in which the Lionesses scored 68 and conceded none, Mead notes that Wiegman is still “striving for perfection” but her high standards don’t sour the atmosphere in training at St George’s Park.

“Under Phil (Neville, former England manager), it was very much like hard work, and now we’re just on the pitch enjoying our football and the hard work comes with that – it’s part of our DNA,” Mead said.

“We’re a big family. The culture has been amazing.

“I think the enjoyment – you can see on and off the pitch –has been great between us, the staff, everybody involved.

“It’s always an honour, but it’s been a pleasure to be here at the moment.

“And it makes your job a lot easier when you’re enjoying it as much as we are right now.”

Tonight, the Lionesses will return to Molineux, where they lifted the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup in February, to play a friendly against Belgium before taking on the Netherlands, who won the Euros under Wiegman in 2017, at Elland Road next Friday.

Not surprisingly, the game in Leeds is a particularly appealing fixture for the North Yorkshire-born forward.

“Yeah, I mean it’s the best place in England, right?” added Mead, speaking from the Lionesses’ current training camp at St George’s Park.

“I’m really looking forward to it.

“It’s quite easy for my family and friends to get to so hopefully they can come along and get into the buzz of the game.

“It’s an exciting prospect, I think, to play in England – not many people can probably say they played in a home Euros, so I think that girls are really excited about that.

“We want to put on a good performance in every game and, hopefully, we can get as far as we can.”