Black Queens head coach, Kim Lars Björkegren says he is pleased with the energy, attitude, and overall output of his squad as the team continues its training camp in Birmingham ahead of their high-profile friendly against England. Speaking to the team’s media during an update from camp, Björkegren highlighted the strong spirit within the team and expressed satisfaction with their early sessions.
Read on for the transcript
On regrouping
It’s really good. Always nice to be back, see the staff, meet the players—always with a smile. We’ve had one good training so far and one good friendly game.
On training
We had a short session, so maybe not too much to take away from it, but we played a good game, two times 45 minutes, against a strong English side. We did well. We rotated the squad. Everybody played a little bit at least. As a coach, it’s always important to use the whole squad. Some players get 90 minutes every week at their clubs, some don’t—but when they return, they always come back with good energy. They enjoy being together and believe in themselves. Bjorkegren added that the unity and commitment within the team remains a key strength as they build toward future competitions.
On Benedicte Simon
I went to Switzerland to watch her. I watched her on video before that as well. She’s a good player—experienced, fast, good with the ball, powerful. Even though she’s only been here a couple of days, it looks like she fits into the group, both on and off the pitch. I’m looking forward to seeing more from her.
On the England friendly
We’re jumping into deep water to see if we can swim against the best team in the world, Björkegren admitted. It’s going to be really tough, and we need to understand that. But we also know we have some qualities. We may not be top five in the world yet, but we need to challenge ourselves. He described the match as a vital measurement of the team’s progress. Games like this—potentially the most difficult in the world right now, away against England—will challenge us for sure. We’re going to see how good we are, but also what we need to do better to climb the FIFA rankings and remain one of the top teams in Africa.
The Black Queens continue their preparations with full focus, belief, and the confidence of a team eager to test themselves on the biggest stage.
Source: GFA
