By Lori Ewing
BURTON UPON TRENT, England (Reuters) – England’s Rachel Daly believes she is heading to the Women’s World Cup in the best place mentally and physically that she has ever been in her career, and it took a move home from nearly a decade in the United States to get there.
Daly and England held their first pre-World Cup training session on Tuesday under drizzling rain at St. George’s Park, but the mood was bright among the reigning European champions.
The 31-year-old Daly moved home to play for Aston Villa after nine years in the NWSL, including seven seasons with the Houston Dash.
After playing in defence for England, Villa deployed her as a striker this season and she thrived, scoring 22 goals in 22 games, becoming the top scorer in the Women’s Super League.
“A lot has changed for me personally since the last tournament, obviously moving home, I’ve been away for 10 years, so I think mentally I’m in a way better place,” Daly told reporters on Tuesday. “I needed to be home.
“Obviously a different position for me in terms of internationally to club levels. So yeah, I think a lot changed for me, but I think you can all tell I’m playing with a smile on my face and enjoying my football so long may that continue… I’d probably say it’s the best season I’ve had in my career.”
Sarina Wiegman’s side, ranked fourth in the world, play Portugal in a friendly match on July 1 at Milton Keynes, then Olympic champions Canada in a closed-door game in Australia on July 14 before kicking off their World Cup camapign against Haiti on July 22 in Brisbane.
While they carry the confidence of hoisting the Euro 2022 trophy, Daly says their European title is also ancient history.
“A lot has changed since then,” Daly said. “The team’s changed. We’ve got new faces. Obviously some of the girls are injured, some have retired, so it’s a new challenge for us.
“It’s nice that we’ve got that under our belts but it’s put to bed now and it’s a completely different tournament.”
While Wiegman had been among international coaches frustrated with the late date players could report for the national team, Daly thought the timing – players arrived on Monday – was perfect.
“We’ve had enough time to have a rest and have a holiday and completely switch off mentally and physically,” she said. “And it’s scientifically proven, it’s not just picking a date and all joining up, starting this day has been planned since the Euros.”
Whether Wiegman uses Daly in defence or up front remains to be seen, Daly said.
“That’s Serena’s decision … and I’ll respect wherever she chooses and I’m ready to play wherever I’m needed.”
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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