his mentor in the top tier
Those developments might have
generated more unease if
Huddersfield had continued their
slide from last season. They finished
20th in the Championship in
Corberán’s first year in charge,
conceding a league-high 71 goals.
Many supporters failed to click with
Corberán in the way they did with
David Wagner, the German manager
who took them to the Premier League
in 2017.
They can have no complaints
about the job Corberán has done this
season. He and his staff set about
fixing Huddersfield’s defensive issues
in the summer. The centre back
Matty Pearson was the first addition,
from Luton Town, and he has formed
a formidable partnership with Tom
Lees, a free transfer. They were joined
by Milton Keynes Dons’ second-
choice goalkeeper, Lee Nicholls.
The trio are part of the reason no
Championship team have kept more
clean sheets than Huddersfield’s 13.
Corberán’s side were eight minutes
away from another one against
Fulham, something that no side have
achieved since before Christmas.
Pearson marshalled the defence
expertly, while Nicholls produced an
incredible save to deny Mitrovic
before Decordova-Reid scored.
It is easy to see why Corberán has
been compared to Bielsa. His team
are well drilled and work tirelessly for
each other. Ward provided the bestexample of that on Saturday, often
dropping deep to disrupt Fulham’s
attack. In return he scored his 11th
goal of the season and received a
standing ovation from Huddersfield
fans. “You have to put a shift in and it
works,” the 31-year-old said.
Corberán’s team prioritise
organisation. They hit Fulham on the
break for both goals and were more
than happy to frustrate an attack who
have scored 79 league goals this term.
As for speculation about Leeds,
Corberán has more pressing matters
at hand. “My only focus this week was
preparing the match against Fulham
because it was a big, big challenge,” he
said. The next challenge is cementing
their place in the play-offs.MOLLY HUDSON
Seeing an England team filled
predominantly with squad players
against Spain, the bookmakers’
favourites to win this summer’s
European Championship, will have
left some fans worried before kick-off.
Yet after a battling 0-0 draw in
England’s second Arnold Clark Cup
match, both the fans and Sarina
Wiegman, the England head coach,
will have renewed faith in the depth
of this squad. “We learnt first of all we
have many players in our squad and
as a team we are really strong,” said
Wiegman, who extends her unbeaten
run as England manager to eight
matches. “Players have to show [they
deserve to play] now and they have to
show consistency over the months.
“We all know that you don’t win
the Euros today. You are not going to
win the Euros on Wednesday [when
England face Germany], but it’s good
that we play a team like Spain,
because they have developed so
much over the years.”
Jorge Vilda, the Spain manager, had
described this as “perhaps the best
England team ever” in his pre-match
press conference, but he did not
expect the starting XI that lined up
against his side at Carrow Road.
Wiegman opted for nine changes
from Thursday’s 1-1 draw against
Canada, who won gold at the Tokyo
Olympics last year, including a senior
debut for Aston Villa’s 21-year-old
goalkeeper Hannah Hampton.
When the line-ups were
announced, a Spanish midfield trio
of Alexia Putellas, the Ballon d’Or
winner, plus Patricia Guijarro and
Aitana Bonmatí appeared a daunting
prospect for England, but Wiegman’s
selection proved effective on a windy
and wet afternoon.
MOORE’S IM(PERFECT) HAT-TRICK
The New Zealand defender Meikayla Moore last night scored a hat-trick of own
goals in the first half of her side’s 5-0 defeat by the United States — and was then
promptly substituted. What’s more, the Liverpool centre back netted the perfect
treble — right foot, header and then left foot. If only they’d been at the right end.Knowing that Spain enjoy the lion’s
share of possession in matches,
England focused on pressing and
harassing their opponents. Jill Scott,
the 35-year-old midfielder, may be
ageing but she retains the ability to
extend a long limb to steal possession,
a common theme of the opening 45
minutes. Her contribution was as
impressive as any from England’s
fringe players.
Hampton will have been relieved to
escape an early nervous moment. In
attempting to advance out of her box
to clear the ball she collided with
Lucía García and required the help of
Jess Carter, the defender, to prevent
the opening goal.
The biggest cheer came at the
half-time introduction of Lauren
Hemp, born 15 miles from Norwich
city centre, and the Manchester City
winger almost made an instant
impact. Receiving the ball on the edge
of the area, she looked to have beaten
the Spain goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez
with a fierce shot, but her effort hit
the inside of the post and rolled away.Though the Fifa rankings place
Spain in ninth, and therefore the
lowest ranked of the teams in the
Arnold Clark Cup, they are a rapidly
improving nation, featuring many of
Barcelona’s treble-winning players.
In Putellas, they have the best
player in the world by some distance,
but the experience and nous of Scott
left her largely a peripheral figure.
While Spain are the bookmakers’
favourites to win the Euros, the
reality is that the tournament
promises to be the most competitive
ever, with several nations, including
England, capable of lifting the trophy.
For Wiegman, the Arnold Clark
Cup continues to present much
needed learning opportunities. If
England’s second-choice midfield can
thwart a Ballon d’Or winner, then the
coach may have a host of selection
dilemmas in the coming months.
England will close the tournament
on Wednesday night against
Germany, who, despite having several
injuries and Covid cases, will provide
another tough test.Wiegman’s shake-up keeps
Euro favourites Spain at bay
England Women 0
RATINGS
England (4-3-3): H Hampton 7 — L Bronze 7, J Carter
8, A Greenwood 7, R Daly 6 — J Scott 9 (L Williamson
62min, 7), J Nobbs 7 (K Walsh 62, 7), G Stanway 7
(E Toone 80) — N Parris 7 (L Hemp 45, 9), E White 7,
B Mead 7 (F Kirby 72). Booked Mead, Stanway.
Spain (4-3-3): M Rodriguez 7 — O Batlle 7
(O Carmona 62, 6), Mapi León 7, I Andrés 5, S García
6 — P Guijarro 6, A Putellas 6, A Bonmatí 7 —
L García 8 (Amaiur 75), J Hermoso 7 (Esther 87),
M Cardona 7 (A Del Castillo 45, 9). Booked Andrés.
Referee J Demetrescu (Rom). Attendance 14,284.Spain Women 0
MARK J. TERRILL/APthe times | Monday February 21 2022 2GG 11
thegame
Wout Weghorst.
When Chris Wood
was bought by
Newcastle United,
Sean Dyche stayed
calm and brought in the tall
Dutchman, who has hit the
ground running, assisting and
scoring. Weghorst’s work in
training won over his team-mates,
and now his contributions on the
field, including defensively, have
made him a fan favourite. Burnley
are still in a dogfight but they
have always had a resilience and
a plan under Dyche. Wood’s loss
looked damaging, but Weghorst
arrived with perfect timing, at the
club and in the box. Burnley’s last
game of the season? Newcastle at
Turf Moor.WINTER’S
WEEKEND
WONDERS
3
Burnley still in with
a shout with Wout
Alfie May.
With his Cheltenham
Town side trailing 3-1
and 5-3 to Wycombe
Wanderers, May kept
responding, finishing with four in
a 5-5 League One thriller. What
do you get for scoring a hat-trick,
and then another goal? The match
ball and the pump? All good goals
too, especially the volley for the
third. May’s belief and form is also
another reminder of Michael
Duff’s qualities as a manager.Match ball and pump
for four-goal MayRooney keeps Derby believing in miracles
Harry Kane the No 9.
Timing, strength,
finishing. It is no
exaggeration to claim
that this was one of
the greatest centre-forward
performances seen in the Premier
League. The Tottenham Hotspur
striker was simply too good, even
for such a formidable pairing as
Manchester City’s Rúben Dias,
the Football Writers’ Association
footballer of the year, and
Aymeric Laporte, one of the best
left-sided centre halves around.
Kane timed his run perfectly
to meet Son Heung-min’s cross
(on 59 minutes). He then beat
Kyle Walker to head in Dejan
Kulusevski’s cross for the winner
(90) against one of the world’s best
goalkeepers, Ederson. Kane would
have had more but for an offside
flag (45), an Ederson save (64) and
then a VAR offside (73). Kane
delivered a No 9 display that
deserved a 10/10.Chief Football Writer wild about Kane
and positively ecstatic for Rooney2
Harry Kane the
No 10. Movement,
strength, passing.
Kane was up against
Rodri, Manchester
City’s deep-lying midfielder, but
kept taking short, driven passes to
feet, turning and linking, feeding
Son Heung-min in particular with
a glorious left-footed, first-time
pass leading to Dejan Kulusevski’s
goal (on four minutes) and again
releasing Son (54). Kane was
pivotal to Antonio Conte’s clever
plan to get his fliers behind City’s
high line. Kane also made life
difficult for Rodri, so often City’s
distribution centre, including
fouling him (23). Kane’s No 10
display also deserved a 10/10.4
... and he wasn’t
bad at No 10 either
Wayne Rooney.
The Derby County
manager keeps
producing results
against all odds, and
we need to keep acknowledging
what a remarkable achievement
this is. Derby were deducted 21
points for financial excess and
entering administration and now
they are only five points from
Championship safety. It’s brutal
down there, with four teams in
peril, but Derby have Reading in
their sights, though Paul Ince hastaken temporary charge of
Reading, which should invigorate
them. Rooney’s team have his
belief, and edge, and he showed
his man-management skills when
talking to Tom Lawrence, who
was dismissed during Saturday’s
win over Peterborough United.
Rooney told him what a “stupid”
tackle it was, but said that he
understood because he himself
used to lose his head in games.
Rooney is honest with his players,
and they are all fighting hard to
stay up.Ten out of ten from
the Tottenham No 95
1