Earps: England’s best is yet to come

Earps has been speaking to the press ahead of the Lionesses’ quarter-final against Colombia at Stadium Australia on Saturday (11:30 BST), having kept three clean sheets in four matches so far at the tournament.

After topping Group D with an unbeaten record, Mary and her nation overcame Nigeria on penalties at the end of a tense last-16 tie earlier this week, and she acknowledged afterwards that England weren’t quite at their peak level but, most importantly, were able to get the job done.

Our no.27 does think that her side are capable of getting to those desired barometers however, as the business end of the competition kicks into gear.

“I really believe the best is yet to come,” Mary told reporters at a press conference in Australia, where the tournament is being co-hosted, earlier today (Friday).

“I think there’s so much talent in the group and so many more levels we can go, I really do believe that. 

“I’ve said there’s an incredible wealth of talent and experience, yes from the experience we’ve had together from the national team but also the teams that we play for at club level and all the different fixtures we’ve experienced over the last 12 to 24 months when you look at the Champions Leagues and the titles and the cups and everything else.

“I think it’s an exciting time to be an England player for sure, but we have to earn that right every day,” she added, sat beside head coach Sarina Wiegman.

“We’re constantly looking to improve and drive performance and drive our standards and I think that’s the best thing about it. 

“We’re grateful that we’re here, but we’re not satisfied, we’re not done and there’s still more levels we want to go.”

Earps was named in the Team of the Tournament as England won Euro 2022 on home soil last year, and is currently enjoying another strong campaign, this time at the World Cup.

Our goalkeeper has played behind both a back three and a back four so far in the competition, but she says that those adjustments don’t alter the way she approaches being on the pitch.

“I think at this level, tactics, formations and that sort of thing is really important. It’s fine margins when you’re winning games,” Mary explained.

“But for me, I just want to be as well-versed as possible and make sure that I’m doing my job for the team. Communication is a huge part of that, so it’s just understanding what Sarina wants and making sure we’re implementing the game plan as best as we can but also finding solutions as a group is important. 

“You see how high the quality is at this tournament, teams pose very different problems. You can’t prepare for every single problem, but it’s important as a team that we push through that and solve that in the moment.”

Earps is at her second senior Women’s World Cup, having been named in the England squad that reached the semi-finals in France four years ago. She didn't make an appearance on that occasion, but is savouring her time under the bright lights this time around, having played every minute possible so far at the tournament. 

“In general, every World Cup game you relish playing,” she said.

“To play in a World Cup is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, hopefully multiple times in a lifetime if you’re lucky but not everyone is that lucky.

“This level is full of heat and pressure and all those emotions that come with it, and I think that’s exciting as a player. 

“But ultimately, we’re just really focused on getting the job done and playing football and that’s all we’ll really think about.”

England’s quarter-final against Colombia – which could see Mary feature alongside fellow Reds Ella Toone and Katie Zelem – gets under way at 11:30 BST on Saturday.