| Venue: Elland Street Date: Friday 24 June Kick-off: 20:00 BST |
| Protection: Take heed to commentary on BBC Radio 5 Reside and comply with textual content updates on the BBC Sport web site and the BBC Sport app. |
Mark Parsons has coached a number of the world’s best gamers since leaving England greater than a decade in the past, although his first job again on UK turf this summer season was to handle daughter Edie’s Cranleigh under-8s facet.
“I wanted to get some expertise on residence soil,” laughs the Englishman, 12 years since he departed Chelsea reserves to pursue a profession in america.
On Friday, he’ll return as boss of the Netherlands, who face England in a pleasant at Elland Street as they put together to defend their Ladies’s European Championship title in his residence nation in July.
Life has modified dramatically for Parsons since 2010, establishing himself as one of many ladies’s recreation’s high coaches through roles with DC United and Washington Spirit, earlier than an enormous interval of success with Portland Thorns.
However the Covid pandemic made visiting household troublesome and he has loved life within the Netherlands since relocating in January.
“The largest praise is everybody within the federation is giving me every part I might ask for to succeed,” the 35-year-old tells BBC Sport. “Their dedication to assist me be efficient is completely high.”
Friday’s pleasant will pit Parsons in opposition to his predecessor in Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman, who guided the Dutch to Euros glory in 2017 and a World Cup closing two years later.
“I used to be being referred to as to work with world-class gamers on the high of the ladies’s recreation with youth gamers coming by,” provides Parsons.
“What Sarina did is phenomenal. I do not assume it’s sensible to take over from somebody like that, you let another person take over and then you definately take over from them as a result of it’ll be arduous.
“That’s the logical method, however that can also be not me. The larger the problem, perhaps the extra attracted I’m.”
‘We can’t be prepared at the start to win it’
One of many largest challenges Parsons has confronted in transitioning from membership to worldwide soccer is profiting from the time he will get with gamers.
“I’m all the time going to be very concerned in every part, so within the worldwide recreation that adaption has been fast – scouting, constructing a connection, participant improvement, workers improvement, your imaginative and prescient of soccer.
“That half is simple, the distinction is the time, which now means it’s important to be unbelievably environment friendly. The detailed planning must be immense, I’m nonetheless studying learn how to be extra environment friendly.
“I wish to get issues good and in worldwide soccer it’s possible you’ll not have the time to try this, it’s important to prioritise, that’s arduous for me – I wish to be the proper staff in each space.”
Parsons is assured within the work to this point, with a part of the method constructing a deeper connection along with his squad.
“You will be extra constructive and significant in a supportive method,” he says. “In case you are not linked there isn’t a belief.”
Expectations are excessive within the Netherlands – who start their title defence in opposition to Sweden in Sheffield – regardless of the coach saying they continue to be behind quite a few international locations of their evolution as a staff.
“The England recreation goes to be key since you do not actually know the place you might be till you play high groups,” he provides.
“We won’t be prepared at the start of this event to win it. However the thought is we do not have to be able to win it at the start, we simply must be ok to beat Sweden and Portugal and Switzerland.
“Now could be that doable? Completely. We should be prepared by the final recreation. Now we have acquired to get there and we’re going to must develop by the event, must win video games we should always win and win video games perhaps we should not, and that’s what high groups do.”
The Netherlands may depend on the help of younger Edie, who has assured her dad she can be sporting orange this summer season – though the nation’s star ahead, Vivianne Miedema, has already began attempting to alter his daughter’s membership allegiances to Arsenal.
“She acquired to satisfy Viv and that was particular,” says Parsons. “My daughter helps Chelsea, however Viv after all went straight to work: ‘So, who do you help?!’ My daughter went, ‘I kinda like Chelsea and likewise kinda like Arsenal…’ I am fuming! Viv says ‘we’ll flip that 100% Arsenal quickly…’
“We get within the automotive and I say ‘rule primary, who you help and nobody is ever going to alter that!’ She says ‘dad, I used to be simply being well mannered’.
“She has sat on the pitch and talked to Christine Sinclair, Tobin Heath, Marta [who all play in the US] – she thinks they’re finest buddies and she will FaceTime them every time.
“However the Dutch gamers are like how I checked out gamers once I was rising up – they’re gods to her. She is getting older and [is sitting] within the stadium with the Dutch followers the place, if Viv waves at somebody, children are fainting. So she is ready to see that.”
Edie, alongside along with his spouse Hannah, moved to Surrey when he took the Netherlands job. “Not being with them is hard however that solely provides to the motivation of getting to benefit from each second, attempting to assist these gamers, the workers, this staff, due to that sacrifice.”
Come 31 July, 50 miles down the street from Cranleigh, the dream is to guide that staff out within the Euros closing at Wembley.
“I by no means benefit from the second sufficient as a result of I’m so targeted on serving to the staff,” says Parsons.
“Once I mirror and look again, I’ll have had, for the primary time, a number of family and friends the place I’m working. It will be very particular.”
