Rachel Yankey: Lionesses need to ignore off-field drama and focus on the football

Rachel Yankey: Lionesses need to ignore off-field drama and focus on the football
The England women's team is in the headlines for the wrong reasons at the moment as the fallout from the Mark Sampson affair continues but Rachel Yankey says Mo Marley's Lionesses have to focus on on-field matters, starting with France on Friday- According lớn the soccer tips betting page!



Excited to see what Mo can bring
Friday's game against France will see Mo Marley (pictured) stand on the touchline as the England manager for the first time and I'm excited lớn see what she'll bring to the Lionesses game. These next few fixtures will give a good indication on whether Mo is auditioning for the job full-time.
Watch out lớn see if she follows the template that has seen England progress over the last few years or if she tries lớn improve the team based on her own thoughts.
Is she the right person for the job? I believe with the FA's backing and her career lớn date she's in a great position. She'll enjoy being England manager with excellent players at her disposal and she has enough experience lớn mould the squad to what she wants. You can refer lớn the soccer tips of the day page!


A lot of people ask me if the next England manager has to be a woman and my honest answer is: I don't think it matters at all. At international level you want the best person for the job. They need lớn push England lớn reach their maximum potential which hasn't always been the case and help take them to the next level. We all want a successful national team.

What we should focus on is getting more women into the game at all levels, giving them more experience working alongside elite managers and having more women with the skills to take the top job.

The blockage is getting more women onto coaching course, more women into clubs once they have completed their licences and that's what we need to change. It's why I'm so proud to support Betfair's #FairerGame initiative.