"A massive failure" – That’s what Kenny Shiels, the Northern Ireland manager, believes it would be if England didn’t win the Women’s Euros this summer. He was speaking after his team had just become the latest victim of this ruthless side, losing 5-0 to the Lionesses in their final group stage fixture.
That resounding victory followed England’s record-breaking 8-0 rout of Norway just a few days prior, which was certainly a stark contrast to their first game – a gritty 1-0 win over Austria at a packed Old Trafford.
With the incredible response the players have produced to that nervy opener, Euros fever is beginning to sweep the host nation.
Fans have started to belt out choruses of 'It’s coming home', millions at home are tuning in to watch this relentless attack and the performances have even started to enter conversations of casual small talk around the country.
“They’re playing incredibly well, aren’t they?” said the man sat opposite GOAL on a train the day after the Norway win. “Do you think they could win it?”
England were always a favourite going into this tournament. After all, they’ve not lost a game since head coach Sarina Wiegman, who won the 2017 edition in charge of the Netherlands, took over last August. But the displays on show in the last two weeks have been on another level.
Getty/GOALThe importance of that Austria game in this form cannot be overstated. It was crucial overcoming the nerves and the impressive game plan of the opposition – who have also qualified for the knockouts.
“There’s still a lot more we need to improve on and we’re going to take every game as it comes, but I think it shows our grit and determination to see out the result and get the win," winger Lauren Hemp said afterwards in a mixed zone that, despite the result, felt subdued.
After all the hype, this wasn’t an electric display.
That’s been a solid foundation to build on, since. Leah Williamson, the England captain, described the 8-0 win over Norway as "the type of football" she'd "want to watch" if she was a fan. The Northern Ireland win was so good that Shiels said that every other team “should just go home”.
This is an England team that appears to have hit some sort of ‘tournament-mode’, the type you associate with Germany and their mentality.
Building up to the Euros, there were valid questions about whether they could be clinical enough to win the title. Three games in, they look more ruthless than ever before.
Part of that is down to the sheer talent within this squad. It’s a team littered with star quality, from the established names like Fran Kirby and Lucy Bronze, to the up-and-comers such as Alessia Russo and Ella Toone.
GettyThere are then the elements that Wiegman has brought to the table.
As well as her experience and winning mentality, she’s created a relaxed atmosphere that contrasts the huge external pressure – one epitomised by the card games, darts and basketball challenges that take up the players’ time at the team hotel between training sessions and matches.
When it comes to the football, she’s emphasised the need for “rhythm” in the team. That’s why, in what was a dead rubber against Northern Ireland, her starting XI was the same for a third game in a row.
It appears to be working not just with the 11 players on the pitch when the first whistle goes, but with the substitutes that are full of hunger, too.
That much was clear in their last outing, with the Manchester United duo of Russo and Toone particularly excellent – the former scoring twice and the latter assisting one of her goals.
"Every time they step on the pitch they give everything," Bronze said of the pair afterwards. "They light a fire. You can see the connection they have.
"It’s great to find that kind of excitement and energy off the bench. They're two great girls lapping up their first tournament."
Getty/GOALOf course, now, things are going to be ramped up even more. The pressure is going to increase, the opponents get tougher and the risk of fatigue in that not-so-rotated XI can grow.
On Wednesday, the Lionesses take on Spain, a team that hasn’t been at its best so far but one stacked with some of the best players on this planet, who can change a game at any moment.
Aitana Bonmati, the all-action Barcelona midfielder, is one of those.
“It’s going to be very motivating for us to play against England in their home with the crowd,” she said after Spain beat Denmark to set-up this tie. “We were born to play this game.
“I’m not scared. I don’t think my team-mates are scared either. We know that they are a good team, they are [putting on] many good performances.
"But we think we can beat them, [though] we have to improve our style and be better than today.”
Austria have shown how a team can get at England. Spain will note that in the build-up to their clash, as will any other possible opponents of the hosts if they are to progress.
But what they have done since has certainly captured the attention of the nation - and the tournament.
“I’d rather peak at the final than in the first game,” Kirby said after the opener against Austria. The way England are playing, it’ll take something special to stop them getting there.