John Griffiths has backed his England Women’s Under-17s side to extend their World Cup odyssey by knocking out holders Japan in the quarter finals.
The Young Lionesses made it to the last eight of Jordan 2016 by finishing second in Group C after picking up draws with North Korea and Nigeria followed by a 2-1 win over Brazil.
England and Japan played out a 1-1 draw the last time the two sides met, in a friendly in Los Angeles in February.
England v Japan
FIFA Women's U17 World Cup
Quarter Final
5pm BST, Thursday 13 October 2016
Al Hassan International Stadium, Irbid
Live on British Eurosport
And Griffiths believes his charges showed enough in that game to worry the Asian powerhouses.
He said: “To come out of what was dubbed the group of death to then face the World Cup holders – it doesn’t get any easier for us.
“But we go into the knockouts having not lost a game so that is very pleasing.
“Japan won’t want to play us. They know what we’re about and they will know that we are better than we were in February.
“They are 20-30 per cent better than they were back then, but the same goes for us.
“We’re in a different place to where we were in February, so it’s all to play for.”
Georgia Stanway celebrates against Brazil
Griffiths continued: “We’ve got a fully fit group going into this quarter final which is vitally important.
“Physically we are in outstanding shape at the moment and we believe we’ve got a plan to deal with the world champions.”
As well as wanting his players to go as far as possible in Jordan, Griffiths also wants them to use this tournament as a development tool, and the head coach has been delighted with their behaviour both on and off the pitch.
He explained: “It’s crucial that the girls learn from this whole experience in terms of their future careers.
“We know you only get this experience by winning matches and earning the right, so it’s also important that we balance results with development.
“They have to develop and grow as players and people, and the signs so far have been very promising.
“The humility we showed the Brazilians at the full-time whistle was exemplary. It really was first-class sportsmanship and wonderful to see.
“These players have conducted themselves superbly in everything they have done since we’ve been out here.
“The important thing is they have had more games at this level.
“We’ve got some good players coming through and we must always remember that long-term target of the senior World Cup in 2023.”
Watch England v Japan live on British Eurosport.
