Women’s World Cup: US head coach Jill Ellis hits back at ‘arrogant’ claims
‘It’s important our team has confidence. I don’t think in any way that this is an arrogant team’
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Your support makes all the difference.Jill Ellis has rejected suggestions that her United States team are arrogant ahead of their Women’s World Cup semi-final against England.
The reigning world champions will meet Phil Neville’s side at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon on Tuesday night, with the final to be held at the same venue.
On Sunday, members of US staff scoped out the hotel England are currently staying in, with a view to being based there ahead of next weekend’s final.
Ellis was asked whether this hinted at a certain arrogance among the US travelling party, but the English-born head coach dismissed all such claims.
“I would assume everyone’s doing that. You have to plan ahead,” she said. “The only two people who think about planning ahead on my team are my administrator and her boss.
“Everybody else, we don’t worry about that. That’s probably who the two people were. I think it’s important to do your job.
“In terms of arrogance, that has nothing to do with us. That’s planning and preparation for our staff. I think that’s pretty normal.
“I had no idea where we were going, how we would get here yesterday. They think of that so we don’t have to.”
Ellis also defended a comment by defender Ali Krieger, who earlier this month that the US’s strength in depth means they have “the best team in the world and the second-best team in the world”.
The US head coach said: “In terms of Ali’s comment, she has played on a lot of different teams. She was on the 2015 team.
"I think I’ve said this before: it’s really a comment about ourselves, a comment about how she feels because she’s played on two different teams.
“She has the right to say that if that’s how she feels. It’s important our team has confidence. I don’t think in any way that this is an arrogant team.
"This team knows they have to earn everything. We have tough opponents still ahead of us and we have to earn every right to advance in this tournament.”
The US are favourites to beat England and subsequently win their fourth Women’s World Cup, having eliminated hosts and second favourites France on Friday night.
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