Guests soaking up the sun by the rooftop pools of England’s and Scotland’s respective team hotels on the Promenade des Anglais can watch a procession of aeroplanes swooping low over the Mediterranean towards Nice airport.
It makes for a scenically dramatic landing but the sense of excitement experienced by passengers pales into insignificance next to that of Phil Neville’s and Shelley Kerr’s players as they embark on the final approach towards their opening World Cup game here on Sunday.
While Scotland are playing in their first World Cup, England aim to improve on the bronze medal they won four years ago in Canada and Neville’s prescription for glory involves his Lionesses playing with smiles on their faces.
The rapport between coach and players is so strong that Nikita Parris, the England forward who has just left Manchester City for Lyon, has even had the audacity to slip salt into her manager’s tea. “Phil took a big sip, spat it out like ‘Urghh’ and said: ‘Was that you?’ He knew immediately it would be me,” said Parris. “I like to play tricks and I’d say that was my best one. We’ve got a relaxed environment. We’re like a family.”
Neville clarifies game plans during 6am runs along the sea front, watching the waves crash on the pebbly shoreline, but his players prefer sitting in the impromptu cinema they have set up in the team’s medical room with eyes glued to the latest episodes of Love Island.
The latest instalment of their rivalry with Scotland is likely to be somewhat different from the 6-0 thrashing England dished out in Utrecht in the opening game of Euro 2017. Nicola Sturgeon’s involvement in the national team has proved a catalytic game changer, with the first minister facilitating six-month sabbaticals from work for Kerr’s part-time contingent. Scotland’s fitness has, consequently, improved dramatically and a squad featuring world-class individuals including Arsenal’s Kim Little and Chelsea’s Erin Cuthbert in addition to high-calibre semi-professionals such as the Glasgow City left-back Nicola Docherty appears fully bonded.
Neville holds Kerr, previously in charge of Arsenal, in the highest regard as a tactician and a manager of people. Kerr is, in one sense, as down to earth as they come but it is no exaggeration to say the 49-year-old possesses that certain, almost undefinable, aura shared by all top-class coaches. Her superior communication skills are augmented by what is described as a mercifully rarely used yet terrifying thousand-yard stare.
Whereas England’s manager opted to cancel training on Friday and offered his side a day off, Kerr’s players limbered up in the foothills that tumble down above the city before talking tactics at “devil in the detail” team meetings. It seemed a case of horses for courses but Leah Williamson endorsed Neville’s decision to remove his foot from the accelerator.
“After training on Thursday everyone felt really confident and had a good feeling, so sometimes it’s best to leave it at that,” said the Arsenal defender. “We’re all here to enjoy ourselves and that’s Phil’s main message. He says these are the best days of our lives and it would be a shame to waste them with stressing. We’ve got so many characters in the team that, even when we’re working, we’re still having fun.”
Williamson was talking in a casino – in the quiet of early afternoon it should be emphasised – but no gambles have been taken with the safety of England players who, for security reasons, have generally remained within the precincts of their hotel and its private beach during downtime. It was different at Canada 2015 and Euro 2017 but fans wandering around Nice’s old town are unlikely to bump into a window-shopping or coffee-sipping Lioness.
With Scotland adopting a similar policy – not to mention sharing the Love Island addiction – the two squads have not met up here but they know each other inside out. Williamson is unsure whether such familiarity is a plus or a minus.
“I can’t believe we got drawn out of the hat in the same group,” she said. “It’s a bizarre one. For fans it’s definitely a good thing but, for us, I’m not so sure.”
She has equipped Neville with a verbal dossier on her Arsenal teammate Little. “I’ve highlighted a few of her tricks, odd little things,” she said. “But Kim’s world-class.”
Parris, like Williamson, is playing in her first World Cup finals and accepts success will not come lightly. “We’re going to have ups and downs along the way,” she said. “We might not always like it but, at times, we’re going to have to be prepared to be honest with each other. The girls who got a bronze medal in Canada said it was the hardest thing they’ve ever done. So now we’re going for gold, it’s going to be difficult. Nobody’s going to give us the World Cup; nobody’s going to give us an easy game.”
Scotland will certainly not. “On paper we’ve bridged the gap with England,” Kerr said. “But now we’ve got to bridge it where it counts, on the field. We’ve already captivated our nation by qualifying – now we must ensure the legacy. We don’t want this to be an isolated incident.”