England confident positive clicks won't turn into damaging cliques
In official terms, this exclusive club are known as the substitutes, or 'finishers' to use the modern variation. For England, the non-starters are called the 'positive clicks', a phrase born out of last Sunday's 6-1 win over Wales, during which England's substitutes clicked their fingers to get one another going.
'We were all snapping [our fingers] as a little bit of our motivation and energy among each other,' Beth Mead, who started England's loss to France before dropping to the bench for the two games since, said.
The name was teased during that Wales win. Mead and Aggie Beever-Jones both scored off the bench, and each celebrated by clicking their fingers and embracing their fellow substitutes in the dugout.
And as England prepare for their quarter-final against Sweden on Thursday, Chloe Kelly has confirmed the moniker is now established in the camp.
'We have a group chat, 'the finishers' as you call it and the 'positive clicks' we call it,' Kelly, who came off the bench in each of England's three group matches, said. 'On the bench before the [Wales] game we were all clicking and everyone was like, 'What are they doing?' We said, 'If one of us comes on and scores then let's do that as our celebration.' '
The group chat was created by Maya Le Tissier, a defender yet to play at the tournament, so that photos of the celebration could be shared. As well as this practical function, the chat has a symbolic meaning.
'We work really hard on the training pitch and in the gym,' Kelly said. 'It sometimes goes unnoticed but it's about sticking together, being at our best for when we are called upon and training hard to get the best out of each other. We also need to make sure the girls starting are fully prepared. We've got a great group of girls.'
Nonetheless, the starters are unlikely to be added to the chat any time soon. Keira Walsh, an ever-present in England's Euros campaign so far, responded blankly when asked about the clicking celebration on Sunday. Walsh's midfield partner, Georgia Stanway, was still confused on Tuesday.
'Georgia was asking Keira and Keira said, 'You've already asked me that and I didn't know,' ' Kelly said light-heartedly. 'I'm sure Keira will be in the loop now.'
Meanwhile, Mead touched upon the challenges of not starting on Sunday. 'We sometimes underestimate how hard it can be for the bench and players that don't get on the pitch as much,' she said.
Kelly and Mead's comments, alongside Walsh and Stanway's confusion, naturally evoke concerns of a rift between starters and finishers. Sarina Wiegman looks to have found her best XI in the big wins over the Netherlands and Wales, so could the 23-woman squad split into two factions? Might the positive clicks become a damaging clique?
Not if this tournament echoes England's triumphant Euro 2022 campaign. Wiegman knows how to identify a consistent XI while keeping her other players ready to perform, and this balancing act was exemplified three years ago. The head coach started the same XI for all six games but her substitutes delivered crucial interventions, such as Ella Toone's late equaliser in the quarter-final, Alessia Russo's famous backheel in the semis or Kelly's winner in the final at Wembley.
The quarter-final against Sweden is expected to be tight, so the substitutes could prove vital. And if the 'positive clicks' continue to embrace their role without harming unity, England may have the edge when the two coaches turn to their benches.
'We support each other very well as a 23,' Kelly said. 'It's about what it takes to win a tournament and that's what we're trying to do. In football sometimes cliques are negative but [this is] definitely a positive clique.'
Sweden v England
Women's Euros quarter-final, Zurich
Thursday, 8pm (UK time)
TV BBC1
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