Wiegman is also ruthless.
She dropped former England captain Steph Houghton in 2022, and told goalkeeper Mary Earps she would not be the number one for Euro 2025.
Her honesty is appreciated by many, but not all.
«Sarina has always been direct, she always says it how it is, whether you like it or not, and it’s something you have to take on the chin,» said midfielder Georgia Stanway.
«Get the people around you that you need and if she gives you some negative feedback then you know that the rest of the staff are going to help you to fix it.»
Kirby went from being a starter in 2022, to the fringes of the squad before she was told she would not make the cut for 2025.
The Brighton midfielder announced her international retirement early as a result but says Wiegman learned quickly what style of feedback people could handle.
«If it’s not right for the team, she will be direct with you, regardless of what you are feeling,» said Kirby.
«But she gets to know you, so you have that respect for her when you do have to have that difficult conversation. You know that it’s not personal, it’s just she needs more from you or she needs you to do more for the team.
«She is just consistent with everyone, regardless of whether you’ve got 80 caps or five. Everyone is treated the same.»
White says they had regular one-to-one conversations when Wiegman first took over and they often discussed analysis on Zoom away from camp.
«She visits clubs as well, and has communication with club managers. She’ll always pick up the phone to you no matter what time it is,» added White.
«She’s so approachable. Yes, she is the manager, but she is a human being. She wants what is best for you.»
Bardsley’s injuries meant she had to retire before making an appearance under Wiegman but she had regular contact throughout her attempted comeback.
The ex-goalkeeper was given a six-week deadline to return to play and when it was clear she wouldn’t make it, she called Wiegman, who was «very empathetic».
«She is really emotionally intelligent and could feel I was disappointed. It probably made her selection headache a lot easier but she said lots of nice things about my career. I was just grateful,» said Bardsley.
«I would have loved to have played under her. She took the time to have a chat and I really appreciated that because she didn’t have to do that.»
But Houghton did not feel she was given the same treatment and has been critical of Wiegman’s approach to her.
Writing in her book, Houghton said she felt Wiegman was «pretty brutal» in how she communicated that she would not be part of her squad for the 2023 World Cup.
«We were told we would know the final World Cup squad on Tuesday,» Houghton wrote.
«On the Monday, I had an appearance at St George’s Park for Nike. When I went back to the changing room, I had a missed call from Sarina. She didn’t know I was there, so when I told her, she asked me to go and meet her in the canteen, where she told me she wasn’t taking me.
«I found myself wondering if this would have been a face-to-face conversation if I hadn’t already been at St George’s Park. Sarina told me that I probably wouldn’t play for England while she was in charge.
«She obviously made her mind up, which is fine and I’ve got to respect that. The problem was more that I think she’d intended to have this conversation over the phone, and she knew she was going to tell me I wasn’t in her plans at all. I thought that called for a face-to-face conversation given the career I’d had.»
