Bayern Munich midfielder Georgia Stanway says it is “inevitable” that England will “stabilize at some point” after raising expectations.
The Lionesses were champions of Euro 2022 and reached the last date of the Women’s World Cup in Australia.
On the other hand, the complaints have moved closer to a disappointing Country Women’s League campaign and their inability to qualify for the 2024 Olympics.
They were beaten 4-3 by Germany at Wembley in a friendly on Friday, the first time they had conceded four goals in a match under coach Sarina Wiegman.
“When expectations are continuous, we probably won’t be able to live up to them. I think it’s inevitable that at some point we’ll hit a plateau,” Stanway said.
“We have been with Sarina [Wiegman] for four years, so we will reach a point where we will not be able to win continuously because teams will discover us.
“That’s where we have to work together to reinvent ourselves: alternate paths a little, parts here and there, and face the opposition again.
“As much as teams evolve, we have to evolve too.”
The Lionesses face South Africa at the CBS Area in Coventry on Tuesday (kick-off 19:45 GMT) as they continue their preparations for Euro 2025.
Stanway told BBC Radio 5 Live that staff “came up” under Wiegman and that “a hole in the street is normal”.
“Facing adversity is normal. The game against Germany was interesting. We couldn’t control it, but it was an opportunity to continue growing,” he added.
“The external media believe that the result is that we played a good game. We need to focus on performance.
“Playing with England is another stage. We boost the points, we need coherence in emotions and I am waiting for an example. People omit that we lost an accumulation of overweight characters.
“Myself, [Ella] toone and alessia [Russo] We were born in 1999. We are not experienced leaders yet, but I am only 25 years old. “I also try to learn every day.”
