Marley deflects talk of England pressure

England coach Mo Marley is looking forward to seeing how her players "handle the expectations" of being holders when they begin their UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship campaign against Scotland on Monday.

Marley oversaw England's first success at this level last season in Belarus, her side defeating Sweden 2-0 in the final. Ten months on, England are widely fancied to mount another strong challenge in the Former Yugolsav Republic of Macedonia, anticipation Marley hopes her squad can use to aid their international development.

"I don't think we are under any pressure as champions; it's just another new challenge," Marley told UEFA.com. "Some of the players will have experienced last year and will want to continue, and there will be new players who will want to achieve the same success. It will be a new experience for our players and we are looking forward to seeing how they will handle the expectations. This is all part of their development as high performers."

After Scotland, England take on two former champions – Italy and three-time winners Germany – in arguably the toughest of the two sections. "The group is very challenging with the experience and success of Germany and, of course, the recent success of Italy, winners in 2008," added Marley, who also coaches Everton LFC. "Scotland have also made great progress over the last few years. They have progressed rapidly and I am sure they will challenge all the teams in our group."

Unlike last season, when Everton were denied the league title on goal difference by Arsenal LFC, Marley will head into the final tournament as a winner at club level after the her side avenged that setback by defeating the Londoners 3-2 in the FA Women's Cup final. Understandably, her confidence is high, something she hopes will rub off on her squad.

"The season is much better when you win a trophy so we at Everton are very happy that we have a gold medal," said Marley, whose team also finished runners-up to the Gunners in the English top flight, earning themselves a place in the UEFA Women's Champions League. "When you experience success it is great to be able to pass on these experiences in many ways when you prepare your team; both positive experiences and negative ones - they're all valuable. Some of the players will be able to reinforce some of the emotions and help motivate the team to be successful."

For a more in-depth look at England and how they gear up for these finals, click here.