Left-back setback
When Ella Toone’s equaliser hit the net on Wednesday night, the midfielder Jill Scott hugged her England teammate Rachel Daly, who had slumped on to the bench two minutes earlier. It was a brief moment of comfort, with the arms saying: ‘It’s all OK.’ Daly had struggled in England’s 2-1 quarter-final defeat of Spain. The half-time introduction of Real Madrid’s Athenea del Castillo caused the makeshift left-back all sorts of problems and the 21-year-old forward made light work of Daly’s misjudged challenge before delivering for Esther González to fire Spain in front. No player will have a perfect game every time, but with Spain a higher level of opposition England’s weaknesses were exposed. Sarina Wiegman has shown she likes to stick with an established XI. Daly, meanwhile, is not likely to slump into the shadows after a poor match but, equally, she is not a natural left-back. Daly plays as a No 9 for Houston Dash and has deputised for Lucy Bronze at right-back for England in recent years. She is versatile, perhaps the most versatile player in the squad, but the further England progress the greater the test of just how well she has adjusted to the position. Wiegman has options, with Demi Stokes a strong defensive left-back and Alex Greenwood, only recently converted to a centre-back, offering something different when it comes to set pieces.
Centre-forward conundrum
The possibility of someone dislodging England’s record goalscorer, Ellen White, from her starting berth has been a hot topic throughout the Euros. The impact of Alessia Russo as a substitute has whetted the appetite of those desperate for fresh blood up top. Russo, joint third with France’s Grace Geyoro in the race for the Golden Boot, has scored three times and provided one assist in four games, coming on in place of White each time. White has scored twice but has averaged 112 minutes per goal to Russo’s 55 and has a shot-to-goal conversion rate of 20% to Russo’s 38%. If you go by the maths, a switch makes sense. But what about the broader impact? Russo has proved she is an excellent option off the bench; stick White there and it is unlikely she would be as effective. Russo has pace and presence and has entered the fray often against tiring legs and it is not a given she would prove as successful from kick-off. Then who do you turn to? Beth England is yet to play at the tournament and wasn’t quite clicking in the pre-Euros friendlies. Chloe Kelly or Beth Mead could be shifted to the centre but these formulations are untested under Wiegman. Put Russo in the starting XI and there is added pressure on the 23-year-old to go up another gear. England are unlikely to cede as much possession as they did against Spain to any other team. Spain was a tough test. But the existing formula got England through.
Next generation make their mark
With the Lionesses a goal down and facing a reputation-damaging exit from a home Euros at the quarter-final stage, Wiegman turned to her bench. Off came White, Mead and Fran Kirby and on came Kelly, Toone and Russo. The decision to take off respectively the team’s record goalscorer, the tournament top scorer and their midfield magician, three of the squad’s most experienced and in-form players, was bold. Wiegman has shown time and again she is not sentimental – benching the Netherlands captain Mandy van den Berg during the team’s home Euros in 2017 and leaving the former England captain Steph Houghton out of this summer’s squad. The decision to place Russo, Toone and Kelly, all competing for England at a major international tournament for the first time, on to the frontline against a physical and tricky Spain was a statement of belief in their quality. It took some time for the goals to come but their impact was instant, the heads of the whole team lifted by the energy and presence of the dynamic newer players. England showed they have guts, and the next generation proved they are ready to step up.
Earps repays faith
Mary Earps’s journey to being England No 1 has been tumultuous and unexpected. After benefiting somewhat from injuries to Karen Bardsley and Ellie Roebuck, the goalkeeper rose to the top of the pile under Phil Neville. She played in front of a then record-breaking 77,768 fans at Wembley in November 2019 and then her England journey ended. Over two years, Earps made peace with the fact that her international career was over, until she was recalled for Wiegman’s first camp. She has since cemented herself as Wiegman’s first-choice goalkeeper. Until the quarter-final, Earps had not been tested at this Euros. Shortly after Spain had taken the lead in Brighton, Earps stretched high and leaned back to scoop away Athenea’s effort and keep England in contention. It was a stunning and important save and one she needed, to maintain her confidence going into games where she will probably see more and more of the ball and to further instil belief in the players in front of her.
Have you seen our Women’s Euro 2022 marketing activity online? Tell us what you think by filling in our survey.
