Alex Greenwood (Manchester City)
Sarina Wiegman’s trust in Greenwood was emphasised when the England manager named the Manchester City defender as the Lionesses’ captain for their Arnold Clark Cup win over Italy in February. Greenwood has also captained City in Steph Houghton’s absence and recently stressed she is not daunted by wearing the armband for club or country. “It’s a massive honour,” she said. “But it’s a responsibility I accept and quite enjoy. I don’t think of it as a pressure.”
Wiegman was particularly impressed by the maturity with which Greenwood, a former England youth captain with 73 caps, accepted spending most of the Lionesses’ successful Euro 2022 campaign on the bench. She lost her starting place on the left of central defence when, on the eve of the tournament, the manager opted to relocate Williamson from midfield to centre-half.
Although she now prefers to play the latter position, Greenwood was originally a left-back and remains extremely capable in the role. With Williamson removed from the World Cup equation it seems inconceivable that City’s set-piece specialist will not regularly start games in Australia.
She has been part of the England scene since the 2015 World Cup in Canada where she was the youngest member of Mark Sampson’s squad and subsequently became a favourite of Sampson’s successor, Phil Neville. Greenwood’s partner is the Sheffield United defender Jack O’Connell. “Often all Jack and I talk about is football,” she said last year. “We watch it and analyse it all the time.”
Steph Houghton (Manchester City)
After becoming national captain under Sampson in 2014 and leading England to the semi-finals of the 2015 and 2019 World Cups and the 2017 European Championship, a ruptured Achilles tendon prefaced Houghton losing the armband last year. After 12 months on the sidelines, Houghton has returned to stellar form and fitness but she has never regained her England place and exchanged harsh words with Wiegman after her omission from the Euro 2022 squad. As the Netherlands head coach, Wiegman had a reputation for the ruthless culling of older players.
It had seemed Houghton’s England career was over, but Williamson’s injury potentially re-opens the door. Gareth Taylor, City’s manager, suggests her enduring talent should not be overlooked. “Steph’s playing some of her best ever football,” he said. “She’s been pretty immense and her leadership qualities are huge. No one helps my team more than Steph. She’s top-class professionalism personified.”
Even if Wiegman were to offer the captaincy to another player, Houghton’s experience could prove invaluable as a squad member in Australia where the new captain could lean on her experience. After all, until 2017, Houghton benefited from playing and training alongside England’s former skipper, Casey Stoney, at major tournaments.
Houghton’s husband, the former Liverpool defender Stephen Darby, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2018. “What Steph’s going through is horrific but you’d never know,” said Neville. “She’s a brilliant player and an even better person. She’s got courage and class and is so respected by the other England players. She’s the ultimate professional.”
Millie Bright (Chelsea)
Bright’s powerful and intelligent performances at the heart of England’s defence proved a vital factor in their Euro 2022 triumph. As the Lionesses’ vice-captain she would normally be a shoo-in to replace Williamson but Bright, too, is nursing a knee injury, sustained last month, and her chances of reaching Australia hang in the balance.
On Friday, Emma Hayes, Chelsea’s manager, revealed Bright had undergone surgery on a “bony cartilage lesion” and would be out for several weeks. Worryingly for England fans, Bright – who has shone playing alongside Greenwood – is on crutches and Hayes refused to be drawn as to whether she will make the World Cup.
Given that articular cartilage repair is rarely straightforward and “bony lesion” can be code for “high-grade osteochondral defect”, Bright’s prospective involvement appears touch-and-go. Wiegman could certainly do with her, though.
Anita Asante, a former Chelsea teammate, has described her “calmness, composure, aerial ability and varied passing range” as being “key for England”. Asante regards her as “humble, grounded and full of energy and character”.
Lucy Bronze (Barcelona)
With Houghton injured, Bronze captained England during the 2018 She Believes Cup in the United States but has since displayed little enthusiasm for the role. After limping off with a knee injury while playing for Barcelona on Saturday, there may be another injury concern for the Lionesses.
“Too much pressure is placed on the England captain,” said Bronze, one of Wiegman’s most influential players, last year. “It can be quite difficult to handle.” Although the manager regards Bronze as a key member of England’s senior leadership group, she duly named Bright and the now retired, and heavily pregnant, Ellen White as Williamson’s two Euro 2022 deputies.
“Lucy has an important role as a leader in our team,” said Wiegman. “Her vision and intelligence enable her to find solutions.”
Significantly, Bronze is unafraid of confrontation; differences of opinion with her former City manager, Taylor, prefaced her move to Barcelona last summer. She is also more comfortable, and candid, in front of media microphones than Houghton. Might Wiegman yet persuade her to replace Williamson?
