They demonstrated that they mean business in Switzerland, trouncing Wales 6-1 following an important 4-0 victory over the Netherlands. It has not all been plain sailing – their 2-1 defeat to France in the first game set them back – but England are picking up the pace.
Sweden are next on Thursday (20:00 BST) in a Euro 2022 semi-final replay as England seek to extend the title defence. The group stages had presented the best and worst of England, as their defensive weaknesses were exposed by France and helped kick-start the remainder of the games.
Humbled by their opening defeat, the Lionesses promised to do their talking on the pitch – and they did. Comfortable wins over the Netherlands and Wales followed as they qualified for second spot in the group, dodging a heavyweight quarter-final tie against Germany in the process, and a possible encounter with world champions Spain or hosts Switzerland in the semis.
Where they ended up in the group didn’t matter to manager Sarina Wiegman – at least not on the surface – but she was happy with the “urgency” that the loss to France provided. That brought the group together, and everyone wanted to play and be successful,” she said. In the Netherlands game, we instilled urgency and momentum by playing well and to our strengths.”.
“With that loss, the sense of urgency arrived, and I believe the team responded well. Now, hopefully, we can present that again against Sweden. England dominated their victories against the Netherlands and Wales, scoring 10 goals along the way, and playing some of their finest free-flowing football.
Lauren James was the stand-out for her personal quality, Ella Toone demonstrated she belonged in the starting XI, and Alessia Russo was the glue at the top. It doesn’t feel like it at the moment, but losing to France was quite possibly the best thing that could have happened to us as a team, and it gave us motivation,” England striker Beth Mead said.
“We had tough talks, and we sorted it out. You don’t win or lose a tournament in the first match. Now we are in a place where we are constructing pretty well.” Midfielder Keira Walsh stated their “slow start” might have “kicked them into gear”, but they gained confidence and courage that had been missing in Zurich.
It would have been a crushing disappointment if England did not qualify for the knockout stages, but having come through from the strongest group in the competition, Georgia Stanway described it as something to be proud of. There have been numerous days in the tournament where we could have potentially been going home. Staying an extra few days is something we can be proud of,” she continued.
She was roundly criticised for her make-up in the initial defeat, when James began in the number 10 position and England’s midfield was torn apart. Jess Carter was tested thoroughly at left-back, and Stanway struggled to make any impact on the ball in midfield.
But she responded and got it just right against the Dutch, shuffling James out wide, introducing Toone to the starting XI and changing Alex Greenwood and Carter’s roles in the back four. It worked so well that she used the same starting XI against Wales. When asked what was the secret to England’s midfield revolution, Walsh replied: “I think huge credit to Ella Toone. She’s come in and done an amazing job.”.
“Fans talk about her offensively, but the defensive work she does for me and Georgia [Stanway] when she’s in there is unbelievable. She takes up so many areas that we can’t. That’s likely been the biggest thing which has prevented other teams from playing as well.”
Whether Wiegman twists or sticks again remains to be seen, but she has discovered a winning formula, and she is a manager who appreciates continuity, having won Euro 2022 with the same starting line-up for all six fixtures.
She has also picked up information on her squad depth with Aggie Beever-Jones coming off the bench to score against Wales, and youngster Michelle Agyemang having an impact in her fleeting appearance against France.
