Sarina Wiegman’s faith in her stalwarts has been the backbone of England’s success at tournaments.
Honesty with her players over when they will play, and how they can help the team, whether that be from the start or off the bench, is frequently praised. Wiegman’s transparency allows players to tailor their preparations without second-guessing late tactical shifts.
But on Saturday night that same loyalty looked, for the first time, like a liability as England were outfought and outpaced by a battling France side, whose aggressive press and superior athleticism dismantled the holders and set up a 2-1 win.
England are the first defending champions to lose their opening group game of a women’s Euros.
Lucy Bronze had a punishing evening against her Chelsea team-mate Sandy Baltimore, who was sensational for the Treble winners last season.
On the opposite flank, Jess Carter also suffered against the electric Delphine Cascarino, with the England defender admitting as much afterwards.
Sarina Wiegman’s faith in her stalwarts has been the backbone of England’s success
However, loyalty proved to be a liability in England’s 2-1 loss to France on Saturday
The decision to start Lauren James (pictured), Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp and Georgia Stanway was a significant gamble
‘We all have days where we’re just having a bit of a mare on the ball and unfortunately there was more than one player doing that,’ said the Gotham FC left back.
Wiegman’s decision to start Lauren James, Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp and Georgia Stanway was a significant gamble considering how little they have featured recently.
Greenwood and Hemp had each played only one full match — last month’s Nations League clash with Spain — since returning from injuries sustained at the end of last year.
Stanway, recovering from a knee injury she suffered in January, had only completed a full 90 minutes in the friendly against Jamaica last weekend. As for James, this marked her first start since April 4.
Those four have long been among Wiegman’s most trusted lieutenants, central to England’s run to the World Cup final two years ago. Yet starting all of them felt like an unnecessary risk and England suffered because of it.
‘I make a lot of considerations before I pick a starting line-up,’ Wiegman said. ‘I do it with my technical staff. Sometimes things go well and sometimes it doesn’t, but I don’t have regrets because we try to turn every stone before we pick the line-up.’
There is a difference between match fitness and match sharpness, and that contrast was clear. It was highlighted further when Ella Toone, Grace Clinton and Michelle Agyemang were brought on and added some much-needed quality, albeit too late in the day.
Toone and Clinton have been Manchester United’s best players this season — the former her club’s leading light as they qualified for the Champions League, the latter industrious in defence and clinical in front of goal.
Georgia Stanway has been recovering from a knee injury and did not look match fit
Michelle Agyemang also deserves more than an 86th-minute introduction
Introducing them against Netherlands on Wednesday in place of Stanway and James would shore up England defensively, as well as bringing more energy alongside Keira Walsh.
Agyemang also deserves more than an 86th-minute introduction. She is powerful and her physicality brings something different to England’s attack — she managed to get under the skin of the France backline.
On Sunday, the players who did not feature or played limited minutes spent time working on one-v-one drills, an area in which England really struggled.
The mood was light and Hemp revealed conversations within the squad had leant towards ‘putting an arm around each other’ rather than calling each other out.
‘We’ve got to come together rather than push each other further apart,’ the 24-year-old winger added. ‘That’s what this team are good at — getting around each other and supporting each other. We’re going to need everyone back up to their best on Wednesday.’
Loyalty built this team. But now evolution and not sentimentality must guide Wiegman’s next move… before it’s too late.
