Women’s World Cup: Questions still remain for Sarina Wiegman and England ahead of tournament
A draw is better than a defeat and England will fly off to the World Cup having not lost their final proper warm-up game for the first time. But the goalless draw with Portugal on Saturday means there are still questions to answer for the European champions.
A behind-closed-doors fixture with Canada in Australia will provide a final chance to fine tune before England’s campaign gets under way in three weeks’ time.
But from selection issues to concerns over the form of this side, the 0-0 at Stadium MK means there will be plenty of debate before that group stage opener with Haiti.
Who starts up front?
Against Portugal WSL top scorer Rachel Daly was given the nod to lead the line and looked a threat inside six minutes, steering a couple of headers on target. But whether it was a lack of sharpness after a standout season or an absence of attacking support, Daly, like her England team-mates, struggled to ignite in what was a flat first half.
There was a mood change after the break, when Alessia Russo replaced Daly – but while she was lively and caused problems the finishing touch was again missing, with the Arsenal-bound forward passing up a number of good openings.
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Beth England is also in the mix for that central role and, with the World Cup approaching, it seems the position is very much up for grabs.
Image: England's Alessia Russo had a series of chances against Portugal
“We haven’t made decisions yet. It’s close,” Wiegman told BBC Radio 5 Live afterwards. “There is a real competition going on and we have Rachel Daly, we have Alessia Russo, we have Beth England. We don’t have to make the final decisions and we haven’t done yet.”
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“Rach [Daly] and Beth (England) have both had great seasons as well,” she told ITV. “We get to train together which is mega for me and it’s nice to learn off them. They’re both older than me and have a lot of experience.”
Added into the attacking mix was a shift into the No10 role for Lauren James in the second half. There were flashes of how that could be an exciting move for this England side, with her playing Russo in for a one-on-one on the hour-mark. Another matter for Wiegman to mull over.
Defensive decisions to make
With Millie Bright on the bench, the pre-match question was how would England cope in central defence? The answer was comfortably. “Esme Morgan looked composed and assured alongside Jess Carter,” said Sky Sports News reporter Gail Davis, who was at Stadium MK.
Image: Millie Bright missed the draw with Portugal but will be a certain starter at the World Cup
The plan to move Carter into central defence alongside Morgan and go with the more attacking Alex Greenwood at left-back also showed promise.
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“I think that went well,” said Wiegman. “I was considering a left-footer at left back but also, do we have possession a lot? Do they have speed a lot? Like you saw with the speed of Jess and Esme, that helped. I also think they were calm and in possession they did well.”
Captain Bright is certain to return for the World Cup – but who plays alongside her and how attacking Wiegman wants to go in the full-back areas will be a talking point.
What about the midfield?
Sky Sports News’ Gail Davis: “We know they are Wiegman’s go-to trio but Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone and Keira Walsh struggled to get a grip on the midfield in the first half and the England manager will want more from them over the coming weeks.
Peaking to perfection?
Image: England were unable to sign off with a win but will still be confident of clicking at the right time at the World Cup
While it would have been a morale-booster to sign off from these shores with a convincing win, in reality England’s players are only midway through their preparations for the World Cup and a month away from when they need to be at their best.
Saturday’s performance certainly left room for improvement – but there’s plenty of time to make those gains. That was the attitude of the England players post-match.
“I think it’s about building on this performance,” substitute Chloe Kelly told BBC Radio 5 Live. “We’ve had two weeks of training together and we have a long time until this tournament starts – 22 July is when we want to be ready.
“It’s really important that we had a bit of downtime after the season and then get back in with the girls, and loving life on camp. To get minutes in our legs today is very important.
“We need more connection [in the penalty area] and as we build we will get that. That’s exactly what we’ll do in the coming weeks.
“We’ve ticked a box in getting minutes in our legs and move forward and build momentum”.
Image: Sarina Wiegman has some big decisions to make before the World Cup
Outlining the team’s schedule, Wiegman also struck a confident tone.
“This was the first game after we’ve not seen each other for a while – the last time was April,” she said. “This was good and then we will travel on Wednesday. It will take a little time to get adjusted in Australia.
“Then there is one more moment to play and then we should be ready.”
Until that moment, the questions and debate about England’s build-up will continue.
What’s next?
England have a behind-closed-doors match with Canada on Friday July 14 before their first group game at the World Cup, where they will face Haiti in Brisbane on Saturday July 22 at 10.30am UK BST. Denmark and China are also in Group D.
When and where is the 2023 Women’s World Cup?
This year’s tournament will be held in Australia and New Zealand making it the first co-hosted Women’s World Cup.
The tournament starts on July 20 with the final taking place on August 20 in Sydney at the Accor Stadium.
The USA are the defending champions and are looking to become the first team in the competition’s history to win the tournament three times in a row.
What is the World Cup schedule?
The group stage will begin on July 20 and run over a two-week period finishing on August 3 and see group winners and runners-up progress to the round of 16, which takes place from August 5 to August 8.
The quarter-finals, which will be held in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane and Sydney, are scheduled for August 11 and 12.
The first semi-final will then be played on August 15 in Auckland, with the other semi-final taking place on August 16 at the Accor Stadium in Sydney, which will then host the final on August 20.
A third-place play-off will be played the day before the final on August 19 in Brisbane.
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