Phil Neville has been keen on rotation throughout the World Cup and Stanway and Daly – both making their World Cup debuts – certainly justified their selectionKnown as a bit of a tinkerman, even those most used to Phil Neville’s mix-it-up style baulked at the eight changes for such a statement game against Japan. He has made 12 in the three games. Having qualified, only top of the group was up for grabs, but with the USA and France both throwing down their title credentials, the former in some style, this was a chance for England to announce themselves as serious contenders in a side of the draw where they could meet either team.Dropping the “crot” (cross/shot) queen Beth Mead,...
Phil Neville has been making all the right decisions but it is important he brings Millie Bright back to face JapanThanks to a brilliant performance from Vanina Correa in the Argentina goal England’s task on Friday turned out to be more difficult than they might have expected when the draw was made, and I think they should be very pleased that it was. It was the perfect time to have quite a difficult game, and England will be a stronger team in this World Cup for having faced it and prevailed.There have been more impressive scorelines: USA beat Thailand 13-0, Italy beat Jamaica 5-0 and France put four past South Korea. Those results are great and definitely build confidence but...
From Mr Inferior Product to Mr I Prefer Parks, the tournament has caused a cosmic imbalance that we must redressOnce again I am hugely grateful to the community that will not allow us to forget the great under-reported story of this Women’s World Cup: men. Most specifically, the men who are not watching it. We hear so much about the tournament itself. Too much, it is argued – and at the expense of one of the four great civil rights questions of our era: 1) When are we getting a White History Month? 2) When is International Men’s Day? 3) Isn’t it time we had Straight Pride? and 4) Can you imagine how sexist people would say it was if...
Because of the rivalry, Scotland are probably the toughest test for Phil Neville’s side in the group stage so to start the World Cup with a 2-1 win represents a job well doneAs World Cup opening matches go, I thought it was a very assured and professional performance from England considering the anticipation there had been building up to the game against Scotland. Because of rivalry between the two countries and the familiarity that exists among the players, it was always going to be a difficult hurdle to overcome for Phil Neville’s side and I was impressed by the way they approached the task. They looked like a team who are ready to play seven games in the tournament.I’ve seen...
Nikita Parris will join the Ballon d’Or nominee Lucy Bronze at Lyon next season and the England pair showed exactly why they have been signed by Europe’s leading clubThere was an all too familiar ruthlessness with which Lucy Bronze and Nikita Parris, who will both be playing for Lyon from next season, attacked the part-time care worker and Scotland left-back Nicola Docherty. That same efficiency was on display at the Parc des Princes on Friday in a France team built around the treble‑winning stars of that Lyon side – but it can almost look cruel.There is only one setting for any player at the six-time European champions, they play turned up all the way to 11 and then some –...