The Lionesses have been made to fight before. But scarcely in a game of this magnitude and intensityFull-time, and the England substitutes in their tracksuits bound on to the pitch in blissful release. Lotte Wubben-Moy jumps for joy. Niamh Charles has a smile the width of Sydney Harbour. Jordan Nobbs wheels her arms around like a DJ. But the faces of their teammates bear subtly different expressions. The injured Rachel Daly lies on the turf, breathing deeply. Millie Bright solemnly applauds the crowd, spent and expressionless. Jess Carter blinks back tears of relief. Perhaps, in order to have truly enjoyed this World Cup quarter-final, it helps not have played in it.For this was a nasty, brutish thing: 114 minutes of...
Sarina Wiegman has to make biggest fix yet as England go into Women’s World Cup quarter-final without Lauren James Having taken the long flight from London to Sydney, I’m here to catch the World Cup from the quarter-finals. And when I looked at the final eight, I’d say the four teams with greatest clarity were on the same side of the draw: Sweden, Japan, Spain and the Netherlands. You don’t need to second-guess them, they’re confident and know their roles so well. On the opposite side, each team have improvements to make, including England, where Sarina Wiegman is still searching for the tactics to bring the best from her players.Availability is so important. England are without the suspended Lauren James...
Manager faces a tactical and personnel conundrum going into quarter-final with Colombia – but she is nothing if not prepared Michelle Alozie’s butt is fine. We can probably stop talking about Michelle Alozie’s butt now. As the Nigeria defender put it herself, the time has probably come to draw a line under the warm potage of takes and judgments that followed her fleeting brush with notoriety during Monday’s game against England. You might think that a woman with a degree in molecular biology, a job as a researcher into childhood leukaemia and four appearances at the World Cup would be remembered for something other than being Lauren James’s temporary carpet. But that is not yet the world we live in.Nevertheless,...
Sarina Wiegman’s tactical switch risks playing to their last-16 rivals’ strengths but her tight-knit defence should be up to the jobAs one of seven teams to have qualified for all nine Women’s World Cups, Nigeria will not regard themselves as underdogs against England on Monday. Admittedly, the Super Falcons have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals but, after beating Australia 3-2 and drawing 0-0 with the Olympic champions, Canada, their confidence is high.It probably suits Randy Waldrum’s side that a lot of England fans are likely to underestimate them, but Sarina Wiegman will know an awful lot hinges on the quality and discipline of her team’s press in their new 3-5-2 formation. Continue reading...
After opening the World Cup with two edgy displays the Lionesses cut loose with a new formation against ChinaWith one display, the pressure that had been mounting on Sarina Wiegman and her England team has eased. A 6-1 victory over China, ranked 14th in the world, saw the Lionesses hit cruise control on a night that brought surprise and an end to their struggles in front of goal.It was the sort of display that can set alight a team’s campaign and it led Wiegman to claim England were “growing into the tournament”. Edgy 1-0 victories had done little to answer questions about England’s capabilities at both ends of the pitch, with several players lacking in form and confidence. Continue reading...