Disappointment under the lights of St James Park saw England hang their heads as France came from behind to settle a 2-1 victory on the road. Losing their first European Qualifier Group Stage fixture since 2000, there wasn’t a great cause for celebration for the English side in Newcastle.
Despite the Lionesses looking vibrant in glimpses, Sarina Wiegman’s England outfit failed to find answers for the questions being asked of them as play ticked down in Newcastle.
Answerless England
After what was a brilliant campaign on the home soil of English turf in EURO 2022, England’s battles have seemed to become uphill with each encounter since.
Returning to a near-identical rotation with the return of long term injured stars, Wiegman has recently been seen to revert to the style that found success in the Summer of 2022.
Opting against starting the brilliant form of Alex Greenwood, and seeming to force former starlets into their older moulds, have both seen Wiegman play safe and sorry in recent fixtures.
Keira Walsh’s dominance sees her man-marked out of play more often than not, and with that comes England’s inability to break the lines during any scene of an attacking motion.
After falling out of Olympic Qualification due to respective losses at the hands of both Netherlands and Belgium, recent times haven’t been completely positive for the Lionesses.
When in control of the tempo, England shine. Though when their opponents start to gain the momentum, it seems as if the Lionesses struggle to adapt their playing style in order to garner a response.
Depth Ignored
As France took the reins at St James Park and rode their lead into the 80th minute, Sarina Wiegman opted for two changes as the clock ran down. Chloe Kelly and Fran Kirby took to the field, despite decent form not seeing either shine intensely at a club level.
There is no denying the brilliance of experience, though with a bench stacked with starlets who continue to flex their muscles, it feels as if copious amounts of talent is being ignored under the excuse of safety.
Grace Clinton (21) and Jess Park (22) are amongst the impressive calibre of midfielders in the highly competitive Barclays Women’s Super League. Clinton’s senior debut for the Lionesses saw her shine against Italy, whilst her loan tenure under Robert Vilahamn allowed her to prove her strength against some of the most talented footballers on the globe. With questions being left unanswered by the rotation of senior midfielders within England’s starting eleven, it could be time for Wiegman to trust the youth.
Defensive Strength despite Set Piece Woes
The golden tickets on the occasion for the visitors both arrived from opportunistic set piece situations. Corner kicks at either end saw France find the back of the net, despite what was a solid evening in Newcastle for England’s defence.
In what has been an ever-changing defensive line over recent months, Wiegman’s back four flexed their muscles against an incredibly unforgiving French front line in several moments.
Leah Williamson was back at her best, setting up the lone score for her side as she split play open with a searching ball in the field’s central areas. Millie Bright returns with force as she locked out most attempted entry by the French, whilst Jess Carter did well to mitigate the electric pace of Delphine Cascarino. Though as individual performances did well in isolation, there were moments where the unity of the defensive line had a large feel of casualness for such an important clash.
An Ellen White shaped hole
Rich for choice on the wing, England are relying on Alessia Russo as their one true nine heading into the future.
Upon the retirement of Ellen White, Wiegman has experimented with both the deployment of Lauren Hemp and Lauren James in the nine position when not opting for Russo’s presence across ninety minutes. Though neither is an out-and-out striker, and it has become increasingly obvious that the Lionesses are in desperate need of a competitor in the number nine spot to match Russo’s endeavour.
Without denying the brilliant hold up play and assertive presence that Russo brings to the England side, the absence of a powerhouse striker amidst their ranks is causing issues for the English.
Whilst Russo catalyses play in the field’s central areas whilst dropping deeper into a midfield role, the box is almost always left wide open when the Lionesses transition into a forward action. As Russo drops, Toone often fails to travel higher, and England are left without answers inside of the area in a cycle of painful repetition.
The future holds the bright spark of Jessica Naz and Aggie Beever-Jones in the ranks of the front line, though even still, neither are the answer to the affirmative position of Ellen White. Whether or not an up and coming nine is on the horizon, truth lies in the fact that Wiegman needs to adjust play to treat Russo as Russo, and not Russo as White.
