England At Euro 2025: Wiegman Gets Key Decisions Right To Give Lionesses Hope | Tom Garry

“Lovely,” said Sarina Wiegman, peering inquisitively astatine a tv surface successful nan acold area of nan room. The England caput coach was responding to nan news that Jess Fishlock had conscionable scored Wales’s first goal astatine a awesome women’s world tournament, but fixed nan temper successful nan property convention room, she could easy besides person been referring to her ain team’s capacity aft they steamrolled nan Netherlands.

The reside and nan ambiance of nan post-match exchanges was wholly contrasting to nan segment successful nan aforesaid media room 4 days earlier, aft nan Lionesses had been second-best against France. This time, present was a proud Wiegman, a coach whose players had carried retired her gameplan to perfection, and a coach who – while admitting she had felt “a small tension” earlier kick-off – intelligibly had ever had condemnation that her squad would present nether pressure. The back-to-back Euros winners made immoderate large decisions for this pivotal lucifer and they each paid off.

Moving Lauren James to nan correct wing

Wiegman’s sole alteration successful unit successful her starting lineup was Ella Toone replacing Beth Mead and, successful tandem pinch that switch, Lauren James moved retired to nan correct helping wherever she had nan state to show nan world precisely really lethal she is. The Chelsea guardant caused misery for nan Dutch backline, particularly their left-back Esmee Brugts, who had nary reply to James’s immaculate adjacent control, equilibrium and strength.

James besides recovered occurrence cutting inside, exemplified by her powerful onslaught into nan area pinch her near ft for England’s opening goal, and occasionally she dropped deeper to cod nan shot and dribble her measurement done a crowd of 3 Dutch midfielders, conscionable because she can. Predominantly seeing her wide connected nan right, though, undeniably gave England a amended balance, and successful nan No 10 domiciled alternatively was a hard-working Toone, whose runs and off-the-ball search afloat vindicated Wiegman’s selections.

Swapping Jess Carter and Alex Greenwood’s positions

The move to centre-back for Jess Carter helped England neutralise nan Netherlands guardant line. Photograph: Harriet Lander/The FA/Getty Images

The different positional accommodation of statement was Wiegman’s determination to move Jess Carter to centre-back, wherever she astir commonly plays for her club, and to move Alex Greenwood retired to nan left-back position, successful a consecutive swap. Both players look to look astir astatine location successful nan centre of defence but Greenwood coped better, arsenic a earthy left-footer, than Carter had done against France, while arsenic Carter produced an outstanding capacity connected Wednesday, hardly giving Vivianne Miedema a sniff of a chance.

Asked why she had made that change, Wiegman explained: “That had to do pinch a mates of things: nan gait that nan Netherlands have, and we expected that successful nan centre, wherever they wanted a batch of runs successful behind. They besides had gait now pinch Chasity Grant connected our [left-hand] side, and pinch Alex, her near foot, connected nan near side, successful possession we hoped we would administer much going forward.”

Playing agelong balls complete nan top

Very noticeable astir England’s strategies connected Wednesday was really often they sought to get down nan Dutch defence by playing well-weighted balls complete nan apical for Alessia Russo to tally connected to, and it worked to fantabulous effect. Russo’s tireless activity and intelligent runs into channels was mixed pinch inch-perfect long-range passing, astir impressively from nan goalkeeper Hannah Hampton.

The Chelsea shot-stopper’s defence-splitting walk that led to England’s opening goal, successful particular, has deservedly been praised, arsenic she someway picked retired Russo’s tally while placing her walk done nan oculus of a needle to debar each Dutch subordinate moving betwixt nan 2 of them. The 24-year-old’s distribution is simply a limb England tin adhd to their attacking options and Wiegman’s determination to backmost her arsenic her caller No 1 paid disconnected successful this regard.

Keeping religion successful Stanway

On a database of respective England players who were underwhelming against France was Georgia Stanway, who by her ain admittance “couldn’t do nan things that I wanted to beryllium capable to do successful possession” successful England’s opener, but nan Bayern Munich midfielder said pinch passion and determination astatine nan property conference, acknowledging that England had not been bully capable and her rousing words encouraged England to “go backmost to their roots” of difficult work.

On Wednesday, existent to her ain works, Stanway’s activity complaint was immense, arsenic she played pinch nan benignant of precocious intensity, grit and accomplishment that she had shown during England’s Euro 2022 triumph. Her goal, struck first-time into nan bottommost area from scope pinch existent venom, epitomised nan value of her all-round capacity and reminded everybody watching why she is specified an integral portion of nan team.

Georgia Stanway repaid her manager’s religion pinch a good capacity and awesome extremity against nan Dutch. Photograph: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

Not panicking

Stanway’s property convention connected Monday had besides group nan reside for England to bounce back, arsenic they erstwhile again demonstrated their expertise to problem-solve. After nan nonaccomplishment to France, nan Lionesses and Wiegman faced plentifulness of reliable questions but, alternatively of ripping up nan strategy book, dropping 4 aliases 5 players aliases triggering fallouts betwixt unit successful nan group, nan Lionesses recovered a togetherness, and that mostly comes from Wiegman’s calm approach.

Her consequence to wins is ne'er excessively delirious and likewise her consequence to defeats is ne'er excessively negative, and she backed her players to deliver. They, successful turn, looked astatine themselves to reside their form, alternatively than infighting. There is still a agelong measurement to spell until nan last successful Basel, and England – who person alternated betwixt wins and losses for nan past 7 matches – do request to activity connected their consistency, but they person recovered nan blueprint now for really they tin win successful Switzerland.