Did England's draw with Portugal provide more questions than answers?

1 year ago 27

England question to Australia successful 4 days' clip for the Women's World Cup, but a disappointing goalless gully with Portugal leaves plentifulness for manager Sarina Wiegman to ponder.

Team selection, a preferred strategy and whether injured players volition instrumentality to fittingness successful clip for the competition, are among the cardinal questions arsenic the Lionesses' mentation ramps up.

Wiegman's starting XI for England's final send-off crippled connected location soil raised eyebrows erstwhile she selected Aston Villa striker Rachel Daly up of regular fig 9 Alessia Russo.

There was besides a starting spot for Chelsea's talented winger Lauren James, portion in-form Manchester City guardant Chloe Kelly sat connected the bench.

There were besides tweaks successful defence arsenic Wiegman assessed her options without her injured skipper Millie Bright. Centre-back Alex Greenwood played left-back for 45 minutes, portion Esme Morgan and Jess Carter formed an unfamiliar partnership.

But a level show lacking fluidity and goals, suggested determination are inactive plentifulness of decisions Wiegman needs to marque earlier England's World Cup opener against Haita connected 22 July.

Asked whether she felt determination were much questions than answers, Wiegman said: "Oh, much answers. And answers already springiness different question of people due to the fact that we ever privation to improve."

Yet contempt Wiegman's insistence, determination remains cardinal places inactive up for grabs and the Dutchwoman looks nary person to knowing her starting XI.

Reaction to England's gully with Portugal

Have England recovered their fig 9 yet?

One of the biggest talking points heading into the tourney is who volition beryllium England's fig nine.

During their palmy Euro 2022 campaign, Ellen White - present retired - started each game, with Russo providing an interaction disconnected the seat arsenic 1 of respective 'super-subs.'

Russo was the evident successor arsenic England's starring centre-forward, but she has lacked consistency since past summertime and finished beneath Golden Boot victor Daly and Tottenham striker Bethany England successful the Women's Super League scoring charts this season.

It means the doorway is wide unfastened for a starting spot, with Daly fixed her accidental against Portugal.

The Aston Villa striker failed to instrumentality it, squandering respective chances successful the archetypal half, earlier Russo made an interaction successful the 2nd fractional pursuing her introduction.

But with some strikers failing to find the nett against a Portugal broadside ranked 17 places little and who person qualified for their archetypal World Cup, is Wiegman immoderate person to knowing her preferred fig nine?

"We haven't made decisions yet. It's close. There is simply a existent contention going connected and we person Rachel Daly, we person Alessia Russo and we person Beth England," said Wiegman.

"I'm not person [to knowing], no. I deliberation successful immoderate positions it's truly tight. This is not the clip to marque last decisions arsenic we person immoderate weeks to go."

Is James amended suited arsenic a fig 10?

Another determination facing Wiegman is however to get the champion retired of James, who is wide considered 1 of the astir talented players of her generation, albeit a small unorthodox.

There is stiff contention successful wide guardant positions with Manchester City duo Kelly and Lauren Hemp proving their worthy connected plentifulness of occasions antecedently - astir notably erstwhile Kelly came disconnected the seat to people the winning extremity successful the Euro 2022 final.

James was unsafe against Portugal, linking up nicely with Lucy Bronze successful the archetypal half, though failing to nutrient the last shot erstwhile it mattered.

However, a power astatine half-time from Wiegman, dropping James into a deeper fig 10 position, seemed to get the champion retired of her arsenic she often combined with Russo and winger Kelly.

The champion accidental of the lucifer came via James erstwhile she slid it done to Russo to circular the keeper - the striker denied lone by the brilliance of a goalline artifact by Ana Borges.

So what strategy volition Wiegman usage astatine the World Cup and is James' relation possibly much effectual successful the mediate than retired wide?

"You tin archer that she tin play connected the side, but she tin besides play connected the centre. She's choky connected the ball, she's precise powerful, and has vision," said Wiegman.

"I deliberation we could spot idiosyncratic who really did truly bully things, and I besides deliberation you could spot successful immoderate moments that she could marque immoderate decisions a small quicker. So we'll reappraisal that with the squad later."

Are England acceptable for the World Cup?

With respective players already missing done wounded - skipper Leah Williamson, guardant Beth Mead and midfielder Fran Kirby - the remaining question marks astir cardinal centre-back Bright's fittingness is simply a concern.

It lone adds to Wiegman's conundrums, which did not consciousness arsenic analyzable heading into Euro 2022.

England's signifier has besides dipped slightly. Their 30-game unbeaten tally ended with decision by Australia anterior to their gully with the Portuguese astatine Stadium MK.

There are suitable explanations for this including wounded and rustiness pursuing a period without a competitory lucifer since the extremity of the WSL season.

But were England amended prepared past summertime than they are now?

"I don't subordinate that to each other. I deliberation the squad has changed truthful there's different squad dynamic present due to the fact that we person different radical successful and antithetic qualities. It's a caller situation," added Wiegman.

"We proceed to make our benignant of play, with the players we have, and that's however we attack it. I deliberation we're successful a precise bully place.

"This crippled was precise helpful, though we are disappointed we didn't people a goal. You tin archer that we truly cognize what we privation to bash and that's truly what we're moving on."

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