England suffered a huge blow in their hopes to repeat as UEFA Women’s Euro champions. Their defeats were historic, as they became the first reigning champions to lose their opening match in a Euros group stage. In that semifinal against France, England came undone by the kind of errors that pop up out of nowhere. The team struggled to meet expectations both in the physical, technical, and tactical realms.
Unfortunately, Sarina Wiegman’s team floundered all over the field, especially in midfield, where they were physically and technically outmatched. Within only three minutes in the first half, England experienced a heartbreaking collapse. They allowed some very important goals, putting them on the defensive halfway through the game. The English national team failed to capitalize on its scoring chances. She didn’t face a single shot on target until the 87th minute.
England’s tactical decisions drew criticism. Though she was arguably England’s second-best goal threat after Alessia Russo, Aggie Beever-Jones didn’t even feature in the match. The move to start Lauren James was surprising. She had only played 40 minutes since April, and her initial return to play didn’t have the immediate impact everyone had hoped for.
Wiegman acknowledged her team’s shortcomings, stating, “They wanted to press, and are strong on the counter-attack. We were sloppy in possession and caused a bit our own problems. We can do better.” Her worries mirrored those of long-time captain Leah Williamson, who was notably upset with the England performance.
“Cheap defending one-vs-one. We were not good enough on the ball. I’ve not seen us like that for a long time, in terms of turning over the ball so much, it’s frustrating.” – Leah Williamson
As the match went on, England started losing the ball a lot more often than they were keeping it. Wiegman didn’t adjust for these tactical problems until the 60th minute. England’s chances of recovering by that stage were slim indeed. They looked listless and aimless, on or off the ball.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of England’s gradual approach was the contrast with across the channel in France. France put in a truly brilliant performance, their expected goals of 2.22 to England’s pitiful 0.91. It was a humiliating night that displayed the chasm of talent between the two European giants. It was as lopsided as anyone could have predicted.
Looking ahead, England will need to dust themselves off and regroup swiftly as they get set to take on the Netherlands on Wednesday. The weight of expectation is intensifying on Wiegman and her team. They have a lot of catching up to do after a lackluster start to their title defense. The team will need to get much better in their concentration and execution if they want to make a real run in the tournament.
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