In a surprising turn of events, Sarina Wiegman’s England team lost their opening game at the Women’s Euro 2024 against France, marking the first time a reigning champion has fallen in their initial match of the subsequent tournament. Despite Wiegman’s impressive track record in major tournaments, which had positioned her as a formidable coach, the performance against France raised numerous questions regarding team selection and tactical execution.
The defeat was not just a minor bump in the road. There were some concerning issues revealed in England’s performance that need addressing. Observers had raised questions about Wiegman’s approach long before the matchup with France, especially in the midfield. England had a difficult time both keeping control of the ball and adjusting to the high press that the French women quickly established. This resulted in being overwhelmed in the key midfield third area, where England were drowning time and again.
One glaring omission in the lineup was Millie Bright, as her aggressive, physical presence would have strengthened England’s shaky defensive display. Her absence became glaringly obvious as England’s defense struggled to cope with the intensity of France’s attack. Lucy Bronze looked back on the game the day after and conceded that her team “lacked oomph early on.” Her remark echoed the general mood of their disappointing showing.
Wiegman’s choice to start the rising Lauren James in the No 10 role faced critique. The coach responded, quite inappropriately, that she “did not perceive this as a mistake. This move was widely doubted by analysts as the right move. James’s performance was overshadowed by the need for a more established presence in that position, especially given Georgia Stanway’s limited playing time leading into the tournament.
That explains why Stanway has played only 151 minutes of football since December. That has sparked some calls for Grace Clinton to be given her chance to start. The racial/ethnic performance levels were equally stark. Stanway’s failure to influence the game severely limited England’s attacking threat against a resolute France side.
England’s defense showed weaknesses, especially in one-vs-one situations where they appeared to have cheap defending in their DNA. Not being able to get to grips with France’s electric winger Delphine Cascarino only added to their troubles. Cascarino’s pace should have been an obvious gameplan red flag for England, especially with their failure to adjust to such threats in the past.
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