KATHRYN BATTE: There was always a fear the Lionesses could become predictable under Sarina Wiegman… teams have found out how to hurt England and they must find a way to deal with counter attacks before the World Cup
- Sarina Wiegman has suggested that her England team still has enough depth
- The Lionesses were outclassed by Australia in a worrying 2-0 defeat on Tuesday
- But Wiegman believes a lack of options won’t be an issue at the World Cup
A first defeat in 31 games is not a cause for panic. It is better the Lionesses lose their unbeaten streak under Sarina Wiegman now than at the World Cup.
What is more concerning is how England lost against Australia on Tuesday. This was the type of performance we saw during the interim period of Hege Riise or the end of Phil Neville’s reign. This was not a performance from the Wiegman textbook.
It was clear the Dutch coach was frustrated by what she saw. Every time the TV cameras panned to the dug-out, the England manager looked angry.
Perhaps that is because Australia exposed flaws in this England team that have been well hidden before.
There has always been a fear that the Lionesses could become too predictable under Wiegman. She started the same XI for every game at the European Championships and, for the most part, made the same substitutions. It worked, just like it did when she was manager of the Netherlands.
Lionesses head coach Sarina Wiegman (middle) suggested she is already planning her World Cup line-up
England’s 30-game unbeaten run came to an end as they suffered a first loss under Wiegman
Australia had analysed England’s approach to games and dismantled the Lionesses in London
But England’s squad has changed since then and the players who came off the bench to make a big impact last summer are no longer the ‘super subs’.
The energy of Alessia Russo and Ella Toone as substitutes provided the spark that England needed in the latter stages of games. Both are now regular starters and the options from the bench are not as strong. That means when England are losing or struggling in games, it is harder to solve the problem.
‘I think we still have depth in the team but now, yes, there were more players that weren’t available,’ Wiegman admitted.
‘But we don’t want to compare now, we’re moving on, we’re going to a World Cup and we want to think about what could be a possible starting line-up.
‘Now they go back to clubs they have very important games, we have to think about starting line-up and players that can impact the game and we’re working on that and we’ll see where that brings us.’
Australia had a clear plan of how to play against England. They soaked up pressure and hit on the counter-attack. Other teams have adopted this approach since the Euros.
England were hit by the same tactics against the Czech Republic in September and Norway in November and drew both games. Australia, with Sam Kerr leading the line, were better at taking their chances when they came.
Matildas boss Tony Gustavsson outlined how they had worked out their perfect way to play against England.
England were made to pay for their mistakes as Australia punished them on the counter-attack
Wiegman was unable to inspire a comeback win against Australia as England failed to score
‘We scout the opposition and I need to credit my analysis team and my assistant, they’ve done a phenomenal job identifying key areas in the England game.
‘They have a lot of weapons and I mean a lot of weapons. They can play through you, they can play around you, they can play over you and they have a lot of combination play, a lot of individual tools. If you don’t defend as a team, you get exposed – like we did a couple of times in the second half. They can score in a lot of different ways.
‘I think we had a very, very clear plan of what we needed to take away from England. We did it enough times to win this game. It wasn’t perfect but it was close enough to win the game.’
England will face these types of tactics at the World Cup and they need to come up with a better plan of how to play against them.
The defensive issues the Lionesses encountered in the absence of Millie Bright is also a concern. Bright and Leah Williamson is the perfect centre back partnership and England looked lost without the strength and aerial presence of the Chelsea defender.
Chelsea and England defender Millie Bright’s (pictured) absence is also a concern for Wiegman
The Lionesses head coach (middle) revealed she is already planning her World Cup line-up
Bright was pictured on crutches at the weekend but Wiegman insisted she is not worried. There is concern, however, for Fran Kirby – who has not played since January.
‘I’m not that concerned about Millie. I think the expectation is that she will still come back and play. With Fran I’m a little more concerned.
‘She’s progressing, we’re following really closely and hopefully she can progress quickly so we can see her on the pitch.’
England have problems to solve but there is no need for panic. ‘I’m not worried,’ said Wiegman. ‘I don’t worry very quickly. This is just a very big learning moment for us that we need to get to a higher level.’