The Lionesses were far from their best in Brisbane against Haiti, so what can Sarina Wiegman alter before a tough test against Denmark?
When England opened their Women's World Cup campaign against Haiti on Saturday, many expected the European champions to have too much for the debutantes to handle. Forty-nine places separate the pair in the FIFA world rankings, after all. However, it certainly didn't look like that on the night, with the Lionesses needing a big save from Mary Earps late on to secure a 1-0 win.
It was a sloppy opening performance from the Lionesses, there's no doubt about that. Several players were far from their best as a Georgia Stanway penalty proved to be the difference in Brisbane. That said, the likes of Australia and the United States women's national team are other contenders for the title that haven't come out in top form from the off.
It's not a huge concern for head coach Sarina Wiegman, but she will certainly want to see improvements, especially with Denmark up next, the Euro 2017 finalists expected to be the Lionesses' biggest challengers for top spot in Group D.
So, what could the coach change for that second match? And what can the players improve on themselves? GOAL takes a look…
GettyIncrease Greenwood's influence
Ever since Leah Williamson's ACL injury in April, it has been anticipated that Alex Greenwood would partner Millie Bright in the heart of England's defence. However, after playing at left-back in the send-off friendly against Portugal, the Manchester City star was there again on Saturday as Jess Carter lined up alongside Bright instead.
Carter was one of the Lionesses' best performers on Saturday, with her proving to be a reliable presence while Bright shook off some serious rust. Greenwood, meanwhile, had more touches of the ball than any other player on the pitch, but her influence in possession was limited by the fact she was playing on the left.
For her club, Manchester City, she is almost like a conductor with the ball at centre-back, spraying passes out wide with that wand of a left foot while also playing a key role in the short-passing game and occasionally driving into midfield, all to help start attacks.
Greenwood put in a few decent crosses from the left against Haiti, but one can't help feel that her influence on the game is limited in the role she's currently playing. It's unlikely that she'll swap with Carter at this point, but England would certainly be better off if Wiegman could make some tweaks that increase her impact.
AdvertisementGettyFree up Walsh
Also unable to have a greater influence on England's play on Saturday was Keira Walsh, the Barcelona star completely marked out of the encounter by Haiti's smart game plan. She got into things a little bit more in the second half as the opponents tired, but still only had the sixth-most touches of any player, which is quite low for the Lionesses' holding midfielder.
It's nothing particularly new to team or player, though. Wiegman even noted after the match: "We’ve seen it all the time, they try to take her out. We couldn’t find her all the time."
So, what could be done to address this? The coach talked about how the team could've been "quicker" in exploiting "opportunities on the side" while Walsh was swarmed by Haiti shirts, for one, but whether someone from central defence can step into midfield or the trio in the middle can rotate more to get Walsh free, Wiegman and co. will need to figure out some way to counter this plan because more and more opponents are going to do it.
Address the lack of presence in the No.10 role
Another problem in midfield was in the No.10 role. Ella Toone has struggled to really make her presence known in this position since coming into the starting XI and that was the case again on Saturday, with very few of her involvements in the match coming in those spaces on the edge of the box, in front of the Haiti defence.
When Lauren James got ready to come on in the second half, one thought it might have been to replace the Manchester United midfielder given James had performed very well in the attacking midfield position against Portugal earlier this month. However, it was winger Lauren Hemp instead who made way. The only other change made by Wiegman was to swap Alessia Russo for Rachel Daly, with all of the Lionesses' midfield options from the bench staying in the dugout.
Denmark are going to be another tough team to break down on Friday – as are fellow Group D opponents China, judging by the pair's close encounter later on Saturday – so having someone higher up in midfield who can unlock these sides is going to be important, whether that's encouraging Toone to pick up those pockets more or making a change to the line up.
GettyPut chances away!
It's easier said than done but England simply have to be more clinical. A large number of chances came and went on Saturday, with Russo, Hemp, Daly and Chloe Kelly all guilty of not working the goalkeeper hard enough at times. The Lionesses have only scored once from open play since February.
"We’re missing ruthlessness," Wiegman said. "It’s easy to say, but what does that mean? Sometimes [it's] the connection with the cross, the timing of the cross, where the cross ends in the box and the connection in front of the goal. We were very close a couple of times to scoring. The defence was tough. We’ll keep trying and working on it and start tomorrow again."
Many were calling for Daly to start ahead of Russo for this game, and there's no doubt there will be even more of that noise now – but everyone knows that Wiegman isn't one to ring the changes. Whoever starts against Denmark needs to bring their shooting boots because it seems chances could be at more of a premium in that match.