THE AMEX – In the first 10 months of Sarina Wiegman’s reign, there was a strange paradox whereby the more goals England scored, and the more invincible they looked, the more exasperated their head coach would become. What Wiegman craved was a benchmark, a test of exactly how far they could take their new approach.
It was fitting then, that England’s first real taste of jeopardy under Wiegman came on the day that marked exactly a year to go until the World Cup. Spain, the one side who can out-pass a midfield thus far moderated by the timepieces of Georgia Stanway and Keira Walsh, were the perfect litmus test of how good they can be.
Wiegman will have known before a ball was kicked that the quarter-final would be won or lost in the midfield pinball of Walsh and Stanway against Aitana Bonmati. She won’t have envisaged the curve on Stanway’s wonder strike that finally swung the tie in England’s favour in extra time.
At first, Spain had proved to be the side to which England aspire. Maria Pilar Leon advanced freely up the pitch from centre-back in a way Leah Williamson could only envy. Walsh and Stanway received their first proper bruisings.
More on Women's Euro 2022
At the risk of sounding like Tony Blair, Vilda’s message throughout this tournament has been the repetition of one mantra over and over: “Possession, possession, possession”.
You will have heard a similar strain coming from Wiegman. In the group stages, England never dipped below 60 per cent possession as they unpicked Austria and toyed with Norway and Northern Ireland. Rhythm, momentum, and above all, keeping the ball – that is what this England side are about. But to keep it, you need to have it.
The favourites tag sat well with them initially, but Spain’s performance begs the question why Norway did not take the game to them in that humbling 8-0 defeat; an approach that would have been beyond Northern Ireland, but one which makes the Norwegians’ early exit even the more perplexing.
England were ultimately faced with their own game and that made for their most fascinating contest yet. Spain had set out first and foremost to stop them playing, but once Athenea del Castillo had identified Rachel Daly as beatable on the left of the defence, Vilda’s side had unlocked the door. The goalscorer, Gonzalez, almost seemed surprised that the ball had come to her with such ease – and even more so after a heavy first touch. They would resort to the same move again and again as Wiegman bowed to the inevitable and replaced Daly with Alex Greenwood as the hosts’ hopes hung in the balance.
How good are Spain? Earlier in the competition, their high line had been exploited by Finland, they had been physically dominated by Germany, and they were not clinical enough against an uninspiring Denmark. Bonmati had called on them to “improve our style” against England, but it is worrying for the Lionesses – who are only one place below them in the Fifa rankings – that they were so obviously bettered by them for long periods.
After this tournament, every decision will be made with the World Cup next year in mind. It is significant that Wiegman views Walsh and Stanway as the most indispensable component of her team and while it is Stanway who has received more plaudits at this tournament, Walsh has quietly been England’s unsung hero. They will have learned from this, from the experience of a Spain side who still feel as if they have come from nowhere over the last three years.
Even those with the greater tournament experience, such as Fran Kirby, had to adapt. The Chelsea forward has roamed so freely in an attacking trio behind Ellen White previously that it felt unnatural to see her dropping so deep as she did her best to wrestle back control.
Once, it would have been unthinkable that England’s chances would rest on the core of this midfield, finally striking the balance that allowed Alessia Russo to make space for Ella Toone to lash in the equaliser, before Stanway’s emphatic winner – but the lessons they will have taken from Spain’s possession game will only make them better players for it.
from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/3CsITRM
Post a Comment