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What is there to learn from England’s 8-0 thrashing of China as they prepare to face Ghana, ranked 67th in the world, 51 places below their opponents last Saturday, in Southampton on Tuesday night?
When it comes to fixtures such as this, which should be routine for a team who have benefited from a financially, emotionally and strategically invested federation, the learnings are more subtle – but they are there. As Lucy Bronze said after the win against China, you could see it in the goals they scored.
“They were unbelievable passes or finishes or runs,” the veteran right-back said. “They were defined by millimetres. Hempo’s goal, Georgia’s pass, no one could even touch that.
“Maybe China weren’t at their best, but for us to score we had to be completely doing the right things in those right moments. The younger players realised that coming on as well. You can watch the game and think: ‘Oh, it looks quite easy,’ because it’s 5-0, but you step on and realise you have to be at your best, make those passes and always perform at the highest level.
“That’s what makes the games easy for us. It’s not because the opposition is bad and China are a good team.”
It is the moments, how you act in them and how you make those fine margins tip your way, that are key. Then there is the valuable experience handed to young players. Lucia Kendall and Taylor Hinds came off the bench and they are likely to enjoy more action against Ghana. Sarina Wiegman said on Monday: “We’ll make some changes.”
It is hard to draw much from their performances against teams who provide less of a challenge than they get week by week at club level, but again the detail is in the passing, the movement and the key moments. It is also about gaining experience in front of big crowds and players building relationships with the starting cohort and each other, the fruit of that work evidenced when at some stage they are called upon in more competitive fixtures. For Aggie Beever-Jones, a late substitute, and the debutant goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse the China match was valuable.
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“Because we managed to get a good result and good performance it gave a lot of young players the chance to come on and play, do really well as well and give them a platform to be able to step out at Wembley without so much pressure on them,” Bronze said. “That was nice for Lucia, Taylor and Aggie, who haven’t had as many opportunities to play in an England shirt. On the outside people think: ‘They could play,’ but it’s a lot of pressure.”
Could England have faced more challenging games in this window? Certainly. However, things are not always that simple. Germany and Spain are playing the Nations League final over two legs, the tie 0-0 going into the encounter in Madrid on Tuesday; USA haven’t played on foreign soil since they faced England at Wembley and the Netherlands in The Hague this time last year; and England took on Brazil and Australia last month. Options are sometimes limited.
Meanwhile, with a World Cup in 2027 and all focus having been on European opposition in the run-up to Euro 2025, these two camps were a chance for the Lionesses to work out what teams from other continents look like.
Wiegman said as much before the four games of the post-European Championship Homecoming Series. “Each opponent will challenge us in different ways, which is exactly what we need with World Cup qualification beginning early next year,” the head coach said.
Wiegman was asked on Monday about her contract, which expires after the World Cup in Brazil. “We haven’t had any clear conversations, but I’m still really enjoying the job and I think the team is still enjoying that I am around,” she said.
“Let’s see what the future will bring. I am very relaxed. I don’t look forward and plan my career. I just know what I really enjoy and I want things to fit.”
