England playing catch-up - what went wrong against France?

BBC News

11 hours ago

It did not go to plan in England's Euro 2025 opener as the holders fell to defeat by France. So where did it all go wrong?Pundits said the Lionesses were "bullied" and "played into France's hands", while manager Sarina Wiegman felt they "created their own problems" and defender Jess Carter said they "played like they were a little bit scared".First-half goals from Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Sandy Baltimore were enough to carry the French to victory, despite a late response from Keira Walsh. Overloaded in midfield, outpaced in defence and second best in one-v-ones, England were given a taste of the level they need to reach if they are to retain their crown.
'Bullied all over the pitch'
The bulk of England's issues seemed to stem from midfield as Georgia Stanway and Walsh were overrun and their opponents were devastating on the break. Wiegman admitted sloppiness in possession played into France's hands as they pressed hard and took advantage of individual errors.Captain Leah Williamson was visibly frustrated at full-time and described the errors as "some cheap sort of emotional defending". France winger Sandy Baltimore won her individual battles with her Chelsea team-mate Lucy Bronze - the England defender losing six duels, the most by any player.And until Walsh's 87th-minute strike, the Lionesses had not achieved a shot on target."I think we played like we were a little bit scared," said Carter."Maybe we weren't aggressive enough, maybe we were worrying about their threats in behind and what they can do rather than doing what we can do. "We didn't do as well on the ball, or off the ball. The only positive to take is the last 10 minutes. I really believed we would get a [second] goal."England's level seemed to surprise French media, who had largely written off their side's chances when key centre-back Griedge Mbock was ruled out through injury."I didn't think the French could play at this level already and I didn't think England could be so disappointing like they were for an hour," French journalist Julien Laurens told BBC Radio 5 Live.France manager Laurent Bonadei admitted England's explosive start, that saw Lauren James create a handful of chances, took them by surprise. But he felt his side controlled proceedings after that and "physically it was not easy for England".James' apparent free role certainly looked exciting at the start - but did it leave her side exposed in midfield?Wiegman's response to that question was emphatic. "[James] didn't have a total free role. We got exposed by losing balls in moments where we didn't want to lose the ball," she said. "That was the main topic we wanted to find a solution for."Following the introductions of Chloe Kelly, Grace Clinton and Michelle Agyemang, the Lionesses responded, but too late to change the outcome, and former midfielder Karen Carney was far from impressed."It wasn't good enough. We were bullied all over the pitch. We didn't win enough duels. We looked like we've never played together," she told ITV."This is our trophy and that wasn't good enough. We played into their hands a little bit too much."
Can England fix things going forward?
Williamson said England left themselves "open to waves" of France's attacking onslaught due to their sloppiness in possession.But she is confident their gameplan was the right one.This was their toughest match on paper of the group stage and previous battles with France in Euro 2025 qualifying highlighted their opponents' pedigree. Ranked 10th in the world, France have largely underwhelmed at major tournaments but manager Bonadei is leading a new era and they are hungry for success."I'm just frustrated because I think the football that we played near the end, and the gameplan, could've worked," Williamson told BBC Sport. "We just didn't execute [the gameplan] exceptionally well. It doesn't look great from the table point of view - but it was two heavyweights going up against each other and we came up short. "There's still every chance [of winning]. The goal doesn't change."Defender Alex Greenwood described England's next two matches against the Netherlands and Wales as ones they "must win" - so can they?They looked much better in the final 10 minutes when they were able to play through France's midfield. With Baltimore, Katoto and Delphine Cascarino off the pitch, along with their electric pace and skill, England's full-backs were less exposed.Midfielder Clinton looked assured in her short cameo, teenage forward Agyemang was a menace and Manchester United's Ella Toone played with healthy frustration having been left out of the starting XI for James. And the bursts of creativity displayed by James in the opening 15 minutes will have given supporters a glimpse of what they can do when it comes together.Had Clinton replaced Stanway and Toone replaced James earlier, could England have found more security in midfield? If the ball had fallen for Agyemang in stoppage-time, could they have grabbed an equaliser? Had Alessia Russo's disallowed goal stood early on, would England have played less 'scared?'
'We know how to play the game'
Defeat leaves England already playing catch-up in Group D. With three points on the board for both France and the Netherlands, who beat Wales 3-0, the Lionesses must respond if they hope to reach the quarter-finals.Only the top two qualify for the knockout stages and England will face 2017 champions the Netherlands on Wednesday, knowing France will be heavy favourites to claim victory against the lowest-ranked nation in the tournament, Wales.If teams finish on the same points after three matches, it will come down to head-to-head records, putting greater emphasis on England's next match."If we play our game to the best, everyone knows that sometimes we're untouchable," said Clinton. "Obviously getting our passes where they need to go, just the little details, then that would have been able to break down France a little bit more."It's tournament football and these things are going to happen."It was France manager Bonadei, though, who reminded everyone not to write off England."England are a really good team. They are fifth in the world rankings and won the last Euros, so we have to respect this team," he said.And midfielder Toone added they have a "strong mentality" that puts them in good stead for their final group matches."We know what it takes to win tournaments and to get to finals in tournaments. We know how to play the game," she added."We knew that we always had to win two of these group games to get out, so nothing changes. "Obviously you want to win all three, but France were good. We conceded goals that by our standards aren't good enough but we have the mentality to go again."