The fundamental flaw in England's team that led to critical Euro 2025 defeat by France

Independent

3 days ago

Sarina Wiegman proclaimed a 'new England', and they have certainly been responsible for a few things previously unseen in the women's Euros. This 2-1 defeat to France was the first time the defending champions have lost their opening game in the next competition, and it has now put them in real danger of becoming the first champions to go out in the group stage, too. Wednesday's match against the Netherlands in Zurich is essentially a knockout tie.
Of most concern was something else new about this defeat, that is the real story of how it went. A manager who has previously been flawless in this tournament, winning it twice in a row with 100% records, made her first big error. It is really the first time Wiegman has got it wrong as an England coach. And it was a big one.
By picking Lauren James at the top of midfield, rather than out wide, she essentially subjected England to a two-v-three midfield. That resulted in one of the many gaps from which France repeatedly punished Wiegman's side.
The fitness of some players admittedly didn't help, since both James and Georgia Stanway were coming back from long-term injuries, but the question is then why use them in this way? Why not give more support? Why not use James later in the game to shake it up, since she had to come off after an hour?
England had none of their usual tactical security, but didn't have the compensatory flair in attack, either.
This was what was really striking about so much of the game. Where France were all pace and turns and ingenuity, England couldn't really get close to them. There was a listlessness and drift until Keira Walsh's largely unexpected late goal.
England can take some heart from the response after that, but they are going to need more. Wiegman got a lot of this wrong. She now has three days to get it right, and an awful lot to consider.
The players immediately went to the referee after the final whistle but, while they can complain about some of the decisions - particularly for both goals - they can't really complain about the result.
England were not just second best for most of the night, but second to most of the balls. It could genuinely have been much worse.
Against so many French surges, England could barely muster a shot, until that late flurry.
Put bluntly, the European champions just didn't have the spark of Delphine Cascarino or Grace Geyoro, outside James. And she had to go off early, having had little impact.
This is obviously not to scapegoat James. The question is not that she was used but how she was used. The warnings had been there. England had been training with James at the top of midfield all week but it wasn't going as smoothly as other systems in previous tournaments.
This started to become apparent, ironically, after Alessio Russo's tight offside strike. France started to overrun England, with Cascarino constantly getting in behind Carter, and Marie-Antoinette Katoko appearing to have the freedom of the centre. England didn't have the presence of Oriane Jean-Francois. This was the source of that decisive first goal, after 36 minutes. Two minutes later, England justifiably complained about an abrasive Maelle Lakrar challenge on Russo but that almost typified the difference in application. France were all in. Sandy Baltimore's finish from the ensuing chance essentially settled it. It was like everything spooled out from there.
England's issues in midfield were compounded by the wingers leaving even more space tactically, and so many individuals not using the ball well. There were so many loose passes.
Wiegman, for her part, did show some of her famed decisiveness with a triple sub on the hour. It still took Walsh's 87th-minute strike for anything to really change.
It is remarkable what an unexpected goal can do for a game. France were suddenly frantic, as England finally started to move the ball with speed. It was back to the more direct attacking of the last two tournaments, and it was having an effect. Pauline Peyraud-Magnin had to be strong to claim some of the cross, Alice Sombath had to offer one big block.
At the least, things started to make sense again.
Wiegman herself is too logical and smart to not learn from this.
It's similarly hard not to conclude that part of it was just because she'd never been in this situation before with the team, which is saying something.
The England players themselves had a lot to say after the game, and many were extremely self-critical. Williamson lambasted their very use of the ball, as well as the defeat in so many one-on-one duels.
This, like defeat itself, is something you don't really associate with Wiegman's England.
The message now is to draw a line under it, and treat what's next as the knock-out games they are.
Wiegman and her team now have to get everything perfect again.
That's something she's managed before, but never with pressure like this.