Why blockbuster Euro 2025 opener is a huge moment for a ‘new England'

Independent

7 hours ago

England may be the defending European champions, but this very much isn't a squad hoping that old approaches - or that reputation - carry them through. Sarina Wiegman was unequivocal on the eve of her team's Euro 2025 opener against a dangerous France team.
'We call it a new England,' the manager said.
This intent obviously explains a lot of the ructions in the build-up to this tournament, since transition rarely comes without friction. It's also just as well, as England do actually need something new.
They need to immediately find their feet, and actually start a tournament well.
That isn't something they have done under Wiegman, in her two campaigns so far. The 2023 World Cup run to the final started with a mere 1-0 win over Haiti, secured by a Georgia Stanway penalty. It was the same scoreline even at the beginning of the glorious Euro 2022 campaign, the euphoria of its ending contrasting with an opening 1-0 win over Austria at Old Trafford.
A repeat of those performances against France could put England in a tricky position.
While it would be a bit much to say this first match is a knock-out of sorts, it could well dictate both teams' entire campaigns.
Much of that is because it's so rare for two favourites to play each other so early, and without that much of a safety net.
If there's a winner, that team will glean badly needed confidence and momentum, and look set to top the group.
If there's a loser, there will suddenly be immense pressure for their awkward fixture against the Netherlands. England have the Dutch up next in their second game.
Even a draw suddenly makes the group so much more taut, depending on what the performance is like. If it's a stirring and high-quality 2-2 where both teams show their high ceilings, that's rather different. That's instead a statement, and a vintage tournament game. It's also highly possible.
The issue, at this juncture, is that almost anything seems possible for this match. Take time to find your feet and the ground could be moved from under you.
Some have pointed out that second place could mean avoiding Spain until the final, but potential champions can't afford to think like that. Such slackening can make you susceptible, something not to be recommended when the Netherlands are waiting.
You could say all of this makes it exactly the wrong moment to have so many unknowns about a new team. Wiegman spoke about how she's still been fine-tuning tactics over the past few days, and her eventual formation will be instructive. The same applies to the role of Lauren James, who Wiegman admitted will 'play more' than the 30 minutes she got against Jamaica.
Except, as any 'winner' like Wiegman knows - to use Leah Williamson 's description - it's much riskier for a champion team to stick to what they know. That brings the danger of going stale. No one could accuse Wiegman of that, at least in terms of personnel decisions.
The manager had to move on, and it's of course possible that changes to line-up could bring changes to build-up. Given how front-loaded England now are, and with James and Stanway closer to full fitness, it might even see the defending champions come out with intent.
The mood in the camp is at least in-keeping with that. While insiders talk of a 'nervous tension' due to this unknown - and the very excitement that comes with the start of a new tournament - the atmosphere is very good.
'The youngsters are refreshing,' Jess Carter says of tournament debutants like 21-year-old Aggie Beever-Jones. 'They're not scared, they're fearless… they're a joy to play with.'
That can obviously be infectious. It certainly tallies with a 'new England'.
Wiegman spoke of how 'the team is in a very good place, really well bonded'.
The issues of the last few weeks have ceased to become relevant. The group have been far more concerned with how Alessia Russo's brother, Giorgio, is doing as a contestant on Love Island. 'It's the discussion at breakfast,' Williamson laughs.
All of that is why, for all the sense of the unknown with England, this match may be even more dependent on what France do.
They have gone through their own transition, since manager Laurent Bonadei decided to move on stalwarts like Wendie Renard, Eugenie Le Sommer and Kenza Dali in order to get 'different results'. Despite that, they are almost England's opposite, right down to how they can start tournaments well but haven't yet figured out how to go the distance. That's because the French have a much greater sense of themselves as a team right now. Bonadei recently described their free-flowing performance level as 'perfect'.
That only extends to tactics, though, not their exact level.
France were the first team to qualify and won all six of their recent Nations League group games, but England know as well as anyone there's a significant difference between that and doing it in the most serious tournament fixtures.
The context means this game in Zurich can certainly be described as that.
For all the need to come out strong, and despite England's front-loaded squad, the challenge might even require a more conservative approach. Leaving Keira Walsh to hold midfield on her own runs the risk of France being allowed to run free, particularly left-back Sakina Karchaoui.
Wiegman did warn of a 'powerful, quick team'. This is what training has centred on.
It forms just another dimension to the fixture. For a team that have done everything in this competition, England are almost on a voyage of discovery. The starting line-ups will reveal one part of the picture, before the opening minutes show a bit more. The final result will then be telling.
The "new England" need the start to fit with the description, perhaps in order to reclaim the title itself.