Long Balls, Set Pieces And Brilliant Bronze: How England Can Improve Against Italy

For each nan well-deserved praise England person received since Thursday’s triumph complete Sweden, relating to their never-say-die attitude, spirited comeback and nan gamechanging effect of their substitutes, it should not beryllium forgotten that nan defending champions are fortunate still to beryllium successful Euro 2025.

The Lionesses were somewhat fortunate that Sweden grounded to person 2 penalties to triumph nan title and England will cognize they request to make notable improvements if they are to advancement past Italy and scope a 3rd consecutive awesome tourney final. Here are six areas successful which nan players and Sarina Wiegman must do better.

Be much selective pinch agelong balls

The England defenders Leah Williamson and Alex Greenwood person played much passes into nan last 3rd than immoderate different players from nan 16 teams who person contested this tournament, but less than half of Greenwood’s 26 agelong passes against Sweden were completed successfully. Both players are usually acold much meticulous erstwhile it comes to walk completion, arsenic 2 of nan champion ball-playing centre-backs around.

Against Sweden, though, England did not look to beryllium picking nan correct moments to spell long. There is intelligibly a lawsuit for immoderate nonstop balls, exemplified by nan cleanable execution of Hannah Hampton’s defence-splitting walk against nan Netherlands, but connected Thursday England seemed excessively keen to spell agelong much often than usual, and only 1 of Lucy Bronze’s 7 agelong passes recovered its target.

Italy rank joint-11th for mean possession astatine this tournament, whereas England’s 58% stock puts them 2nd only to Spain, truthful connected Tuesday viewers tin expect England to power astir of nan play. But they must prime and take their moments to play nan shot complete nan top. If Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone tin power nan midfield, England tin thrive.

Make substitutions earlier

Wiegman did not make a alteration until nan 70th infinitesimal successful nan quarter-final, contempt England trailing 2-0, and though her triple alteration worked for illustration a charm and each six of England’s eventual substitutes played important roles, location is simply a beardown lawsuit to beryllium made that nan alterations came excessively late. Given nan marked improvements England made aft changing their tactical shape, could Wiegman person rolled nan dice a small earlier and possibly moreover won nan necktie successful normal time?

Georgia Stanway, successful training pinch England successful Zurich, needs to beryllium shooting much fixed her expertise from agelong range. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA

Wiegman has tended not to make changes earlier nan hr but pinch nan tight turnaround betwixt fixtures successful this comparatively short tournament, players will beryllium tiring and introducing fresher legs earlier successful nan 2nd half could beryllium captious for England, peculiarly successful ray of their spot successful depth.

Utilise nan abstraction being recovered by Bronze

Bronze was pushing up precocious from right-back against Sweden and was regularly asking for nan shot successful acres of space, unmarked, but nan Lionesses were often either excessively slow to spot her tally aliases incapable to move nan shot pinch nan diagonal walk required. Against Wales, England recovered occurrence down nan correct repeatedly, either pinch Bronze linking pinch nan winger Lauren James aliases pinch those players combining pinch nan runs of Toone, and that trio will request to harvester much efficaciously again to get successful down Italy’s defence.

Cut retired sloppy errors

There were lapses successful England’s passing retired from nan backmost against Sweden and they were punished by Kosovare Asllani’s early goal. They tin sick spend a repeat. The Lionesses made 3 errors that led straight to shots connected extremity and that will beryllium 3 excessively galore if repeated against a squad pinch a clinical striker specified arsenic Cristiana Girelli, who has scored 61 elder world goals.

A batch of nan post-match attraction focused connected Jess Carter’s capacity but she was not nan only subordinate to misplace a fewer easy-looking balls; Williamson’s completion complaint for her short passes dropped to 79%, having been 100% against nan Netherlands. Carter completed each 10 of her short passes against nan Netherlands, successful a crippled erstwhile England’s backline were successful awesome shape pinch their distribution. Bronze’s completion complaint for short passes dropped to 61% from 33 attempts against Sweden, demonstrating really sloppy nan Lionesses were successful possession.

Make much of group pieces

England are yet to look threatening from attacking group pieces. That could beryllium partially down to nan value of nan deliveries but will besides beryllium related to nan absence of immoderate of nan taller and aerially beardown players who were astatine nan past World Cup and Euros, specified arsenic Millie Bright aliases Rachel Daly. The centre-back Lotte Wubben-Moy, arguably nan strongest attacking limb astatine corners successful England’s squad, is improbable to characteristic against Italy, but Wiegman and her unit will surely person been moving connected group pieces complete nan weekend.

Shoot much frequently

The Lionesses besides request to sprout much often. Against Sweden they recorded only 4 shots connected target and nan fig was 2 against France successful their opening fixture. Stanway, 1 of England’s strongest ball-strikers, who scored a superb extremity pinch a first-time effort against nan Netherlands, had 1 changeable connected Thursday and England will want to create much in-play situations wherever they tin tee up nan Bayern Munich midfielder to sprout from nan separator of nan box.