At Euro 2022, Sarina Wiegman fiercely stuck to her guns. Even when England had won both of their opening group games and qualified for the last eight, she named the same XI for their dead-rubber pool fixture. And it was that reliable starting XI, in her preferred 4-3-3 formation that carried England all the way to the trophy.
Her stubbornness at the time was seen by many as risky, but she was proven right as the Lionesses lifted the trophy on home soil. So after two narrow 1-0 wins at the World Cup, most thought Wiegman would stick to her guns to secure a safe passage through as group winners.
Instead it seems Wiegman’s crazed identical twin sister has taken charge of England. The manager chopped and changed her squad for the China match, and surprisingly threw her tactical system out of the window. She’d turned her back on the 4-3-3 system that has served her so well during her reign so far, and introduced a system to get the best out of the players at her disposal.
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Without the injured Keira Walsh, Katie Zelem partnered Georgia Stanway in central midfield as Wiegman switched to three at the back. She deployed Lucy Bronze and Rachel Daly as wing-backs which allowed them to bomb forward, and Jess Carter was brought into the back three alongside Millie Bright and Alex Greenwood.
With Bronze and Daly acting as aggressive wingers, England pinned China back and caused absolute havoc in their 6-1 win. The main benefactor of this system change however was Lauren James, who was deployed in a free role behind Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo. The front two occupied the defenders and James was allowed to roam from wing to wing, and given freedom. The result was that she put in a simply phenomenal performance.
Chalking up three assists, two goals, and a further disallowed goal that should have stood, James put in a perfect 10 performance according to WhoScored’s match ratings. It was one of the finest World Cup showings we have ever seen from an England player, male or female. Unlocking her potential is clearly going to be key for Wiegman as we enter the knockout stages with Nigeria lying in wait in the next round.
This aggressive attacking style may not have been expected from the England manager, but it has worked so well that it would seem silly to move away from it at this stage. Even if Walsh is fit to play some part in the rest of the tournament, she can come in for Zelem without disrupting this forward-thinking system.
“I’m very proud of the team,” Wiegman said after the win. “When we discussed that we wanted to change like this, everyone believed in it straight away and you saw that on the pitch. We were able to press high but also found a way to play the possession game well.”
She deserves huge praise for this tactical tweak and it only adds to her managerial acumen. From injury-hit no-hopers, this change has breathed new life into England’s World Cup tilt, especially when you look at the poor form of pre-tournament favourites the USA.
With Nigeria next up, who knows what this new Wiegman will do? She’s likely to stick to this system from now on, and with James at her scintillating best England can go far. Perhaps even all the way… It’s crazy what one win can do.
