England vs. Denmark
A second consecutive 1-0 victory proved sufficient to send defending European Champions England to the top of Group D and likely through to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup knockout stage. Sarina Wiegman’s “Three Lionesses” prevailed over Denmark in Sydney on Friday evening. New starter Lauren James netted the game-winning goal in the 7th minute.
The win felt completely deserved with the Scandinavians only able to make slight pinpricks and generate one major chance late against a dominant English side. Unfortunately for Wiegman’s side, midfield linchpin Keira Walsh had to be stretchered off early with what appeared to be a serious injury shortly after the half-hour-mark.
Tactical Analysis: England & Denmark
We’ve another match in which the tactics are better presented together.
Sarina Wiegman opted to surprise us in at least one respect. Two personnel changes from the previous XI saw Rachel Daly and Lauren James replace Jess Carter and Lauren Hemp. Daly coming in to work at left back whilst Alex Greenwood moved in into central defense – just like in last Summer’s Euros – had been predicted by some. Hemp’s benching counted as something a bit more radical. With some slight alterations, the regular system largely remained in place.
Lineup—England—Match Two (4-2-3-1)
Wiegman did keep one guessing just a bit with her team sheet. A back-three with Daly operating a bit further forward remained a possibility. When things settled down, however, the upfield traffic appeared to follow the usual approach. Chloe Kelly appeared to have license to operate a little wider. That’s all. That isn’t to suggest that the Lionesses didn’t keep it creative with their rotations and combos. The first 25 minutes belonged solely to the girls from the Isle. Even after Denmark finally opted to press and pluck a tad, the winning-team ceded next to nothing until Walsh’s unfortunate injury.
The sequence leading up to James’ opening goal featured some great ball wins from Kelly, Lucy Bronze, and the forward-pressing Walsh. All three did a magnificent job keeping an attack charge on the half-right alive. Walsh passed over to Daly, who in turn quickly laid off for James. After taking a couple of neat touches forward, James fired home on the half-left from just outside the 18. A great team goal and a wonderful finish. It shall surely make all the tourney’s top-ten lists. The Islanders rode the momentum, furnishing some lovely optical football after the goal.
Bronze, Kelly, and Stanway worked some beautiful cycles up the right. Counterparts Daly, Walsh, Toone, and James were every bit as effective on the left. James nearly found the back of the net again off a superb Bronze cross in the 17th. James had two more cracks at the end of quick back-to-back combos seemingly tailor-made for her in the 20th and 21st. The second English goal appeared a certainty, particularly in light of the fact that the Danes demonstrated zero interest in even attempting to press. England enjoyed upwards of 80 percent possession in the first 25 minutes.
Danish trainer Lars Søndergaard made one change to the XI he initially utilized against China. North Carolina Courage forward Rikke Madsen replaced Nicoline Sørensen up front. It looked as Pernille Harder, previously on the left, debuted in the center this time. Madsen took the left, though she was largely tucked in right behind Harder. So too was Janni Thomsen. Kathrine Møller Kühl appeared to get her own axis ahead of a double-six set-up of Karen Holmgaard and Josephine Hasbo. The previous 4-1-2-3 changed to a very-defensive-minded 4-2-3-1.
Lineup—Denmark—Match Two (4-2-3-1)
Thomsen, Madsen, and Harder managed to get some half-chances in on the rare occasions that Greenwood or Daly made a mistake. Apart from that, it remained all England. Bronze, Russo, Kelly, and James all continued to blast right past this until Walsh got her studs caught in the turf in the 37th. It looked pretty bad immediately. The English medical staff took their time locking the Barcelona star on the stretcher. Walsh’s former Man City teammate Laura Coombs received a quick tactical briefing before checking in.
Lineup—England—38th minute (4-2-3-1)
There genuinely wasn’t a great deal in the rest of the first-half. Both sides seemed a bit shaken after the injury. Multiple interruptions also inhibited the general flow. The author isn’t entirely sure when Stanway moved back to help Coombs or even if she received specific instructions to do so. The Bayern München star might have taken on the additional burden herself. It any event, she wore all hats well and provided excellent assistance to her national team tournament debutant.
The English attack still cooled significantly. The Lionesses didn’t press forward again until first-half injury time via Bronze and Kelly. Bronze set Toone up shortly after the restart. Kelly then led a centralized attack shortly thereafter, regrettably not noticing that she had James wide open on her left. Following the brief flurry to start the second 45, the match really flattened out for a while. Stanway was clearly operating deep now. The English builds frequently had difficulty getting started.
A few concentration lapses along the English line went unpunished. Matters didn’t spring back into life until around the 70th with chances from Bronze and Russo. Danish trainer Søndergaard sent in his first sub (Amalie Vansgaard for Hasbo) in the 71st, completing a double-switch (Nicoline Sørensen and Frederikke Thøgersen for Madsen and Stine Ballisager) and a tactical re-format five minutes later. Once again we would see Harder drop back to support a newly re-jiggered attack.
Lineup—Denmark—77th minute (4-3-3)
Vansgaard hit the post in the 87th. This chance notwithstanding, noting came from the sustained pressure this constellation provided. The English rolled off a few counters, with James, Kelly, and Daly showing just a tad too much fatigue to keep them crisp. Bethany England and Lauren Hemp were introduced for Toone and Russo late to no real avail. The scoreline held as the match wrapped up rather faintly.
Top Performers, England
1) Lauren James
Wiegman shall get a lot of credit in the English press for introducing the Chelsea forward. The 21-year-old should also have a starting place cemented for the rest of the tournament. Four efforts on target, five successful long dribbles, and the game-winning-goal from this rising star. It’s frankly a little embarrassing that some of us prognosticators didn’t tip her for a starting spot whenever we tried to predict the XI after her fabulous year for both club and country. She’s now scored two national team goals in 13 caps since debuting last Autumn.
2) Lucy Bronze
The legend shook off something of a quiet opening match and delivered one of her trademark command performances. Everyone – especially James – were elevated by the 31-year-old on this day. Those of us who never tire of watching her skills and sharing her amazing story couldn’t be more pleased. She nearly scored twice with headers off corners herself, also missing narrowly twice with distance efforts. Five assisted shots for colleagues Russo, Toone, Kelly, and James. She was bleeding well everywhere en-route to recording 108 touches.
Thank you, legend!
3) Georgia Stanway
While a surfeit of defensive work may not have been on her agenda, the new darling of the FrauenBundesliga went ahead and took one for the team. During the initial uninterrupted phase of English forward play, she was snaking all around the box and recorded two assisted shots. Her work at the back proved a bit more mixed, but one shudders to think what might have happened without her. The 24-year-old was particularly good at (audibly) organizing her mates on dead-balls. Perhaps she should don the armband before this tournament is out.
Top Performers, Denmark
1) Amalie Vansgaard
If nothing else, Søndergaard has a bonafide “Super Sub” to turn to off the bench. The 26-year-old PSG professional nearly scored her second spectacular late goal of the tournament. Only the aluminum denied the player who wears the number nine tricot for de rød-hvide. We may see her start in the final match. The squad unquestionably performs better with Harder working behind the top axis.
2) Simon Bøye Sørensen
On a night when most of the Danish ranks looked to be a tad too “Hygge”, the former Bayern star’s consistent effort proved a welcome sight. The popular veteran rose high to win all three of her aerial duels, executed three memorable pressing tackles, and even tried a couple of long carries herself. A regular diamond in defense turned in another gem of a performance.