ALGARVE, Portugal — It was an all too familiar story for England in the opening match of their Nations League campaign, starting the road to Switzerland 2025 on the back foot as worrying form persists.
The Euros are five months away, and the Nations League acts as a perfect tournament to prepare and judge where the side is at ahead of the defence of its 2022 title. But the start did not go to plan in an exasperating evening in Portugal that ended in a 1-1 draw.
Alessia Russo opened the scoring in the 13th minute following a pinpoint cross from Lucy Bronze, though it had been a rocky 10 minutes for the Lionesses, who were struggling against Portugal’s pacey attack and quick turnovers.
Portugal’s poor execution in the final third was a saving grace for England, as a better team would have punished the visitors’ sloppy defence. A chance from distance for the hosts found Leah Williamson, who hit it straight back to Diana Silva in the box, but again, execution was amiss as her shot hit the side netting.
Barcelona‘s Kika Nazareth, off the bench, rocketed an equaliser into the net. It had been coming, with Portugal’s press causing issues for England’s gappy defence. It was a trodden path for the Lionesses: squandering their early leads and allowing their opponent back into the game through their profligacy.
England now find themselves on the back foot to start the Nations League. Spain struck late to defeat Belgium 3-2, and ahead of a replay of the World Cup final next week, England need to regroup. The reigning titleholders will be far better in the final third, surely punishing their wastefulness.
The matchup with Spain will be the perfect barometer to judge where the Lionesses are ahead of the 2025 Euros, but one key area that manager Sarina Wiegman still needs to figure out is how to plug the gaps left by injuries to members of her core team. Wiegman has had to adapt a lot since her tenure began.
For the World Cup, she was without captain Williamson and Euros top goal scorer Beth Mead. Now she is without Manchester City duo Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood, as well as stalwart midfielder Georgia Stanway. All three are out for extended periods with knee injuries, forcing the Dutch coach to rotate, bringing youngsters Jess Park and Grace Clinton into the XI.
Having been without Lauren James (lower leg) since April 2024 and Niamh Charles (shoulder) since September, the side was given a boost with their inclusion into this squad. Though James’ lackadaisical approach left England a bit vulnerable, her two strikes from distance were England’s best chances to claw back into the game.
A loss of concentration at the back has cost the side greatly in defence, with England keeping only six clean sheets since the World Cup final. Their struggles in attack also failed to paint over their defensive woes, leaving it a lacklustre display across the board. Since that 1-0 loss to Spain in Sydney, England have played 18 games, including six friendlies. Of those, they won 11 and lost four. In the last Nations League, acting as the qualifiers for the Olympics, a rough campaign with four wins and two losses against Belgium and the Netherlands meant they failed to make it to Paris 2024.
It was a better showing during the Euros qualifiers, albeit a turbulent one. They mustered only eight goals during the run of six games, and with their defence still stuttering, the equation left them second in the group to France after a loss to Les Bleus and a lacklustre 0-0 draw with Sweden.
The friendlies, which Wiegman called a chance to learn and experiment, drew positive results barring a 4-3 drubbing by Germany at Wembley Stadium where their bubbling defensive issues hit the boiling point, as they conceded three times in the opening 30 minutes of the October fixture. The 0-0 draw with the United States was perhaps the most even result, reflecting frustrations in both attack and defence.
But what do they need to do over the next five months to try to retain their Euros crown?
It has seldom been the case that England’s attack and defence have been working successfully in tandem. With defensive issues peppering the side consistently, England have relied on a positive attack to get them through. But some of those defensive issues have seeped into a disconnect in midfield and the final third. England need to (1) sort out their defensive woes — especially ahead of facing Spain next week, who will be less forgiving than Portugal were — and (2) figure out how to find confluence between the two.
It might be tough to settle on a defensive line with Greenwood out for at least a few more months, yet Wiegman seems settled on a back line of Bronze, Williamson, Millie Bright, and Charles. It is a strong quartet that will benefit from playing the next five Nations League games together to reinforce their connection. The Chelsea trio have already built a tightknit, brick-wall defence for Sonia Bompastor, so there are few excuses for the back line failing to jell by July.
In a similar thread, England need to capitalise on the good form of players in the league right now. Goal scorer Russo has notched eight goals from 14 games for the Gunners. Ella Toone (4) and Clinton (5) are finding success for Manchester United, with their partnership crucial for their budding form.
Wiegman has relied on Hemp since she entered the fold of the senior team, starting all six games of the past Euros and being arguably the most crucial figure during the World Cup. She is back on the grass continuing her rehab and will likely be in contention for the summer tournament, but if she is not fully match-fit, this is the perfect time to find and polish a replacement such as Park or Clinton if the worst-case scenario occurs and England are without the City winger.
Bright told the media earlier in the week that the Euros are “still a little bit too far away” to be thinking about the tournament. Yet, it is difficult to imagine England not having one eye on the summer, considering the gaps in their performances.
Facing the world champions, a familiar opponent in Belgium and a side possessing one of the quickest attacks in Europe is the perfect preparation for defending their crown in July. As the games progress, they will also act as a gauge for what else needs to change as the clock runs down on England’s opening game of the tournament against France on July 5.
They have not given themselves an easy start after dropping points to Portugal. But perhaps there are blessings. It shows England have not corrected their significant issues in defence and that their attack, while positive with half of their eight shots on target, lacks a clinical edge. It pinpoints exactly where England need to be better ahead of their crunch match with Spain on Wednesday at Wembley, where the Lionesses have a point to prove given how their past meeting ended.
Ultimately, the countdown is on for Switzerland 2025, and England have a lot of work to do if they want to be victorious once again.
