Best players, fixtures, route to final & more

England head into the 2023 Girls’s World Cup filled with hope and optimism following final summer season’s Euro 2022 triumph.

After a number of years of close to misses and heartbreak, the Lionesses lastly proved they’ve what it takes to win on the worldwide stage when Chloe Kelly poked within the extra-time winner at Wembley.

England are completely a drive to be reckoned with, though there have already been substantial modifications in only a 12 months. Beth Mead, prime scorer and finest participant on the Euros, is out injured, as is captain Leah Williamson and play-maker Fran Kirby. All-time main goalscorer Ellen White has additionally retired, which means 4 starters from final 12 months’s ultimate are mechanically not there, as has Jill Scott.

However the likes of Ella Toone and Alessia Russo loved breakout tournaments in 2022 and are actually set for extra senior roles, whereas Lauren James is the main title amongst a more moderen wave of expertise.

Loads of eyes will firmly be fastened on England all through their time Down Underneath.

Girls’s World Cup

Girls’s European Championship

Attributable to Euro 2022 being postponed a 12 months as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, World Cup qualifying was all however wrapped up by the point the Lionesses have been topped European champions.

Victory over Austria with a match to spare made it mathematically certain, however England had cruised by means of the group as much as that time already, successful a number of video games by monstrous score-lines.

The vast majority of the squad proceed from Euro 2022, with a number of notable exceptions. However most weren’t on the 2019 World Cup, whereas 5 are experiencing their first main internaitonal match.

Millie Shiny

With Leah Williamson sidelined because of the ACL harm she suffered whereas in motion in April, Millie Shiny takes over as captain this summer season. The centre-back, who is because of flip 30 the day after the World Cup ultimate, is a veteran of England’s 2019 marketing campaign and one in every of solely seven gamers within the squad to have performed at the very least 50 occasions for the Lionesses.

Shiny, who has overcome her personal harm issues that curtailed her membership season with Chelsea, is primarily referred to as a tricky tackling and uncompromising centre-back. However she additionally possesses a superb vary of passing, with that mix making her invaluable.

Mary Earps

Mary Earps thought her worldwide profession was ‘most likely’ over earlier than getting a shock recall when Sarina Wiegman took over as supervisor within the autumn of 2021. She has been primary ever since and has gone from energy to energy with new discovered confidence.

Her type for Manchester United has been an important a part of the membership’s rise, which included a WSL file of 14 clear sheets in 22 video games this previous season. Performances each membership and nation additionally earned Earps the Finest FIFA Girls’s Goalkeeper award in 2022.

Rachel Daly

It’s outstanding that Rachel Daly began all six of England’s video games en-route to Euro 2022 glory at left-back and is legitimately top-of-the-line strikers on this planet. The irony is that, regardless of being referred to as a defender at worldwide stage, she has almost all the time been a ahead at membership stage.

After the perfect a part of a decade in america, Daly returned to England completely final summer season when she joined Aston Villa, the place supervisor Carla Ward was completely adamant she would play as a striker. Come the tip of the 2022/23 season, Daly had scored 22 targets, equalling the WSL’s single season file and galvanizing her crew to their highest ever end.

Sarina Wiegman

Having by no means gained a World Cup knockout recreation previous to 2015, England had made notable progress beneath the management of former managers Mark Sampson and Phil Neville. However Sarina Wiegman was the world class coach the Lionesses wanted to achieve that beforehand elusive subsequent stage.

The Dutchwoman arrived off the again of steering her personal nation to Euro 2017 glory after which World Cup runners-up two years later. She normally retains her playing cards near her chest and is not afraid of the massive selections – like transferring on from veteran former captain Steph Houghton – however is each standard with the gamers and media and enormously revered.

It was the perfect a part of two years earlier than Wiegman misplaced her first recreation as England boss, having gone 30 unbeaten earlier than then, and her crew averaged eight targets per recreation throughout World Cup qualifying – far and away the perfect of any European crew. In beating Spain, Sweden and Germany in knockout video games en-route to Euro 2022 glory, two of which went to extra-time, she has instilled perception and resilience that most likely did not exist throughout the England setup in earlier tournaments.

England will anticipate to prime Group D with relative ease, with Haiti among the many match minnows, China not a world drive like they as soon as have been and Denmark inconsistent at this stage.

The tougher work will start within the knockout rounds, the place a doable final 16 towards reigning Olympic champions Canada relying on who wins Group B, awaits. If issues pan out as anticipated, it could be Germany within the quarter-finals after which both France or co-hosts Australia within the final 4. Ought to the Lionesses clear all of these hurdles, america will most certainly be ready within the ultimate.

Even when they’d a completely match squad, England could be going through a tricky problem to translate European glory onto the world stage. The Lionesses now have a goal on their again in a method they did not earlier than when the strain and expectation was considerably lower than it has develop into. Additionally they face going from a house tournamnt to the opposite facet of the world and the obstacles that in itself brings.

A beneficial group definitely helps as there may be the potential to construct momentum after a number of lower than convincing performances towards Portugal, Australia and Brazil in latest months – the Lionesses have not gained inside 90 minutes since February.

As soon as past the group stage, their facet of the knockout bracket is completely stacked in comparison with what the People would possibly face.. The potential quarter-final towards Germany seems to be prefer it might be defining for the entire match. The Germans have added incentive of taking revenge for the Euro 2022 ultimate, however whoever wins that tie has a really actual probability of then going all the best way to carry the trophy.

However with the accidents to key gamers and the truth that that is already a crew in a level of transition – Wiegman would not appear to have a agency grasp on what her finest XI is – solely a 12 months on from Euro 2022, the probability of moving into the semi-finals for a 3rd successive World Cup appears slim.

Prediction: Quarter-finals

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