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After Friday’s big defeat to Spain, is the post-mortem at the top?
England have won so many matches under Sarina Wigman, there is no need to panic after one loss.
But it wasn’t just any old loss. The Lions were beaten at every level by Spain, their spirit crushed as easily as their World Cup qualification campaign.
England have played badly under Wigman before but nothing like this. Going backwards is something fans are used to seeing. You could even argue that the team had just one complete performance en route to winning the Euros last summer.
Lucy Bronze talks to her teammates after Alexia Putellas scores for Spain
But you usually see a fight, a scrap and a sense of desperation to win on the biggest stage. That ‘proper English’ mentality won them their second major trophy in three years.
When England lost by four goals to Germany at Wembley at the Euros, they at least went down swinging, losing 4-3 on the night.
In Mallorca on Friday night, England failed to muster a shot on target. The spirit of Switzerland was shattered.
‘We weren’t good enough’ and ‘we have to do better’ were the messages from the players immediately after Son Moix’s final whistle. That, however, seems like an understatement.
Keira Walsh disappointed with England’s loss to Spain
Beat England at every level. They struggled to keep possession or react to the first ball and were tactically all over the place.
Most of the senior players, touted as some of the best in the world, made blunder after inexplicable blunder. It wasn’t just an off-write, it was something of a nightmare.
Should England have sent Lucy Bronze, Lauren James and Ella Toon, all returning from injury, against the best in the world? Playing Monday morning quarterback is easy but Wiegman’s insistence on trusting a small pool of players in big games will be questioned again.
Jess Park was a spectator on the bench, Aggie Beaver-Jones was not even selected as a substitute and Freya Godfrey is awaiting a debut despite being part of the last three international camps. And that’s just the forwards – you can list players in every position desperate for an opportunity.
Those chances are unlikely to come before the World Cup given last night’s result.
Wigman will almost certainly turn to his tested players to get England through an unwanted play-off campaign in the autumn. There’s too much on the line to start taking risks now.
Sarina Wigman begged her lioness to stick together after the biggest defeat of her tenure
But there are long-term problems. The immediate puzzle to solve is how to react against Ukraine on Tuesday.
England were due to arrive in Palma, looking to secure the points they needed to qualify for the World Cup and send a statement to their many rivals by securing a place on Brazil’s billing.
They leave Mallorca with questions, doubts and despair.
This group was at its best when it was named in the past. Wiegmann will hope this battle against the odds will make the team strong again next summer.
