boss Sarina Wiegman declared she is willing to ‘make changes’ as the Lionesses look to secure a second successive victory against Denmark on Friday.
Wiegman stuck with the same starting XI for every match of England’s triumphant Euro 2022 campaign, but the retirements of striker Ellen White and midfielder alongside injuries to European champions Beth Mead, Leah Williamson and Fran Kirby have left her current 23-woman squad looking significantly different.
The 53-year-old called for more ‘ruthlessness’ from her side following the nervy 1-0 tournament-opening win over Haiti, decided by Georgia Stanway’s retaken penalty despite several missed chances in open play.
Asked if that demand might also apply to her own team selection, Wiegman replied: ‘That I’m more likely to make changes doesn’t have to do with that. I want to make changes. What we do is approach every game, and then when we get ready for that game we see who is fit and available, and then we make decisions to what we need to start with.
‘And then we decide whether we are going to start with the same XI or maybe make some changes.’
England’s performance against underdogs Haiti fuelled concerns that the Lionesses looked rusty, particularly in an attack led by Alessia Russo in favour of Women’s Super League Golden Boot winner Rachel Daly.
There was also a World Cup debut for forward Lauren James, who some pundits wanted to start but instead replaced Manchester City’s Lauren Hemp on the left wing after 61 minutes.
Like many of her players this week, Wiegman, who has a fully-fit squad to choose from, was eager to point out that this team and tournament are very different from last summer’s home European Championships.
She said: ‘We shouldn’t compare it all the time. We’re in a new situation now, and we have some changes in team dynamics.
‘We have our style of playing, we want to develop our style of play every time and we want to score goals. That’s one of the parts, of course.
‘And that’s what we’re working on all the time, every day. What do we have (to do) to create chances and score goals? That’s what we talk about all the time too. At the end, we hope that the ball gets into the back of the net.’
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