Barcelona full-back says Lionesses have responded to being forensically analysed by World Cup rivals and are now dangerously unpredictable
They were not willing to admit it at first but England had been ‘worked out’ heading into this Women’s World Cup and were in danger of becoming too predictable – until Sarina Wiegman came up with a new plan to win another major trophy.
The Lionesses had been forensically analysed and were increasingly easy to nullify as rivals developed plans to suffocate the European champions’ creativity in midfield and reduce their offensive threat. But the best managers and teams are able to adapt to meet specific challenges and opposition.
In that respect, the injury to midfield playmaker Keira Walsh against Denmark last week forced Wiegman into a rethink. Walsh could easily play in the new system but it was designed to work without the world’s most expensive female footballer pulling the strings.
The 3-5-2 line-up, with Lauren James floating behind a dual strikeforce of Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp, proved highly effective in the 6-1 defeat of China – and what was most impressive was how quickly the players settled into the new system given they had only spent a couple of days working on it.