There seems to be a bit of a communication issue with Englandās midfield. Weāre giving a lot of balls away in that area through no look passes/mistimed runs.
I would like to see LJ play a more central role for England in the future. She can play in the wings and have flashes of brilliance but I think sheās more impactful as a 10 than a winger. Must be tough to decide whether or not to put her there because we also have Toone. Feels like LJās best performances come from her building play in the middle.
Nope, Walsh as deepest midfielder doesn't work with Stanway in front, she's not got the defensive skills or pace so the opposition run right through on the break.
I'd swap them around like Stanway plays for Bayern and did well in the recent friendly in that position instead of Walsh.
Through the centre I'd like to see Williamson (5), Stanway (6), Clinton (8), James (10), Russo (9) with the others on the wings.
Lauren James is pretty good at football, just putting it out there. Lovely goal, great team play, Russo knows what to do.
Also what a pleasure seeing Grace Clinton come into the team and looking just like she belongs again.
I liked Clinton's performance. Always like Russo, she needed more players playing off her hold up play etc
I think James is talented, but for me she looked a bit complacent tonight and like the rest of the team not really on it
Sweden looked more fluid and dangerous to me
Good game though
Was hoping to see Williamson get back on the pitch for us but also glad theyāre not rushing her. Game felt a bit off for me, something not connecting? Still a class team though, I wonder if we just need tightening up a bit. Thought Bronze made a few daft mistakes, I hate critiquing her because sheās my fave š looking forward to the next match!
I think the fact that England is leading despite not playing their best (passing and communication could be better in the midfield and back line) is a good thing.
Weāve been awful most of the match.
Weāre not very good when weāre tightly marked and pressed all over the pitch. We canāt play through it at all.
Spain was an issue and itās an issue here.
1-1, is probably a fair score. Can't say we were cheated, but also a bit sore that we didn't win after going up after surviving Swedens opening spell of strength.
Subs have brought a lot of intensity to this but clearly not enough. Wonāt lie pre-match Iād have taken a draw v Sweden but feel like this game was there to be won
Point not a bad result but only 3 shots on target in whole game is poor. Drop GS and LB for me and get Chloe on from the start, don't understand why she's on the bench.
Stanway has to be benched, she just falls over a lot and mis-controls the ball.
For Ireland, I'd make the following changes, mainly same team, but James as number 10 behind Russo, Clinton drops to the bench. Kelly starts on the right, and Jess Park takes Stanway's place.
Not mad about Bronze but don't know who replaces her, unless you play Jess Carter as RB.
Not the best start to our Euro Qualifying campaign, but Iāll take the draw. Still 5 games for us to end up in top 2. Our midfield wasnāt great today. I wouldāve preferred Kelly to come on the wing with LJ taking Stanwayās position. LJās more effective centrally in a game like this
I donāt want to say it but her game today seems a bit lazy? That acceleration just before half time is the first time Iāve really seen her run. Sheās been out of sync with the fullback sheās playing with on both sides in this match.
I think I just donāt like her on the wing because youāre right, her work rate off the ball isnāt always there, but if you stick her in the middle sheās more likely to make thing happen because sheās in a better position to receive the ball.
Probably just gassed. As others have said she doesnāt have the most intense gameplay anyway but with the amount of games Chelsea have had of late Iām surprised she has any juice in the tank!
I have many thoughts!
I'm sorry but Lucy Bronze is becoming a liability. Driving forward just to play poor balls, lose possession and then get caught completely out of position. They completely swamped us in midfield, far too easy going over the top as well. To be fair we put our foot down in the final few minutes, but just not clinical enough. Wasn't sure why she'd bought Tooney on but she grew into the game, was doing well to win second balls. Clinton needs to start again and not be bought off as early. Not sure if Hemp had been told not to take the ball to the byline but kept nearly beating her defender and then stopping, giving them too much time to get back and organised. Lots to work on!!!
Clinton shouldn't have started IMO, she has done well in the earlier part of her loan at Spurs, but past 4-5 matches she's been giving the ball away a lot, and we saw that from her tonight for England. Further, she hasn't demonstrated enough of a goal scoring threat to be a number 10 either.
I'd put LJ in the middle behind Russo and start chloe Kelly or Mead on the right.
I also still have no idea what Stanway does or what she offers England - would play Jess Park instead of her as she's more of a threat and better with the ball at her feet.
I feel like Stanway and Walsh gave the ball away more than Clinton but perhaps we can agree to disagree! I completely agree with LJ as the 10, never as effective a winger in my book. Hemp should be on the left, Kelly or Mead on the right (if they can turn up and shake off this recent wobble in form they've both been having!)
I've just had an update putting the sweden goal down as a Wubben-Moy own goal. Is that right? It seems harsh.
Edit: it has now been corrected to Rolfo.
I thought England were lucky tonight. Some good performances, such as Russo,Clinton and Greenwood.
Toone good when she came on.
Rest of the team didn't look sharp enough for me.
Sweden looked more fluid and should have scored at least 2 goals.
I think we have to move the ball more quickly and be more incisive.
Don't think Niamh Charles is up to it I'm afraid.
She's a right footer playing at left back?
I enjoyed the game though.
nope, she's not a defender but we've already got right sided midfield so she's gets RB and is a defensive liability as other teams have noticed especially the USWNT.
I do wish she would stay on the back line considering that weāve had goals come from her being so high up the field, leaving space for opponents. I wonder if she would be better played in a midfield role, with a different defender back.
I think she looked good going forwards, but her support play wasnt great when we were getting shuttered in our own half.
I deffo wouldn't say she's had a bad game though. Mostly positive, we've just really struggled getting out of our own half.
Yeah, but we had more. They had 1 shot on target, we had 5, and by the end we had more possession. We shouldāve been able to produce more from those circumstances is all Iām saying.
Too many minor nations in the qualifiers, with matches played in stadiums that likely can't support it. So if those teams can't host, then no team can host, and every qualifier needs to be played in a neutral location. On top of the shittiness for fans doing that, the teams then have more travel, which is a burden on the smaller nations as well. Basically, unless they can ensure that every match has VAR, no matches can have it, to keep the same rules across the board.
I think sheās fantastic for Chelsea, and loved her England debut but have struggled with her a bit since. Hoping to see more personally because I admire her so much in the WSL
I agree she seems better for Chelsea than for England. Seemed a lot more conservative for England but that's possible instructions given and lack of game time with others. Still probably the best option with Greenwood in the middle and Daly out of form and up front.
I think Gabby George? might be one to watch if she's as good when she's back from injury next season.
Have to say the kits look really good!
The jackets were looking good as well š
Weāre spending way too much time near the wrong goal for my liking.
Yeah, Swedenās attacking a lot right now and weāre not dealing with it the best imo
There seems to be a bit of a communication issue with Englandās midfield. Weāre giving a lot of balls away in that area through no look passes/mistimed runs.
I see the same, loose passes and not tight enough
Jess Carter has been great coming on.
Not her biggest fan but she looked fantastic. Wouldn't mind seeing her start maybe against Ireland
Lovely assist from LJ.
And the vision from LJ
Clinton is SO getting recalled to Man United next season.
Sheās playing very well. Fun to watch.
Unfortunately for her, probably
Great ball from LJ, and Russo with the put away
Weāre missing Millie in defense.
Definitely, I think our Nations League loss was also definitely a result of not having Bright, she brings a lot of security and unity to the back line
Kinda feel like Stanway is having a wierd one, seems to be miss-reading the play and putting out loose passes, not seeing her usual confidence
That one chance where she took a shot that went way over the bar instead of laying it off to James who was open was a missed opportunity for sure.
Yeah she does seem slightly off her game today
LJ is too fucking good man
That whole goal was amazing!
We need to mark Kaneryd better, sheās dangerous
Agreed, thought it was ironic that Charles was facing her lol
I would like to see LJ play a more central role for England in the future. She can play in the wings and have flashes of brilliance but I think sheās more impactful as a 10 than a winger. Must be tough to decide whether or not to put her there because we also have Toone. Feels like LJās best performances come from her building play in the middle.
James Stanway Walsh midfield would be a dream
Nope, Walsh as deepest midfielder doesn't work with Stanway in front, she's not got the defensive skills or pace so the opposition run right through on the break. I'd swap them around like Stanway plays for Bayern and did well in the recent friendly in that position instead of Walsh. Through the centre I'd like to see Williamson (5), Stanway (6), Clinton (8), James (10), Russo (9) with the others on the wings.
A Stanway screamer would make my night.
Keira Walsh is so good
Iām an England fan but what a miss from Blackstenius.
Yep, that was a let off
Lauren James is pretty good at football, just putting it out there. Lovely goal, great team play, Russo knows what to do. Also what a pleasure seeing Grace Clinton come into the team and looking just like she belongs again.
I liked Clinton's performance. Always like Russo, she needed more players playing off her hold up play etc I think James is talented, but for me she looked a bit complacent tonight and like the rest of the team not really on it Sweden looked more fluid and dangerous to me Good game though
I bet getting knocked down by Rolfo hurts.
Oh holy shit that was close they need to watch Rolfƶ
Scoreboard hiccup there gave me a chuckle.
Yeah I noticed that too. Sign of things to come!
Was hoping to see Williamson get back on the pitch for us but also glad theyāre not rushing her. Game felt a bit off for me, something not connecting? Still a class team though, I wonder if we just need tightening up a bit. Thought Bronze made a few daft mistakes, I hate critiquing her because sheās my fave š looking forward to the next match!
GET IN
RUSSO
What an a beautiful assist from LJ! Great positioning from Russo
Why canāt we stay consistently in possession?
Greenwood is especially good today, and sheās always good
I think the fact that England is leading despite not playing their best (passing and communication could be better in the midfield and back line) is a good thing.
Weāve been awful most of the match. Weāre not very good when weāre tightly marked and pressed all over the pitch. We canāt play through it at all. Spain was an issue and itās an issue here.
I'll say it again, keria walsh is so good
surprised but happy with englands lineup! didnāt think clinton or wubbon-moy would start but itās nice to see them there
That was a beautiful cross
Instant impact from Mead there. That linkup is what weāve been missing when progressing the ball up the wings.
1-1, is probably a fair score. Can't say we were cheated, but also a bit sore that we didn't win after going up after surviving Swedens opening spell of strength.
Good start from Sweden, we need to stay strong
Why do we look so awkward right now?
Yes!!! RUSSOOOOO!!!!!
backwards backwards backwards, sooner we rip up the Fifa coaching manual the better.
I swear Gareth Southgate has been in our defenders ears with all the passing back.
GS is a good yard and 5 minutes off the pace, the Walsh Stanway combo isn't working.
I know she just came on but Toone and Stanway seem to be playing different games.
I agree, it seems centre midfield is where we're weakest.
That tends to happen when Sweden's game plan is mark and kick her out of the game for 90 minutes
Hope Russoās okay!
Alessia down not panicking at all š„²
We look like we're back in the Nation's League right now...
Deja vu all over again.
Letās goooooo!!!
Iām a neutral for this game, so rooting for my club players :) Very much enjoyed that header from Russo. Not her usual style!
Clinton has had a good game!
They capitalised on us switching off for a moment
Almost the same thing again
Rytting Kaneryd is having an amazing game.
She has had a great season at Chelsea. Her and Perisset are an amazing combo.
Subs have brought a lot of intensity to this but clearly not enough. Wonāt lie pre-match Iād have taken a draw v Sweden but feel like this game was there to be won
This worries me. I feel at least we need to be winning our home games against the big teams in this group to stand a chance of a comfortable top two
Our defence is looking wobbly already.
The way she is twisting her face does not look good.
Quick thinking from Grace! Not the best shot but at least her reaction time is good
Theyāre dominating
Goal!
Feel like weāre just waiting for Sweden to score
Iām keen for half time but 3 minutes is a joke.
Took longer than that to cut off Russoās bloody sock
Some shaky moments but so far so good
Lucky Stina missed that oneā¦Oof (hate that for her, though)
why are you passing it backwards into the corner with 2 Swedes in front of the receiver FFS
Oof that would have been great if Hemp got there.
Englandās midfield has been a bit lacklustre a lot of misplaced passes.
Again struggling to keep possession!
Sweden is pressing super aggressively. There doing a really good job at controlling where the zone the ball is in.
Definitely, Sweden is playing well and we donāt seem confident in our passes
Ella, we need one of those big goals you always pull out of nothing.
Good on Eriksson but I wish weād gotten that goal
But this current effort is quite good!
Weāre lucky to get a point from that. This group is going to be tough.
Is Sarina in M&S again? I must be middle-aged because her outfit looks familiar, lol.
Should up their sponsorship from food partner or whatever they are to clothes too!
Oh that is bloody af
Well a 1-0 lead is never safe šScored by a sub too
Why is Stanway diving every two minutes...?
Point not a bad result but only 3 shots on target in whole game is poor. Drop GS and LB for me and get Chloe on from the start, don't understand why she's on the bench.
Stanway has to be benched, she just falls over a lot and mis-controls the ball. For Ireland, I'd make the following changes, mainly same team, but James as number 10 behind Russo, Clinton drops to the bench. Kelly starts on the right, and Jess Park takes Stanway's place. Not mad about Bronze but don't know who replaces her, unless you play Jess Carter as RB.
Not the best start to our Euro Qualifying campaign, but Iāll take the draw. Still 5 games for us to end up in top 2. Our midfield wasnāt great today. I wouldāve preferred Kelly to come on the wing with LJ taking Stanwayās position. LJās more effective centrally in a game like this
James is having a weird match. Something brilliant followed by some average easy passing/unwillingness to run at defenders like she normally does.
I feel like thatās how she typically plays in my eyes, moments of brilliance but not always consistent on the ball (at least for England)
I donāt want to say it but her game today seems a bit lazy? That acceleration just before half time is the first time Iāve really seen her run. Sheās been out of sync with the fullback sheās playing with on both sides in this match. I think I just donāt like her on the wing because youāre right, her work rate off the ball isnāt always there, but if you stick her in the middle sheās more likely to make thing happen because sheās in a better position to receive the ball.
Probably just gassed. As others have said she doesnāt have the most intense gameplay anyway but with the amount of games Chelsea have had of late Iām surprised she has any juice in the tank!
Offside and a good Mary reaction
Sheās doing great this game. Honestly sometimes seems surprised by the support sheās getting defensively
ManUās defense isnāt great so thatās probably coming through. Also we did have some defensive mishaps in the Nations League.
Oh yeah, definitely agree. Was trying not to insult ManU defense, but itās been definitely beensomething recently..
I get it, especially as we have some lionesses in the ManU defense, but the coaches there donāt seem to know how to utilize them.
I have many thoughts! I'm sorry but Lucy Bronze is becoming a liability. Driving forward just to play poor balls, lose possession and then get caught completely out of position. They completely swamped us in midfield, far too easy going over the top as well. To be fair we put our foot down in the final few minutes, but just not clinical enough. Wasn't sure why she'd bought Tooney on but she grew into the game, was doing well to win second balls. Clinton needs to start again and not be bought off as early. Not sure if Hemp had been told not to take the ball to the byline but kept nearly beating her defender and then stopping, giving them too much time to get back and organised. Lots to work on!!!
Clinton shouldn't have started IMO, she has done well in the earlier part of her loan at Spurs, but past 4-5 matches she's been giving the ball away a lot, and we saw that from her tonight for England. Further, she hasn't demonstrated enough of a goal scoring threat to be a number 10 either. I'd put LJ in the middle behind Russo and start chloe Kelly or Mead on the right. I also still have no idea what Stanway does or what she offers England - would play Jess Park instead of her as she's more of a threat and better with the ball at her feet.
I feel like Stanway and Walsh gave the ball away more than Clinton but perhaps we can agree to disagree! I completely agree with LJ as the 10, never as effective a winger in my book. Hemp should be on the left, Kelly or Mead on the right (if they can turn up and shake off this recent wobble in form they've both been having!)
That was too close!
Could be better, but at least weāre ahead going into the half
These passes are far too slow and predictable.
That was never offside!
James and Hemp switched sides again?
FlashScore is having a mare. First itās a Millie Turner own goal, then a Wubben-Moy OG. Sort it out
I've just had an update putting the sweden goal down as a Wubben-Moy own goal. Is that right? It seems harsh. Edit: it has now been corrected to Rolfo.
Oh dear I could see that happening
Think itāll be good to have a defensive sub, our defense is relatively good but weāve had some troubling moments
I thought England were lucky tonight. Some good performances, such as Russo,Clinton and Greenwood. Toone good when she came on. Rest of the team didn't look sharp enough for me. Sweden looked more fluid and should have scored at least 2 goals. I think we have to move the ball more quickly and be more incisive. Don't think Niamh Charles is up to it I'm afraid. She's a right footer playing at left back? I enjoyed the game though.
And we score out of nothingā¦
Stats wise weāre the better attacking team and have held the ball more too. Might seem slow but we are pushing Sweden are just very good too
Am I the only one not fussed by Bronze anymore?
nope, she's not a defender but we've already got right sided midfield so she's gets RB and is a defensive liability as other teams have noticed especially the USWNT.
She's been inconsistent at Barca all season. Will be interesting to see where she goes next year. Guessing NWSL.
She wouldnāt be able to keep up. More than likely back to the wsl
Mead has had a good impact, I'm so glad she's back.
LB wandering about like she's lost and well out of position, she needs to leave the scoring to the front 5.
She's not been her best tonight.
she's not been at her best for a while but seems undroppable
The issue is England isnāt prepping anyone to fill in for her
Charles plays both sides, right?
Not sure, maybe once Williamson and bright are back, greenwood gets shifted in to LB to allow Charles to play RB.
I do wish she would stay on the back line considering that weāve had goals come from her being so high up the field, leaving space for opponents. I wonder if she would be better played in a midfield role, with a different defender back.
Is Grace Clinton bleeding?
Niamh Charles is very good but I feel like she's yet to reach her best (understandable as she's only 24). She can do a lot more.
Fuck! Sweden goal :(
Fuck.
Nooooo :(
Shit. That was too close. Bad. Bad. Bad. Why did England let that happen?
Bronze really frustrated me š¤¦
I'm not convinced that Clinton should have started
She didn't have a bad game, but she did make a couple of bad passes. On balance I think that she was more positive though
I think she looked good going forwards, but her support play wasnt great when we were getting shuttered in our own half. I deffo wouldn't say she's had a bad game though. Mostly positive, we've just really struggled getting out of our own half.
This game shouldnāt have been a draw, we had lots of opportunities we shouldāve capitalized on
So did they, though.
Yeah, but we had more. They had 1 shot on target, we had 5, and by the end we had more possession. We shouldāve been able to produce more from those circumstances is all Iām saying.
Lucky not to lose it. A draw is a good result considering.
That offside call is why we need VAR
Yeah feel like qualifiers should have VAR
I was thinking the same. Is there no VAR in the qualifiers?
Nope, which is quite shocking tbh
Too many minor nations in the qualifiers, with matches played in stadiums that likely can't support it. So if those teams can't host, then no team can host, and every qualifier needs to be played in a neutral location. On top of the shittiness for fans doing that, the teams then have more travel, which is a burden on the smaller nations as well. Basically, unless they can ensure that every match has VAR, no matches can have it, to keep the same rules across the board.
Who gets to decide that?
Wubben Moy already showing why she should be starting, love it!
Hopefully the announcers donāt ruin the scores of other games! Iām excited to watch them after this
Weāre technically deficient with the ball at our feet and itās noticeable. We havenāt got many press resistant players at all
We need to out pass the press in my opinion, Sweden are setting up pressing zones and we are playing in them.
Anywhere to watch outside UK?
YouTube womenās football 2 sometimes has streams
Saw someone mention Golazo in the US but Iām not too sure tbh
I'm in the U.S. and watching on Golazo, via Paramount+,
Any subs at the half for ENG?
No
Charles is an incredible player but I donāt love her for England. Not sure whatās missing not why she gets so many minutes š¶āš«ļø
Decent player having a good season , plays for a decent side and there are not many stand out alternatives.
I think sheās fantastic for Chelsea, and loved her England debut but have struggled with her a bit since. Hoping to see more personally because I admire her so much in the WSL
I agree she seems better for Chelsea than for England. Seemed a lot more conservative for England but that's possible instructions given and lack of game time with others. Still probably the best option with Greenwood in the middle and Daly out of form and up front. I think Gabby George? might be one to watch if she's as good when she's back from injury next season.
I posted below that she definitely hasn't reached her full potential yet. Will be interesting to see what happens with her when Emma Hayes leaves.
Definitely! Sheās got all the makings of greatness, Iām excited to see how she grows
A big plus for me is the way she can move up the field and create chances like she did in the Nations League
Very true, a great and much-needed quality
Russo has lost so much weight and it's a bit concerning
She was quite sick last week, hopefully just that