Why Sarina Wiegman was right to take this one gamble before Euro 2025

Independent

2 days ago

The past week hasn't exactly been an oasis of calm for the Lionesses. Mary Earps and Fran Kirby have retired from international football, Millie Bright withdrew from selection for Euro 2025. Now, Sarina Wiegman has named her squad, and it contains a significant point of uncertainty: Lauren James has been selected despite her fitness being a doubt.
It's a gamble, but this time, Wiegman is probably right to roll the dice.
James has not played since April. The 23-year-old has been sidelined since sustaining a hamstring injury in the Lionesses' win against Belgium. She is still yet to return to fitness and just 30 days remain until England's tournament gets underway.
But James is the perfect player for the big stage. She featured in all but one of England's games at the 2023 World Cup, missing out following her quarter-final red card against Nigeria, and was instrumental in their run to the final.
That tournament feels like the distant past now, but her sublime performance across the campaign is reason enough to call her up. The wonderful strike she scored in the group stage against Denmark, the way she sailed past defenders with ease and linked play. In tournament football, you sometimes need to be able to call upon someone who can produce an individual spectacular moment to make the difference: James is the perfect player to fill such a role.
England have lacked her trademark style when she's been absent. Her staccato runs can turn a game on its head, stopping and starting to scan for space as she approaches a defence, constantly making goalkeepers think she is about to whip an effort into the far corner. With the ball at her feet, she is calm, composed and offers an unmatched level of unpredictability in her play.
Jess Park also plays a somewhat similar role, and both will be needed. It's too easy to resort to taking it down the wings and hoping to get the ball back inside; James and Park are two players who take joy in taking on the opposition, weaving through back lines and creating chances. James provides the added bonus of being a proven goalscorer, being a master of striking the ball from range and having an innate ability to read the game multiple steps in advance and move into the correct areas to get into the right spaces inside the box.
A fully fit James is a crucial asset for the Lionesses. The gamble lies in the question marks over her fitness and the fact that she may have gone months without football if she is not ready in time for England's final friendly against Jamaica later this month. Wiegman could only name a 23-player squad for the Euros, and if James is not ready, then it means she will have missed out on the opportunity to name somebody else who could possibly make an impact.
Up front, she's also selected a newcomer in 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang. The Arsenal forward has played in just one fixture for the Lionesses – a cameo from the bench in their defeat by Belgium in April – but she netted a wonderful strike in that match. At tournaments, there always seems to be a player who makes a name for themselves, someone who seizes their opportunity and changes the trajectory of their career. Many did so at Euro 2022, the now-retired Kirby did so in 2015. Agyemang could be poised to do so in Switzerland.
Whether selecting James is even that much of a gamble is up for debate. If she failed to be ready in time for the tournament and instead returned later in England's campaign, it feels like they have ample firepower to still cause a threat despite lacking one of their greatest talents. Her Chelsea team-mate Aggie Beever-Jones is one player who could fill the void should James not recover quickly enough: she netted nine times in the Women's Super League this year and scored a first-half hat-trick in England's win against Portugal last week. Beever-Jones is a player with more dynamism than James, someone who prefers to constantly charge forward at speed instead of being a more calculated presence, but she is equally dangerous to defences.
James, Beever-Jones and Agyemang are among the clear winners following the squad announcement. The likes of Park and Grace Clinton could also be placed in that category, although they seemed more likely to be called up.
Where there are winners, though, there are always losers. 31-year-old forward Nikita Parris has missed out, but over time, she has fallen to the fringes of this Lionesses team and has not performed as well as the others recently for either club or country.
At the back, England seem strong enough to be able to cope without Bright's presence. Alex Greenwood and Leah Williamson have made for a solid partnership at centre-back, Wiegman seems set on playing Lucy Bronze and Niamh Charles as the full-backs in part of a back four. Manchester United's Maya Le Tissier has played well for her club this season and could come in if needed, while Jess Carter proved a good option at the World Cup. Lotte Wubben-Moy has also regularly had minutes for her country.
There is a potential issue with James' selection, but England can probably fill the gap if needed. Their defence should be able to work well enough without Bright. Wiegman's hands were tied over her goalkeeper selection following Earps' retirement.
The only other concern comes in midfield, where England feel somewhat light on numbers. Only five out-and-out midfielders have been named, and apart from Keira Walsh, there aren't that many options who could play in defensive midfield. The Lionesses boss will have to hope her side can avoid any unwanted injuries or call upon the standby midfielders or – if it comes to it – find a way to play one of her defenders higher up the pitch. Should she need to do that, Bronze or Williamson could possibly push further up and the other defensive options could slot in at the back. It isn't a perfect solution, but it's been tried before and may work.
There weren't too many selection headaches for Wiegman; she didn't make that many options. She has selected a team who should be able to adapt and taken risks where needed. Now, she has the tricky job of working out how to turn all of her options into a workable starting line-up.