Should any of England's Euro 2025 finishers be starters in the final?

New York Times

24-07-2025

England are in a major final again, and once more, their substitutes proved the difference.
Against Sweden, it was Michelle Agyemang who equalised and fellow replacement Chloe Kelly who played a key role in both of England's goals. Against Italy, Agyemang was the hero who forced extra time again before Kelly scored the 119th-minute winner — which, incidentally, was from a penalty won by Beth Mead, another substitute.
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England's strength in depth has been their superpower in Switzerland, allowing them to break down low blocks, stretch tired defences and, ultimately, pull off two great escapes. The question now is whether any of Sarina Wiegman's so-called 'finishers' have earned a start for Sunday's final in Basel against Spain.
Here, The Athletic looks at each of their cases for a place.
In four senior caps, 19-year-old Agyemang has scored three goals — two of which were late equalisers to make England's progress through the knockout stages possible. That is all without coming on before the 70th minute. Naturally, that begs the question of what she could do in 90 minutes instead of 20.
The map below shows how Agyemang has made the most of her minutes, taking up dangerous positions while, against Sweden, helping break down opposition attacks early.
Against Spain, those attributes — and particularly her strength in hold-up play, allowing team-mates time to get up the pitch and join a counter-attack — could be a great fit. After seeing her latch on to a long ball and lob Italy goalkeeper Laura Giuliani, only to hit the bar and let out a yell of frustration, the idea of her running in behind to exploit Spain's high line is tantalising.
Is the time right for her to take the starting spot up top? That would feel harsh on Arsenal team-mate Alessia Russo, who has only scored once but has led the press brilliantly, run tirelessly and been a creative force too, with three assists. Russo is also adept at hold-up play and exploiting a high line (as shown for England's first goal in the 4-0 win against the Netherlands).
Will she start the final? Excellent as Agyemang has been, starting her over Russo would be uncharacteristic for Wiegman. There is no guarantee the teenager can replicate over a full game what she has achieved against low blocks and tired defences. Wiegman will opt for experience, and that is the sensible call — but if England need a hero, it would make sense to give Agyemang more than 20 minutes.
Kelly is the only one of England's super-subs from Euro 2022 who has kept that role, with Russo and Ella Toone having become starters. Had that apparent standstill been put to her two years ago, she might have been disappointed. Now, though, after the gamble of leaving Manchester City in January in search of more playing time at Arsenal, she will be delighted she has even made it to Switzerland, let alone proven to be so crucial.
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She has been as important as Agyemang in England's progress. Kelly was instrumental in England's goals against Sweden before hammering home her penalty in the shootout. Against Italy, her dribbling and pace on the right wing were crucial in opening up space in the middle and creating opportunities for herself. She almost scored an iconic winner when she skipped away from four Italian defenders and bent her shot just wide of the top-left corner in extra time. In the furore, it went largely unnoticed that she almost scored directly from a corner. Instead, she would seal victory by turning in her saved penalty.
Who else? 🥶
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Chloe Kelly wins it for England in the 119th minute 😤#WEURO2025 pic.twitter.com/97wKgbtpGN
— UEFA Women's EURO 2025 (@WEURO2025) July 22, 2025
She tracked back tirelessly against Italy, and made a key defensive contribution after substitute Giada Greggi had got the better of Grace Clinton. Again, she finds herself vying for a starting spot in a European final.
Will she start the final? Kelly has the best chance of any of the substitutes. Her contributions have been slightly less obvious than Agyemang's, but equally as important, and she has more experience than her Arsenal colleague. A lot will depend on Lauren James' fitness. If the Chelsea forward can bounce back from the ankle injury she suffered on Tuesday, she will be hard to displace. If not, Kelly will be first in line.
The Chelsea forward had a strong build-up to the Euros, planting herself firmly in Wiegman's thinking with a hat-trick at Wembley against Portugal, but has had limited opportunities in Switzerland. Her standout moment was her first tournament goal, England's sixth of the match against Wales — a well-taken but admittedly poorly defended header. The 21-year-old came on in the 85th minute against Italy and helped stretch their tired defence throughout extra time, coming close to turning home a couple of crosses but she could not find a way past Giuliani.
Spain, her speed and dribbling on the counter-attack could be a weapon, and her adaptability to play across the front three helps provide cover. However, she is less physically imposing than Lauren Hemp (left wing) and Russo (striker), and has far less major tournament experience.
Will she start the final? Beever-Jones' competitors have the edge over her for a starting spot. She is still best used as a 'finisher', testing tired defenders.
Clinton faces stiff competition for a midfield role from Manchester United team-mate Toone, as well as Georgia Stanway and James. When she has got on to the pitch — which has been for no more than 16 minutes at a time — the 22-year-old has shown relentless energy but has not been at her best. Mostly employed to refresh England's midfield and rush opponents with box-to-box running, Clinton has helped stop teams from building attacks.
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At her peak, Clinton balances reading of the game, movement and link-up play with defensive nous; that has not quite happened this tournament. Against Italy, when she came on in the 106th minute for Keira Walsh, she had to help prevent counter-attacks while simultaneously trying to provide a spark from deep. She looked comparatively sluggish when Greggi intercepted Kelly's loose ball and pulled away into England's half. Clinton has massive potential, but we have not quite seen it at this tournament.
Will she start the final? England desperately need to exercise some control over the midfield in the final and it does not feel like Clinton has shown more ability to do that than Stanway, Toone or Walsh. She will stay as a substitute.
Mead's Euros has not gone how she, or Wiegman, had planned. She started in her favoured right-wing position for England's opening defeat against France, a performance that prompted a rethink about how England could extract the best from James. The Chelsea attacker was moved to the right, with Toone stepping in behind the forward line and Mead dropping to the bench.
Wiegman still seems to trust the Arsenal forward — she has featured in every game, and was the first port of call when James was forced off with an ankle injury against Italy. She showed versatility in that semi-final, moving into the No 10 role when Kelly was introduced, and looked dangerous in the box, not least when she won England's penalty.
However, that role change arose out of exceptional circumstances as Wiegman was trying to piece together an unusual number of attackers on the pitch, rather than providing any hints at where she could play in the final.
Will she start the final? Right now, the options ahead of her appear stronger. James did not have her best half against Italy but, if fit, would still be first in line to start on the right. Even without James, Kelly's excellent substitute performances would put her ahead of Mead in the pecking order. Given Mead's drop-off in minutes, no matter her experience, she is not best placed to start.
(Top photos: Getty Images)