logo
England aim to solve 'wobbles' in semi-final, and what to expect from Italy

England aim to solve 'wobbles' in semi-final, and what to expect from Italy

BBC News6 days ago
England's preparations for their Euro 2025 semi-final with Italy on Tuesday have been overshadowed by the racial abuse suffered by defender Jess Carter.Players have had to rally around Carter to offer support, while ensuring they remain focused on their attempts to defend their European title.Having endured a difficult few days, whether Carter will start is among the decisions Wiegman will have to consider as England seek to reach a third successive major tournament final.But can Italy upset the defending champions and have England sorted out their defensive issues?
Will Wiegman mix up the defence?
A recurring theme of England's tournament has been the weaknesses exposed in defence, with France and Sweden's pace causing them problems.Carter has switched positions on three occasions - playing as a right-sided centre-back, a left-sided centre-back and a left-back to try to solve the issue.Alex Greenwood has also switched from centre-back to full-back, while defender Esme Morgan impressed when she came off the bench in the win over Sweden.Wiegman has a selection headache with Morgan pushing for a starting place, and she might also choose to protect Carter following the racial abuse. "Although it's a hard situation, Jess is a very strong person and wants to move on. She also felt we had to address this. You can't just let it go," said Wiegman. "We know there's a match going on and we're ready to perform - she's ready to perform and to compete. That says a lot about her and the team."We have headaches all the time because a lot of players can play from the start. It's what makes the team so strong."There were also doubts over the availability of captain Leah Williamson after she was seen using crutches and wearing a protective boot on Thursday. But Wiegman confirmed Williamson has recovered from an ankle injury and she was in full training on Monday. "She really wants to play and she did everything to recover as quickly as possible - and she has. It means she is available," added Wiegman.England became the first team to progress from a knockout tie at the Euros having trailed by two goals in their win over Sweden.Meanwhile, Italy have opened the scoring in all four of their matches so far.So can England wipe away the cobwebs and produce a solid defensive display?"I'd like to think we've got all the wobbles out of the way," England forward Beth Mead told BBC Sport. "I think this is very much the business end of the tournament, we've got to be on it and we've got to be very much in the right headspace. We've got to play well in knockout football now."
'Complacency is the biggest mistake'
England have won seven of their last 10 games in all competitions against Italy and are playing in their seventh Euros semi-final.They have progressed from two of the last three, whereas opponents Italy, ranked 13th in the world, are in the semi-finals for the first time since 1997.It means England go into Tuesday's game as favourites - but Wiegman is wary of acknowledging that."It would be really disrespectful to think we are the favourites," she said. "They made the semi-final just like we did and that's very impressive for any team. Complacency is the biggest mistake you could make. "You have seen them, how they have played. I don't think there is any way we can think that we might be favourites. We have to be at our very best to win."Defender Alex Greenwood told BBC Radio 5 Live it has become an "expectation" that England reach at least the semi-finals."I think as a team now, we've set those standards to reach these levels. We're really proud of that achievement," she added.Mead said England "thrive under pressure", while Brighton midfielder Fran Kirby, who retired from international football before the tournament, admitted Italy are "definitely the underdogs"."I think everyone knows that from the outside," Kirby told BBC Radio 5 Live."But on the flip side, Italy will have seen England's performances and think that there's an opportunity there as well because they know they can score goals. "[Hopefully] England play the way that we know they can play and really shut up shop defensively."
What challenge will Italy pose?
Though the top division of women's football in Italy was established in 1968, it's only in recent years that their domestic game turned fully professional.The national team have never dropped below 19th in Fifa's world rankings - but they failed to qualify for four successive World Cups between 2003 and 2015.So what kind of challenge will Italy pose England when they meet at 20:00 BST on Tuesday?"They have got a never-say-die attitude. They are a very aggressive, hard team to play against," said Mead. "They can be frustrating and they have individual quality."It's going to be a tough game and I know they're very much going to be up for it. They have something to prove, as do we. "We're defending champions but we've got to go out there and put the performance in. We've got to be at the races to beat this Italian team."In recent meetings, England have come out on top.Wiegman's side earned a 2-1 win in the Arnold Clark Cup in February 2023, before inflicting a 5-1 defeat in a friendly 12 months later. But in captain Cristiana Girelli, Italy have a player in form - the 35-year-old has netted three goals in the tournament so far."I think both teams will be confident going into the game for different reasons," added Kirby. "It's going to be really interesting, but I think England just need to tighten up a little bit. The Italian fans are also super passionate."
What are the pundits saying?
Former England captain Steph Houghton told BBC Radio 5 Live she is "really confident" they can reach a third successive major final."We can take really great confidence in how we came back against Sweden. It was more of a semi-final. It's an amazing opportunity for us," added Houghton.Kirby said England were "very expansive" against Sweden and they cannot afford to be the same against Italy."We were losing every second ball. Sweden killed us in the transition moments with their pace and Italy have quite a similar way of playing," added Kirby. "England really needs to focus on that side of the game against Italy. But I don't think Italy are as strong as Sweden."Ex-Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha believes England have shown they are capable of performing in the biggest moments."It's tough to not believe in them. They have done everything they have needed to get to this point," he said. "Against Sweden, we saw them suffer but they found a way and made Sweden really uncomfortable. "When you are a winner, why would you not take belief into the next game?"
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

You've made nation proud – Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulates Lionesses
You've made nation proud – Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulates Lionesses

North Wales Chronicle

time3 minutes ago

  • North Wales Chronicle

You've made nation proud – Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulates Lionesses

England beat world champions Spain 3-1 on penalties in the Euro 2025 final after a 1-1 draw to defend the title they won three years ago. In a post on X, the Prime Minister said: 'Champions! Congratulations @Lionesses – what a team. What a game. What drama. 'You dug deep when it mattered most and you've made the nation proud. History makers.' Champions! Congratulations @Lionesses — what a team. What a game. What drama. You dug deep when it mattered most and you've made the nation proud. History makers. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 27, 2025 The Prince of Wales was spotted in the stands applauding and celebrating with those around him – including his daughter Princess Charlotte. William was among those to heap praise on striker Michelle Agyemang, who was named young player of the tournament. As the presentation ceremony took place, William exchanged words with Agyemang, appearing to say, 'Well played, fantastic, well done'.

England warrior reveals she played whole of Euro 2025 with brutal injury
England warrior reveals she played whole of Euro 2025 with brutal injury

Metro

time3 minutes ago

  • Metro

England warrior reveals she played whole of Euro 2025 with brutal injury

England legend Lucy Bronze revealed she played the entirety of Euro 2025 with a fractured tibia after the penalty shootout win over Spain in Sunday's final. The Lionesses bounced back from conceding a first half opener to Spain in Basel, with Alessia Russo scoring an equaliser just before the hour mark. The match was 1-1 at 90 minutes and remained so at the end of extra time, heading to a nerve-shredding penalty shootout. Both teams faltered, but England got over the line with a 3-1 victory, thanks to two saves from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and a winning spot kick from Chloe Kelly. Bronze had to be taken off during extra time after suffering a knee injury and it must have been serious because she had already shown her immense toughness. The 140-cap full-back revealed that she has had a fractured tibia for the whole tournament, the tibia is sometimes known as the shin bone. 'I've actually played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia, but no one knew,' she told the BBC. 'And now I've just hurt my knee today on the other leg. 'I think that's why I got a lot of praise from the girls after the Sweden game because I've been in a lot of pain, but that's what it takes to play for England so that's what I'll do. 'They know that, I think we inspire each other by playing through things like that and it got to the end, in the end.' Asked how bad the pain has been, she said: 'Very painful.' The Lionesses have defended their European Championship title in extremely dramatic circumstances, having needed penalties to beat Sweden in the quarter-finals and extra time to get past Italy in the semis. Bronze stepped up to score one of the spot-kicks against Sweden and felt the resilience of the team throughout the tournament has been immense. 'We never lost belief in ourselves,' she said. 'I think there was a lot of noise on the outside but we just stuck together and dug deep. 'We showed that in all the knockout games, to go 120 minutes back-to-back-to-back is incredible. 'To win on penalties, two games, this team is so inspiring to be a part of. We just give each other energy I think what we've done today is just unbelievable.' She added: 'Today we've just shown resilience, the fight we've had through all the tournament. We've shown everyone to believe in yourself no matter what other people say about you and to believe in the people that give you that support. 'I think that's what we showed throughout the tournament. We showed that today and that's what's got us the trophy.' England's record goal-scorer, Ellen White, said of her former teammate: 'I mean this in the nicest way but she's not human. 'She's proper England. She's just won a major tournament on a fractured tibia, that's not normal, the pain must have been insane and she smashed that ball in the Sweden game. 'That's true to Lucy Bronze, she will give everything to play for England and win for England.' MORE: Hannah Hampton was told she would never play football due to a serious eye condition MORE: Hannah Hampton reveals message Sarina Wiegman gave England players before shootout drama MORE: Why Beth Mead was allowed to take penalty twice in England's Women's Euro 2025 triumph over Spain

Watch: Bronze recalls pain she faced playing entire Euro 2025 tournament with huge injury
Watch: Bronze recalls pain she faced playing entire Euro 2025 tournament with huge injury

The Independent

time3 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Watch: Bronze recalls pain she faced playing entire Euro 2025 tournament with huge injury

England 's Lucy Bronze has revealed that she played the entire Euro 2025 tournament with a fractured tibia. Speaking after the Lionesses' victory over Spain on Sunday (27 July) in Switzerland, the 33-year-old full-back opened up about the pain she'd been facing. "No one knew. And now I've hurt my knee on the other leg," Bronze said of the moment she succumbed to a separate knee injury at half-time of extra time. The Chelsea player is now a two-time European champion with the Lionesses.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store