England Women face China in their third Women's World Cup 2023 match in Adelaide on Tuesday at 12pm BST; Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses looking to book passage to knockout stages after beating Haiti and Denmark in opening Group D matches
Tuesday 6 February 2024 16:31, UK
This is the week that Sarina Wiegman has to show the world why she is considered one of the best coaches in the women's game.
A meticulous planner of scenarios, she is someone who never seems phased but even the unshakable England head coach must have wobbled just a little this week as she contemplates the challenge of trying to keep her side's World Cup hopes alive without her star midfielder Keira Walsh.
"Of course, it's not nice to lose players," said Wiegman. "First of all for them and second for the team. It's part of sport and it's not nice but you have to move on and adapt to the new situation and find a way. We will bring players on the pitch who we think can win the game. That's what we do all the time."
Wiegman refused to confirm the extent of Walsh's injury or whether she would feature again in the World Cup should England progress to the knockout stages, preferring instead to concentrate on the here and now.
So, how do you fill the giant void left by the most expensive player in the women's game? Basic economics will tell you there aren't many who can do what Walsh does, making sourcing a like-for-like replacement almost impossible.
With such a quick turnaround from the win over Denmark in Sydney, England arrive in Adelaide for their final group game having had limited prep time. Wiegman will likely look to Georgia Stanway, as she did against Denmark, to not only take up the vacated defensive midfield position but a leadership role too.
The latter shouldn't be a problem for the mature version of Stanway, who by her own admission might need to rein in her combative style to avoid picking up a second booking of the tournament which would rule her out of England's next game.
"I have managed 45 minutes in the first game and 90 minutes in the last game," she said. "So, yeah, I am hoping I can manage a lot more minutes without picking up another." In terms of playing in the deeper role, Stanway added: "I think for me it's just probably bringing that discipline element to the game. Not necessarily knowing that I can run and attack every single time. Just knowing that I need to protect the back four.
"I think that position helps me because I've played it a little bit at club [level], and I've played alongside Keira who is the best teacher without knowing it. So the biggest thing is we just need to communicate in the middle of the pitch. The connection we have between me, Keira and Tooney [Ella Toone] has been easy and has been synchronised. Tomorrow (Tuesday) will pose a different challenge."
I am not sure what Stanway had before she went to sleep on Sunday night but it obviously did the trick.
"I woke up this morning feeling a lot more mature," she continued. "I think I've just created a little bit of a leadership role in the way that I am playing. I've built a lot of confidence in my own game.
"I have been consistent off the back of the Euros. I want to keep my momentum. I can kind of prove my leadership by the way I am playing. I can lead by example. I'm not afraid to communicate, I'll try and do two jobs."
Who plays alongside the Bayern Munich midfielder will be an interesting debate in the lead-up to the game. Laura Coombs replaced Walsh last week and in any other circumstance her story of a World Cup debut at 32 after eight years in the international wilderness would have taken all the headlines.
Wiegman has rewarded those who have contributed as replacements, and she knows she can trust the Manchester City player to do a job. If England make it out of their group, and that's by no means certain at a World Cup that has thrown up some big upsets, the England head coach will have a week to reshape her team and the likes of the Manchester United captain Katie Zelem or Aston Villa's Jordan Nobbs may come into the equation, or a rethink to the tried-and-trusted formation.
There is a sense of unease around this England team ahead of a game the Lionesses simply can't lose - at some point the injuries and lack of goalscoring might well catch up with them.
We were reminded that it is two wins from two and qualification is in England's hands and, amid all the straight bats played by Wiegman, a revelation of sorts and a little light relief from her midfielder who was asked about having her family over in Australia.
"We've all got families out here pretty much, even Sarina," Stanway said. "We're just loving the fact that if there is time to relax you can take your mind away from football and have some family time."
'Even Sarina?' Asked to elaborate, Stanway added: "Sometimes you don't realise your head coach is actually human. It is nice to see that her family are here supporting her with an England shirt on."
Perhaps there will be more rare insights into what makes Wiegman tick to come, but for now England need to answer some more immediate and bigger questions that will be posed by China to ensure their Australian adventure continues.
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