Column: England are in a blip, not a crisis, but have issues to address
A second defeat in three leaves England's UEFA Nations League and Olympic hopes hanging by a thread, but they themselves already have the answers to get out of this position...
After one defeat in their opening 30 matches under Sarina Wiegman, England are now on a run of three defeats in five games stretching back to the World Cup final against Spain.
On home soil, they have defeated Scotland and Belgium, but outside these four shores have sunk to further losses against Netherlands and then Belgium on Tuesday night, also conceding three times in a game for the first time under Wiegman.
While there are echoes of the post-2019 World Cup form which proved to be Phil Neville's downfall as head coach, this feels more like a blip than anything terminal, but only time will tell.
England's defeat on Tuesday was disappointing for several reasons, mainly it leaves their chances of winning the UEFA Nations League hanging by a thread, and thereafter any chance we may have of seeing Team GB in France next summer.
Nothing but a win against Wiegman's home country at Wembley in a month will be good enough, and even then they are still reliant on a favour from elsewhere. Relying on others is an unfamiliar position for this Lionesses team, but two defeats in three has left them with no other chance.
The most disappointing aspect though is these defeats are avoidable, and that's not to take any credit away from Netherlands or Belgium, who both put in excellent performances, but Wiegman will know the goals her team are conceding right now are a combination of avoidable through her own team's individual and unit errors, and a slight element of bad luck, but that's football.
Of the five goals England have conceded in their last two defeats, the first was an obvious offside against the Dutch, but the second came from a loose give away from Alex Greenwood in the final minutes.
On Tuesday, the first was a soft free-kick, but England could have done more to avoid it ending in the back of Mary Earps' net. Of the five-player wall, only Millie Bright and Alessia Russo jumped, while Alex Greenwood, Georgia Stanway and Niamh Charles remained flat-footed, and the ball went over roughly where Greenwood was stood.
The Manchester City defender was an obvious loss soon after when she had a sickening clash of heads with Jassina Blom and was stretchered off. It's a relief to hear Greenwood seems to be ok bar a concussion, but her loss does affect how England play in that she's one of the best build-up defenders in the world, as the World Cup showed, and when neither her or Leah Williamson are there it does play a part.
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Combined with Millie Bright and Jess Carter both having an unusually off-night together, it proved England's downfall, but so did an all-too familiar wastefulness down the other end. Russo continues to make the extraordinary look simple but the ordinary look less so and missed a couple of big chances, yet her sublime chipped pass to Lucy Bronze which ended in Nicky Evrard making a great save from Fran Kirby was superb, almost Keira Walsh-esque.
Speaking of Kirby and Walsh, they were highlights on a poor night. Walsh's off the ball positioning wasn't always quite right, but her passing was its usual A* quality, whether it was the pass to Lauren Hemp which led to Kirby's goal, or the two diagonal balls she played to Bronze and Rachel Daly respectively which created chances big chances for England.
Kirby too reminded everyone of the instinctive natural talent she holds in the number 10 role with her goal. When Hemp jinked inside her marker, Kirby had gone short for a pass, but soon realised Hemp was on her way, lost her marker and placed herself perfectly to slide home the winger's low pass to at that time put England in front.
I wrote last week England's competition at the number 10 position is hot right now, yet no one has really grasped it, and Kirby did herself no harm on her return to the starting eleven. The goal was in every way brilliant from England and shows how much quality is still there, it just needs refining.
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In many ways, it has become a little predictable, but that predictability is still impossible to stop when they get it right, as Walsh, Hemp and Kirby all showed the quality they have to execute a plan, even if Belgium probably knew exactly what was coming.
Georgia Stanway though had a quiet game, and played the dreaded square ball which ended in England way out of position and allowed Tessa Wullaert - who was excellent - to burst between Bright and Carter to score the second.
I did feel the Bayern Munich midfielder was unlucky with the late penalty, but I'd have to watch it again. It didn't feel like her arm was particularly out-stretched, but what is and what isn't a handball these days?!
England certainly had their chances, and a combination of bad misses a couple of good saves from Evrard kept them at bay, as did Daphne van Domselaar in Utrecht last month. England are not playing particularly badly, but they are being punished for their profligacy at both ends right now, in a way they weren't at the World Cup.
That happens, and there's enough in these performances and certainly in these players to know things will change sooner rather than later. Wiegman though has to be wary of the same lack of flexibility being her downfall, as it was a similar contribution in her last job, with only one change made against Belgium as Kirby replaced Ella Toone.
England haven't scored more than twice in any game since the semi-final win against co-hosts Australia, but the good news is Lauren James will likely return for the now crunch final matches against Netherlands and Scotland in the cauldrons of Wembley and Hampden Park respectively, while Beth Mead may also be back in contention.
As a wider issue, while England probably don't like it right now, the new UEFA Nations League is doing what it was supposed to do and creating ultra-close competition between the best in Europe.
No one in League A has yet to book their spot in February's final four, with every group wide open going into next month's last group games. In League B, only Republic of Ireland have sealed promotion, similarly Turkey in League C, while the relegation spots are still well up for debate too.
The beauty of this competition is England could still conceivably win their group and keep alive their hopes of success and an Olympics spot, but right now sitting in third they'd end up in a two-legged relegation play-off against a side from League B, such are the fine margins the Nations League throws up.
Norway are yet to win in this competition, but held France last night to a 0-0 draw, keeping Group A2 alive, while Germany too are still chasing down Denmark and their own hopes of an Olympic spot. World champions Spain are almost there after Sweden were held by Italy, but the competition is close and that's exactly what it's there for.
It has also offered those who needed it the taste of success. Gone are the days of Latvia trudging out of Doncaster after a demeaning 20-0 defeat, they've won two of their four games and scored 12 goals, while Malta, Azerbaijan and Estonia are also in good places to earn promotion to League B and a stiffer challenge next season.
Nice to see Walsh looking more like herself and pinging the ball around the place, though it's seems to have been a while since Stanway really put in a dominant performance. Some variety in midfield wouldn't go amiss.
I might be in a minority but not having an Olympic team wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, feel like some of those players could do with an entire summer away from football.
I like the idea of the Nations League in general, it us of course far more preferable than beating sides by 10 plus goals, that didn't help us or them in any way whatsoever.
But onto this England side now, if we get relegated, does that put Sarina's job in jeopardy....as surely she wasn't signed to see us get relegated......was she??
We need a manager/head coach who is far more flexible, all Sarina does is pick the same players time after time, consequences be dammed....
Alex Greenwood was the reason we lost in Holland.....yet was she dropped, were there any consequences....nope.....Sarina sees how ill disciplined she is at club level in important games (see getting sent off v Chelsea), and she STILL picks her....that is crazy.....actions need to, and should have consequences, no matter who you are.
Why not play Le Tiss or Millie Turner, both of whom have drastically out performed her in recent times, both are younger than her as well....
But nope, Sarina is just unbelievably poor when it comes to player (wo)management.
Why the heck are there 4 keepers, and why do Roebuck, & Hampton get called up when they don't play at club level??
Why is it they can get call ups whilst not playing at club level, but other excellent players like Millie Turner, Rachel Laws, who actually do play, do not.
Journalists who don't call out Sarina on this double standard, are simply failing in their role.
Too many seem to not want to, or unwilling to be critical of Sarina in any way, and this doesn't help, being cheerleaders of Sarina just doesn't help genuine constructive criticism to get through.
In terms of players who shouldn't be in the team v the Dutch in December (actions should have consequences) Greenwood, Stanway, Russo for a start.
Put Le Tiss at CB, Zelem & Clinton in the midfield, and Daly up top.
We need change, "doing thr same thing (playing the same players) and expecting different results".....is what exactly......it is certainly something familiar.....
Stagnation is what we are currently seeing, and that is solely down to Sarina, we need change in the team, if we don't, then we should have a change in the dugout, for someone who has the guts and who is willing to make changes, and show that actions need to have consequences.