Almost two years after England and Spain met in Sydney for the Women’s World Cup final, the pair will meet again in Basel for the final of the Women’s Euro on Sunday in another display for two of the game’s top teams.
Though it does not come as much of a surprise that England and Spain were able to reach the final, both sides showcased some of their vulnerabilities in the semifinals. La Roja battled a defensively organized Germany to win 1-0 after extra time on Wednesday in their most challenging match of the competition so far, but they remain the favorites to win on Sunday, especially against an inconsistent England team. The Lionesses have been on a roller coaster ride all tournament long and repeated some of those patterns in their 2-1 win over Italy after extra time on Tuesday, their defensive vulnerabilities clear to see as they needed to come from behind to win yet again.
Sunday’s final may be a battle of two titans, but Spain are the type of team that can rattle teams who are either unequipped to deal with their offensive prowess or lose their focus while doing so, even if it is for a moment. The situation likely requires England to be at their absolute best in Basel, something they are capable of even if it has not been a habit of theirs at the Women’s Euro this summer. Not only is a second consecutive European title on the line for the Lionesses, but so is redemption for their 1-0 defeat in the 2023 World Cup final.
Here are three keys for England as they look to take down Spain, the oddsmakers’ favorites to win their first-ever Women’s Euro on Sunday.
Defensive resolve from start to finish
England deserve plaudits for their ability to come from behind, a signal that the Lionesses not only have the talent to be the better team over the course of a whole match and the grit needed to bail themselves out of trouble. It also raises questions about why England have had to deal with such adversity in the first place – the reigning European champions have gone behind in four of their five games at the Women’s Euro this summer, a signal that the balance has been off at the start of each game, especially in the back.
Individual errors have not helped, but as a unit, England’s defense has been unable to cope with offenses that have physicality and dynamism in their game, looking frazzled at times. That has been true regardless of the personnel – manager Sarina Wiegman has started Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, Jess Carter and Alex Greenwood for all but one game, swapping Carter for Esme Morgan in their semifinal win over Italy. The results have more or less been the same, and though England have the offensive talent to bail themselves out of trouble more often than not, that is an especially risky game plan against Spain. Scoring goals looks easy for the Women’s World Cup winners, who boast two of the tournament’s leading goalscorers in Esther Gonzalez and Alexia Putellas, but also hoard some of the world’s top attacking players. If England’s defensive shakiness returns to start the final, Spain could put the game out of reach quickly.
Sarina Wiegman’s team selection
Wiegman’s substitutions have saved the day during the Women’s Euro, chief among them Michelle Agyemang, the 19-year-old who only made her debut for England in April. Agyemang has two goals at the tournament as a substitute, scoring the all-important equalizer in their quarterfinal against Sweden and semifinal against Italy, while Chloe Kelly scored the game-winning goal on Tuesday against Le Azzure in extra time. This, too, is a testament to the Lionesses’ inherent talent, as well as Wiegman’s in-game management and the overall squad morale, making every England game a riveting watch.
The pressure’s on, though, for Wiegman to actually get the tactics right from the start and ensure England do not dig themselves into a hole that could be insurmountable against a foe like Spain. That does not necessarily mean that someone like Agyemang should start, Wiegman rightly easing the talented teenager into life as a senior international, nor does it necessarily require wholesale changes. Alessia Russo, for example, has played an important role with one goal and three assists in five games. A slow start on Sunday, though, will likely be to England’s detriment and so Wiegman will likely need to showcase her incisive decision-making abilities from the beginning and take advantage of the deep roster of attacking talent she boasts.
Force Spain off their game
Though Spain managed to get plenty of shots off in their semifinal against Germany (22, to be exact), La Roja were deadlocked for 113 minutes of Wednesday’s semifinal not just because the opposition were not just well-organized in defense, but because Germany also disrupted Spain’s midfield momentum. As expected, Montse Tome’s side controlled possession and accurately placed 87% of their 600-plus passes, though the distribution of their passes was fairly different from their previous matches. Before the semifinals, the number of passes Spain played in the opposition half was around double the number they attempted in their own half. That balance was completely disrupted on Wednesday, only managing about 50 more passes in Germany’s half than in their own and playing 31 long balls when they had not played more than 13 in their other games at the Women’s Euro.
Spain never really had a back-up plan for Germany’s more defensive approach, a tactic that maybe should not have surprised the World Cup winners despite Germany’s defensive injuries. Tome did not find a way to problem-solve and utilize her dynamic attackers differently, either – Salma Paralluelo, for example, came on for Gonzalez in the 68th minute but was unable to break through Germany’s defense. Aitana Bonmati’s goal in the final minutes of the game mean they were bailed out of trouble, the main perk of having as much attacking talent as they do. While England are not exactly likely to deploy Germany’s tactics, the Lionesses can gain a lot of confidence from the fact that Spain may not actually have a Plan B. If Wiegman and company can find a way to break Spain’s patterns, they may be able to decrease the opponent’s attacking abilities in the process.