England beaten 3-2 by Belgium to dent hopes of progressing in Women's Nations League or qualifying for 2024 Olympics; Lionesses' defence and finishing both endured tough night in Leuven while Alex Greenwood's first-half injury disrupted rhythm
Wednesday 1 November 2023 17:09, UK
Just days after beating Belgium in one of England's better recent performances, how did the Lionesses lose 3-2 in Leuven - and is it indicative of wider issues?
In a topsy-turvy game in Belgium, Laura De Neve's free-kick saw the Red Flames ahead. But two quick goals from Lucy Bronze and Fran Kirby - scoring on her first international start in over a year - saw England in front.
Tessa Wullaert then scored twice - once at the end of the first half and again from the penalty spot after Georgia Stanway's handball - to see Belgium to a famous victory.
It has made England's hopes of reaching the Nations League finals - and the 2024 Olympics - that much harder, with the Lionesses now third in Group A1.
But just how did Sarina Wiegman's side go from winning 1-0 in Leicester on Friday, to a dismal 3-2 defeat four days later against the same opposition.
For the majority of Wiegman's tenure, England's defences could barely be breached. On their way to the Euro 2022 title, they only conceded twice against Spain and Germany.
In fact, it has only been since the World Cup quarter-finals that the Lionesses have struggled with keeping the goals out - all while having one of the world's best goalkeepers in between the sticks.
Since the game against Colombia, England have kept just one clean sheet in seven games. In Belgium on Tuesday, they conceded three goals in a game under Wiegman for the first time.
Some may point to recent defensive changes - the Lionesses switched to a back three midway through the World Cup which aided their attacking play, but did not always provide the solidity needed at the other end. It has been a switch between a three and four since.
Niamh Charles has also recently come in at left-back after her fine start to the season with Chelsea, although the full-back position is arguably where England struggle at times.
While usually seeing plenty of the ball, the full-backs push higher up, leaving England exposed in defence. That was clear for Wullaert's first goal, with Charles and Bronze unable to get back to provide much help.
It then does not help the two centre backs, especially when facing a team who proved to be lightening quick on the counter-attack as Belgium are. "They're not playing a possession game, as soon as they win it they're gone," Wiegman told ITV Sport.
Of course, poor passes in midfield does not help this situation either, but England did not seem prepared for the Red Flames' attack, despite having faced the same team just days before.
There continues to be questions asked about the Lionesses defence, and have not looked convincing in some time. Perhaps after one of their heaviest defeats under Wiegman, it may force change or at the very least, players the chance to reflect and improve on their own performances.
It was clear from the reaction of players and management they knew what was missing from England's attacking performance in Leuven.
"We had a few chances to put the game to bed, if we'd been a little bit more clinical," Lucy Bronze told ITV4. "We needed to do better in the final third," Wiegman added.
Alessia Russo, Kirby and Rachel Daly will all look back on missed opportunities which could have painted a very different picture for the Lionesses' Nations League hopes.
More widely, even when England weren't testing Nicky Evrard, they had so much of the ball in attacking areas at other times but were let down by an overhit final pass or poor delivery into the box.
England must be better - and Russo will shoulder a lot of the responsibility. She has started three of the Lionesses' four Nations League games but scored only once and she missed a sitter before half-time in Belgium.
Is it time to look at an alternative to lead the line? Daly was the WSL's top scorer last season and has netted twice for Villa this term despite their tough start.
She must feel she's worth a starting berth through the middle, an opportunity she hasn't been afforded since July.
The one positive for England and Wiegman is that England are back to creating chances. But until they start putting them away, that is little consolation.
In many ways, yes. Not because of the incident itself, although it will surely have affected the players to see their team-mate and friend stretchered off, but her defensive qualities were sorely missed.
Greenwood was one of England's best players at a sometimes underwhelming World Cup for other members of the squad. Although England's defence has struggled in recent games, there is a comfort knowing Greenwood is there to have a vital impact.
Perhaps this was best demonstrated with two first half chances for Wullaert. The first inside six minutes saw the Belgium captain drive through after a sloppy midfield pass. However, Greenwood just dropped back to play Wullaert offside and the flag eventually went up.
Later, as Wullaert raced through to equalise for Belgium, neither Millie Bright or Jess Carter could get close to the striker. While positioning would also have been different, Greenwood's tactical thinking and defensive abilities were certainly missed in that moment.
Her ability on the ball and the subsequent errors made in her absence were a huge part of the Lionesses downfall too, with Lucy Bronze telling ITV Sport: "Alex having to come off when she's one of our key ball players didn't help, but a similar thing happened against Holland when we gave the ball away too easily."
Hopefully, Greenwood will recover well from her concussion and be available for England's vital final Nations League games in December. It's clear she will be sorely missed otherwise.
It was a night to forget for Georgia Stanway. Her poor midfield passes allowed Wullaert through twice - the second time resulting in Belgium's equaliser - and her handball gifted the Red Flames a late penalty for their winner.
There was little protest from Stanway too - she knew that she had not moved her arm out of the way soon enough.
While many individuals struggled against Belgium, Stanway's errors arguably led to the most crucial moments. There is no doubting her ability and she has stepped up for England in key games, but the Bayern Munich midfield must have felt like everything went against her on Tuesday - and it often did.
Speaking about the team overall after the game, Wiegman told ITV Sport: "We have to be tight, especially building, creating. At moments where we don't expect to lose the ball - we weren't good enough at keeping it today and it's a hard lesson for us."
Stanway will no doubt learn from her experience in Belgium, and is an overall reflection of where England need to improve as a whole. Again, plenty for the Lionesses to think about ahead of the next international break.
Sky Sports News' Anton Toloui in Leuven:
"It went wrong pretty much everywhere for England on Tuesday night. Sloppy is one of the words, unnecessary another one, used by Sarina Wiegman after the game and in the changing room, she was deflated and frustrated after that performance.
"Wiegman called for improvement after the 1-0 win over Belgium a few days ago in Leicester and instead they got a performance with individual and collective errors in every single part of the pitch. England actually had more possession on Tuesday night than they did in the game a few days ago. But at the same time, they struggled to make clear cut chances, leaving Wiegman and the players very, very frustrated.
"Putting it simply: England's destiny to get to the Nations League finals is no longer in their hands. You have to top the group to go through to the Nations League semi-finals. To guarantee to make it through to next year's Olympic Games, you have to go through to the final of the Nations League.
"England need to win both of their remaining group games to stand any chance of reaching the semi-finals - they have the group leaders Netherlands at Wembley and then Scotland at Hampden Park, which are not easy games.
"But if you look at the table, it's Belgium who you need to look out for. They have seven points, if the Belgians win against both the Netherlands and Scotland then they will be going through to the Nations League finals, no matter what England do.
"It's a huge blow for England, but they believe if they win their next two games, they stand a great chance. They hope results will go their way, such as if the Netherlands and Belgium draw in their game.
"Remember, it's not goal difference that separates teams on tied points, it's head-to-head record. If England need to finish ahead of the Netherlands, they would need to beat them at Wembley by more than one goal to have the head-to-head advantage.
"So basically, England need to win those two games then hope other results go their way."
