Five goals conceded, four scored. England’s travels to Belgium and Norway have been bountiful. Just not in the right way.
If England’s 3-0 victory in the World Cup quarter-final against Norway gave the impression that Phil Neville’s team had clicked, then a 2-1 defeat by the same side just over two months later, albeit in a friendly and preseason, has had a chastening effect.
There are many reasons why the result should not matter, not least the absence of players: Jill Scott was rested, Jade Moore forced out after the Belgium game with a thigh strain and Fran Kirby, Karen Bardsley, Ellen White, Jordan Nobbs and Izzy Christiansen have longer-term injuries. With no Bardsley, White and Scott, the spine of the England World Cup team who lined up in Le Havre in that quarter-final was absent.
“The challenge now is to go again, to climb that mountain,” Neville said. “When you take out the experience of Jill Scott, Karen Bardsley and Ellen White, all of a sudden you’ve got players that have climbed that mountain not here.”
Neville may have used Lucy Bronze in midfield because he believes the world’s best right-back has the engine for the role and that the player thrives on being challenged, but part of the reason was a need to plug a gaping hole.
Grappling with that caused problems elsewhere. Shifting Bronze meant, particularly against Belgium, that Steph Houghton eased right to help a less familiar right-back, Rachel Daly.
Against Norway the usually assured left-back Demi Stokes struggled with the quick feet of the winger Karina Sævik, forcing Millie Bright wider to assist. With the centre‑backs pulled wide, Kiera Walsh was swamped trying to handle the flow through the middle and there was an inevitability to the way England conceded.
Regardless, set pieces and crosses have to be concerns. Of the 21 goals conceded under Neville, nine have come in the past four games and eight of those from crosses.
The space Ella van Kerkhoven found between Abbie McManus and Houghton to give Belgium a 3-2 lead was a consequence of Houghton being pulled wide.
For Belgium’s first, it was chaos in the box, with England unable to clear and the ball bundled over the line having ricocheted between Bronze and Carly Telford. Between times a whipped cross was converted by Van Kerkhoven.
There seems to be an unwillingness to attack the ball; a hesitancy. “In the World Cup we were fantastic at it,” Neville said. “We attacked it and we worked hard at that this week. That is what is disappointing. Take Ellen, Jill, Karen Bardsley out and all of a sudden you’ve got a smaller team but I still expect my players to go and head it and so do they.”
Although England attack and pass with a freedom and style far removed from the directness of the Mark Sampson era, scoring against them looks too easy.
Yet for all the concern, there is cause to remain calm. The team are in transition. Neville is having to balance the old guard, easing towards the end of their international careers with an eye on a Euro 2021 sendoff, with blooding the new.
He concedes a win is needed but said: “These two games have been great for us because we’ve suffered a bit. Now when we come back to play Brazil [on 5 October] we will be hungry to win and hungry to do better than we have in these two games. And we’ll be in better shape mentally and physically.”
This is the start of a two-year period before the home European Championship. Whether Neville is the right person to lead England into what could be a game‑changing tournament remains to be seen. He has had a decent crack of the whip but not excelled.
There have been improvements in attack but possibly a step back in defence. A SheBelieves Cup victory and World Cup semi-final defeat by USA, though, should not be sniffed at. Removing Neville now would be throwing away invaluable experience before it has been shown he is not up to the job.
Many question his character. He can come out with a distasteful turn of phrase, or a cliched soundbite. It does come across as arrogant but Neville wears his heart on his sleeve, sometimes does not think before he speaks and is likely mortified by the perception that he is self-centred. For now, he deserves a chance.
