Erin McLeod v Jodie Taylor
Canada may only have scored three goals – (and one a penalty) – in four games so far in this World Cup but they have also only conceded once. A big reason for that is Erin McLeod, the No1 goalkeeper in Canada coach John Herdman’s squad. The 32-year-old part-time artist works with a personal physiotherapist credited with enhancing not only her strength and agility but also her concentration. “I’m proud of how many shots our team haven’t given the opposition,” says McLeod. “But when they get one I’m there to look after things.” This formidable last line of defence is likely to meet Jodie Taylor at some point. Mark Sampson is tempted to start his star striker in the hope Taylor – who plays for Portland Thorns and has been eased into this World Cup after undergoing knee surgery nine weeks ago – fazes Canada into a quick concession courtesy of her amalgam of pace, power and precision. If she can evade McLeod’s reach, England surely really will start dreaming about ending “49 years of hurt” but, should the goalkeeper thwart Taylor, Canada could be well on course for the semi-final.
Kadeisha Buchanan v Karen Carney
At only 19, Buchanan is a dynamic central defender known for rarely losing aerial battles, who serves testament to the quality of her country’s youth development programme. At some stage the Virginia Mountaineers defender is likely to be confronted by the deep-lying, fluid, quite possibly inward drifting, attacking threat posed by Karen Carney. England’s prime creator and key catalyst, Birmingham’s Carney is known simply as the Wizard by Sampson. The youngest of seven sisters, Buchanan makes a habit of exceeding expectations but she may have to display maturity beyond her years to second guess the Lionesses’s game-changer.
Desiree Scott v Jill Scott
Known simply as the Destroyer to Canada fans, Desiree Scott is Herdman’s midfield enforcer. A Notts County player, she is well known to Sampson’s squad, and has four club-mates among the Lionesses squad but may well meet her match in Jill Scott. When the tall, elegant, technically accomplished Manchester City midfielder plays well, so do England. Sampson has dubbed his Scott the best midfielder in the tournament. Not afraid to stand up for herself, her primary task will be to prevent her Canadian namesake disrupting England’s rhythm. “I can’t go back to England having lost,” says Desiree. “I’ll never hear the end of it.”
John Herdman v Mark Sampson
They both like to wear ultra tight shirts in the technical area but Canada’s Herdman is much bigger on the bling. A Newcastle United supporter who once coached in Sunderland’s academy the 39-year-old former teacher from Consett in County Durham is never knowingly understated but somehow remainsimmensely likeable. Sampson is considerably less extrovert but, like Herdman, the 32-year-old Welshman (who once worked in the academy at Swansea where he credits Roberto Martínez as a key mentor) commands the devotion of his squad. His pleas that “the players are the stars of the show, not the managers” may prove forlorn as the cameras pan in on his and Herdman’s body language.The pair are friends – but have deliberatelykept their distance since realising they might meet in this quarter-final. “We’re now in the death zone,” says Herdman. “The oxygen’s getting thinner.”
