England’s campaign kicks-off today and only one thought should be going through the minds of Phil Neville’s Lionesses.
They must forget their recent record against Scotland – and play as if their World Cup future depends onit.
This current crop from the north pose a real and credible threat. The Lionesses must bring their A-game to the table.
England need to lay down a marker in Nice as they look towards qualification for the knock-out phase. But first they need to concentrate on the here and now.
There’s no room for a slow start or complacency. This current Scotland XI can, on their day, match any team in the tournament.
That might seem like a big statement after England spanked the Scots 6-0 at Euro 2017.
But football moves on. And the Scots certainly have – onwards and upwards.
Shelley Kerr’s first-choice line-up contains plenty of quality that just wasn’t available in Holland two years ago.
Kim Little is a world-class midfielder and missed that tournament with a cruciate knee ligament injury. She has been in excellent form throughout this season for Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Jen Beattie (Arsenal), Lizzie Arnot (Manchester United) and Erin Cuthbert (Chelsea) are all two years further forward in their careers and will have no fear of playing England.
The opening game is probably the worst time to face the Scots as I believe their Achilles heel is a lack of depth in their squad.
They will not have the resources, to swap and change like Neville can. So injuries could prove crucial and it will be interesting to see how Kerr approaches the game.
The former Arsenal coach has the ammunition to have a go. But that might play into Neville’s hands.
England have quick, pacy, direct players who are aggressive, particularly in the final third and will want the space to counter.
Will the Scots want to open themselves up?
Or will copy New Zealand and Canada and keep it tight, deny the Lionesses time, sit back then hunt down England when they get the chance? Neville’s players should be hitting their peak – they are the best-prepared squad in the history of English women’s football.
Looking at the quality on the England team-sheet, they will be the favourites. Rightly so.
But World Cup matches are not played on paper. This is no gimme. England must not take Scotland lightly.
So long as they approach this in the correct manner, England should get themselves off to a winning start.
