MY ACCOUNT
England made it two wins from two with victory over Italy in the Arnold Clark Cup and will look to retain the trophy when they face Belgium on Wednesday.
Here, we take a look at some of the key questions facing boss Sarina Wiegman and her side five months before the Lionesses begin their World Cup campaign in Australia.
Is Daly England’s new No9?
Wiegman faces a selection headache as she looks to anoint a successor to striker Ellen White, who retired following England’s Euro 2022 triumph.
Rachel Daly was used at left-back throughout the Euros but has already proven her prowess up front in domestic competition, most recently with Aston Villa.
The 31-year-old ace has netted 10 goals in the Women’s Super League so far this season and shares the division’s joint top-goalscoring honours with Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw.
While Daly, who faces competition from Manchester United’s Alessia Russo, is adamant she would play anywhere for her country, fans and pundits alike did not hide their enthusiasm when Wiegman handed her an audition as starting No9 against Italy.
The decision paid dividends when both goals in the 2-1 victory came from the head of the Villa striker.
Could Lionesses start two strikers?
Wiegman has made no secret of the fact she is using the Arnold Clark Cup as a testing ground ahead of the World Cup, with the usually-consistent boss making nine changes between Sunday’s clash against Italy and the opening 4-0 win over South Korea.
Some wondered if employing both Daly and Russo up front could strengthen Wiegman’s side but that is one combination the Dutch coach has all but ruled out, preferring to stick to her successful system.
She said: “I think they’re both very good strikers and we all know that Rachel is very versatile so she could play in different positions — and that’s very good for our team.
“What we want to see is what kind of options do we have and just try it out, so that’s what you saw [against Italy].
“We’ve played some scenarios where we’ve put in two centre forwards but for now we wouldn’t start with two at this moment, because I think the way we are playing now we are doing really well.”
Are the Lionesses prepared for setbacks?
England, ranked No4 in the world, scored 22 goals throughout their European title-winning campaign while conceding just two.
They are undefeated in 28 games and secured a 2-1 victory over the world’s No1 side the United States in an October friendly at Wembley.
While the string of successes certainly bodes well for the Lionesses’ hopes of hoisting a first World Cup come August, there have been few tests of England’s true mettle when things are not going their way.
One rare opportunity presented itself against Italy, who netted a controversial equaliser through Sofia Cantore after Barbara Bonansea appeared to cross the byline with the ball in the build-up.
Some England players even argued the equaliser itself did not go over the goal line, with no VAR or goal-line technology available.
Emotions ran high in the immediate aftermath but the Lionesses promisingly regrouped, stuck to the plan and were able to settle the contest through Daly soon after.
How long could England dominate?
The Lionesses won their first major trophy last summer, cementing themselves among the favourites for the World Cup.
Both of Daly’s goals against Italy were set up by young talent.
Katie Robinson, 20, making her first start, crossed for the opener and 21-year-old Lauren James provided the second after netting a goal of her own against South Korea.
Of the 26 England players at the Arnold Clark Cup, 18 — including captain Leah Williamson — are aged 25 or under with 10 no older than 23, suggesting the Euros success could be the beginning of a trophy-laden future for the Lionesses.
