It feels like a crossroads has been reached between clubs wanting to be competitive, the WSL continuing to grow, and the need to regenerate an England squad that has not changed much over the past three major tournaments.
After all, England are the two-time European champions but seven of the team that started against Spain in June also played in the Euro 2022 final against Germany – while two of the remaining starters in this year’s game were on the bench four years ago.
Sarina Wiegman’s side were outclassed in Majorca, losing 4-0 to miss out on automatic qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. They must now navigate two rounds of play-off matches, starting against Greece next month.
Discussions on England’s future is pertinent given the biennial Women’s Under-20s World Cup is ongoing in Poland.
Last Thursday, Lydia Bedford’s young side were dismissed 3-0 from the last 16 by Nigeria, albeit with the caveat a number of players such as US-based Erica Meg Parkinson and Laila Harbert were not released by their clubs to play.
Nevertheless, in 2022 and 2024, like the other home nations, they did not even qualify.
It is a far cry from the class of 2018 where the likes of Alessia Russo, Lauren Hemp and Georgia Stanway led the Lionesses to third place in the Under-20s World Cup, setting the tone for the incredible subsequent success.
Wiegman has handed debuts to 21 players since her arrival in September 2021, but only Lauren James, Hannah Hampton and Lucia Kendall have become established starters.
When England kick off in Crete on Friday, 5 October (20:00 BST), it is likely to be the same faces once again.
