Mark Sampson, England's head coach.
Photo by Caroline Charruyer.

England Opens Up 2017 with Loss to Norway

Reaction and analysis from England’s opening match of 2017 against Norway. Norway’s Ada Hegerberg’s header in the 26th minute was enough for the 1-0 win. England will face Sweden on Tuesday, January 24, in La Manga, Spain.

Positives to Take Despite Defeat

England’s lengthy unbeaten run came to an end in their first match of 2017 as Ada Hegerberg’s first-half header was enough to split the two sides on Sunday evening in La Manga.

There was a sense of déjà vu from England’s last two games of 2016, the 0-0 draw with France and the 1-0 win over the Netherlands in Tilburg, as England started slowly and grew into the game too late to recover.

With limited options available off the bench due to a lack of match fitness or small niggling injuries, Head Coach Mark Sampson was missing his three most creative players as he tested Toni Duggan in the attacking midfield role behind Jodie Taylor and Nikita Parris.

England’s high pressing was impressive, Taylor in particular regularly pushing the Norwegian defense before being replaced by Ellen White. Playing her first game since August, White’s fresh legs opened the game up slightly for the Lionesses but sadly a lack of other attacking options available meant Sampson couldn’t change much more.

Increased fitness levels were clear to see; at the SheBelieves Cup last year it was evident tired legs cost England against Germany but despite Norway having a match under their belts, England ended the game the stronger side and captain Steph Houghton saw two late efforts somehow blocked on the line.

But, the Same Glaring Issues Remain

England’s lack of clear-cut chances against a top opponent once again came back to bite them. A team as high up in the rankings as England shouldn’t be relying on their center backs to provide the best moments of the game.

Although Toni Duggan was lively at times and almost flashed an instinctive effort inside the post, Parris is much more at home on the wing while Taylor struggled to find a clear path to goal. Bar one whipped in free kick from Jo Potter, Cecilie Fiskerstrand didn’t have a save to make — a feeling all too common for opposition goalkeepers against England.

Often England got in good positions and ended up back at their own defensive line with Steph Houghton either resorting to lumping the ball forward or hoping one of the wingbacks made a good run up the flanks. The lack of creativity is an ever-increasing worry for England and another blank against Sweden won’t be the start to the year anyone wanted.

What to Do with Lucy Bronze?

Not only is Lucy Bronze currently one of the best (if not the best) right backs in world football, her energy and attacking nature are perfect for playing a wingback role in a 3-5-2.

Right now Bronze is restricted by playing at the center of defense and while she’s performed well there, on the odd occasion she went rogue down the right, England looked a lot more threatening for it.

Alex Scott struggled to get forward and threaten Norway as much as Demi Stokes did on the other side but neither were helped by a lack of incisive passing from England’s midfield. With Scott and Gemma Davison both being tested in the position — 99% of fans would love to see Bronze get a run there against Sweden on Tuesday.

3-5-2 Can Work

Just ask Antonio Conte! It doesn’t feel like England are a million miles away from clicking into gear. Though Sampson has spent the 18 months since the World Cup drilling a variation of different formations into his team, 3-5-2 appears to be the standard lineup he goes to now when coming up against the top teams in the world.

But some of the players need a tweak; while Jo Potter’s ability on the ball make her a useful option at the back, it seems a waste to have “no nonsense” defenders such as Laura Bassett, Gemma Bonner, and Gilly Flaherty sat on the bench or in the stand. Indeed, Bassett was rock solid alongside Houghton in Canada but has been used sparingly ever since.

Undoubtedly England missed players like Karen Carney, Jordan Nobbs, and Izzy Christiansen against Norway, but Chelsea’s Fran Kirby is also a big miss. Her quick feet and skill make her one of the first choices for a starting spot when fully fit and could strike up a good partnership with the more industrial Jodie Taylor.

Set Pieces Oddly England’s Downfall

England has always proved to be a threat on set pieces under Sampson’s guidance. Norway will know that better than most given the way Houghton headed the Lionesses back into their World Cup encounter in 2015.

And while the captain almost proved to be their downfall again, England was shaky when up against Norway’s set pieces and it cost them the game. Whilst Andrine Hegerberg’s free kick was inch perfect, Potter lost sight of Ada Hegerberg and it proved enough to win Norway the match.

Moments later, England almost conceded again, this time from a corner. It was Hegerberg again who evaded her marker to pull an excellent save out of Siobhan Chamberlain before Potter atoned for her error with a goal-line clearance.

It will be a worry for Sampson and England’s defense that they allowed someone with the aerial threat of Hegerberg to score a free header inside their box and something which needs to be worked on before they face Sweden on Tuesday.

Demi Stokes Takes Away the Positives

“It’s the first game of the new year, we’re in preseason, so it’s not going to be great but it’s better to get that out of the way now and learn from our mistakes,” said the Manchester City defender to me after the match.

“Fitness is a big focus for us right now. We want to be able to out run teams and we’re really pushing the boundaries and pushing the limits of our bodies right now because at the Euros, we’ll have to play a lot of games in quick succession.”

Stokes was one of England’s more impressive players on the night and if the 3-5-2 system deployed by Sampson is to benefit anyone, it’s the attack-happy fullback.

“That’s why we play this formation,” said Stokes. “This formation gets the best out of everyone individually and as a team, but we have to look at what we can do better.

“We’re looking to Sweden now, we want to be on the front foot and we’ll take the positives from tonight. It was a close game and we’ve conceded from a set piece. We’ll look to work on that and push on now to improve.”