It is far too easy to fall into the trap of viewing this England team through rose-tinted glasses: this is a team who win games and have fun while doing so. After all, the Lionesses are the team who scored 20 against Latvia; the team who danced past Luxembourg and North Macedonia as they found a way to double figures; the team who made a mockery of any suggestion Norway were a top team with their 8-0 victory at the Euros.
In recent months that hasn’t been the case — two wingers would charge up the flanks and cross towards Alessia Russo, if couldn’t can't find a cross then they’d try and cut inside. Rinse and repeat. It hadn’t taken much of late for teams to sit back and stifle England – the code had been cracked and the attack was neutered.
It's a good job, then, that Sarina Wiegman has stumbled across a way forward. Keira Walsh's injury forced her to change things up and she took the chance to be radical – if you're having to find a way to reinvent your entire midfield then why not give everything a rethink? Playing a winger as a striker will fly under the radar if you leave everybody else wracking their brains over how to adapt to an entirely different formation.
She gambled on a triangle of Lauren Hemp, Russo and Lauren James – a trio whose youth is befitting for the changing of the guard it represents. The front three may have worked when Ellen White was the first name on the team sheet but, nearly a year after her retirement, it's now clear that change is warranted.
It's lucky that when making such changes and formulating her new setup Wiegman can rely on James. Everything else fades into the background when the 21-year-old is at her best and there's no better example of that than against China. First she nodded the ball towards Russo to give her an easy avenue for an opener, then she slotted in Hemp for her team's second. Most players would be happy with providing two assists; James wanted more.
With three goal involvements already in the bank in her third game at the World Cup it was time to go searching for a fourth. China switched off when setting up to defend an England free-kick and it was time for them to pay. James stood unmarked in ten yards of free space on the edge of the box, Alex Greenwood took one look and knew what to do. The ball was rolled in James' path and she took her time to curl the ball through a sea of bodies and get a goal of her own.
Then everybody thought she'd made it two, but a bizarre VAR decision cruelly denied James her brace. "That's football for you," she said, but this was her night and she was going to get her way. She had to wait for the right moment to pounce but when teammate Jess Carter floated a ball to the back post after the break it only took the lightest of volleys for her to get what she deserved.
England head coach Sarina Wiegman with Lauren James against China— (PA)
In Friday's success over Denmark her goal had been the difference and this time, with Wiegman opting to deploy her in a number ten role rather than hold her talents back on the wing she was able to flourish. Sometimes she chose to use her ball control to dazzle her opponents and release her teammates, at other times it was about dropping deeper into the pockets to link up play. To China the exact steps she took made little difference: she was in complete control.
For Hemp and Russo their newfound roles must have been delightful. Hemp is a natural winger but was deployed centrally instead as part of the new pairing and James' service made her job much easier. A quick glance over the shoulder was all it took, the ball quickly would be zipped towards her feet, and she'd have her chance to impress.
Things haven't been easy for Hemp as of late —England have languished in the final third and she's struggled to reach previous heights. She could no longer rely on weaving her way through defenders and sending deliveries towards White, a teammate at club level where her role was identical, and she hadn't quite found her place in any sort of system since she left the game. An underwhelming performance against Haiti meant she was benched in place of Denmark but with her newfound freedom it's as if the old Hemp has returned.
The manner in which she took her goal made it appear as if she had forever been a striker: cool, composed and ruthless. If she could produce a performance of similar quality against Nigeria in the next round then many of the Lionesses' worries will be alleviated.
Lauren Hemp repaid Wiegman’s faith with England’s second— (Getty Images)
Alessia Russo ended her dry spell in front of goal with England’s opener— (Getty Images)
For Russo, too, things seemed a breath of fresh air. The shackles were off, she was no longer restricted to just being the target and finally she could show what she was capable of. Uncharacteristically, she gravitated towards the wing and whipped dangerous low balls across the face of goal, but she was still her usual self when called upon to fire home the opener. Russo had been waiting since February to score in an England shirt; now she's finally removed the cloud hanging over her head.
Tuesday's rampant victory confirmed England's path towards the knockout stages and their next game takes place on Monday, this time back where their tournament started in Brisbane. Nigeria – impressive, unbeaten in the group stages, and with the wind behind their sails after beating co-hosts Australia in the groups – are up next but things are beginning to look more positive for the Lionesses with their attacking issues solved.
It may turn out to be the case that China just weren't strong enough to trouble England but this will be a confidence boost nevertheless. After five games in which they failed scored more than once, it finally feels like the Lionesses are back.
