England will round off a historic year by taking on Norway in Spain on Tuesday evening.
Sarina Wiegman’s European champions are unbeaten in 25 internationals under their Dutch manager, including the entirety 2022 after a 4-0 win over Japan in the first of a double header at Murcia’s Pinatar Arena. The Lionesses have already beaten Norway once this year, a stunning 8-0 success during the group stage of the Euros in the summer.
Although keeping the unbeaten run will be a priority, England boss Wiegman may also use the final international of the year to give some minutes some of the youngsters looking to breakthrough into the starting XI. Here are the big decisions facing the Dutchwoman as England look to end the year on a high.
Will Lauren James return to the starting XI?
Although she wasn’t in from the start, Lauren James impressed against Japan after replacing Chloe Kelly in the 64th minute. This continued a strong run of form for the Chelsea forward, who scored against former club Manchester United in a heavyweight WSL clash the previous weekend.
Her powerful run led to Ella Toone’s goal the other night and the 21-year-old looked keen to get on the ball and turn defenders. It was the sort of performance to make the England manager take notice, meaning James is now very much in the race for a starting place.
Competition is tough, but with Beth Mead returning home due to family circumstances and Lauren Hemp withdrawing through injury, the Chelsea star may well be rewarded with a start against Hege Riise’s Norway side. James spoke recently of her desire to one day win the Ballon d’Or but cementing herself in the Lionesses team has to come first.
Could Ebony Salmon replace Alessia Russo?
Like James, Ebony Salmon also made an impact off the bench against Japan, claiming two assists by setting-up Toone and debutant Jess Park as England produced a late flurry of goals. Winning the ball back high up the pitch before gifting Park her dream debut goal will have particularly impressed Wiegman.
The Houston Dash forward is another who has put herself in the mix for a start against Norway. Whether she gets it or not could come down to the fitness of Alessia Russo, who she replaced on Friday night in the 64th minute.
With Russo only having just come back from injury it will be intriguing to see whether she can play a second game in only a few days, or whether Wiegman will use the opportunity to give her a rest. If she chooses the latter, Salmon may well have the edge on the more experienced Nikita Parris to take her place in England’s forward line.
Rachel Daly to move away from the back four?
We know Rachel Daly is a player Wiegman trusts, so this is less a question of whether she starts against Norway. The issue is more where to start her, the utility player moved over to right-back in the win against Japan as part of a new look back four, yet still managed to produce an excellent performance.
Daly opened the scoring with a clever finish to make it eight goals in 10 starts for both club, Aston Villa, and country this season. Wherever she plays doesn’t seem to matter, the 30-year-old just knows where the goal is at the moment.
Wiegman admitted in her post-match interview with ITV that she and Daly talk about the possibility of playing her further forward “all the time”, giving her the sort of role she has flourished in since moving to Villa in the summer. This could well happen against Norway, given the absences of forwards Hemp and Mead.
However, if that does happen Wiegman will have a big call to make on who comes into the defence. The in-form Lotte Wubben-Moy would be the main contender for a start, although moving Daly further forward could also see Manchester United defender Maya Le Tissier given her first cap.
Everton ’s Gabby George is another who will be hopeful of a start if Daly is re-deployed.
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