Lionesses Euro lessons: from problems in defence to Agyemang’s dream debut | Tom Garry | OneFootball

England’s results and performances in 2025 suggest they are one of a relatively small group of teams to which the following two statements apply: they are good enough to win this summer’s European Championship title if they play at their best, while they are also vulnerable to crashing out in the group stages if they are off their game.

That great potential coupled with inconsistency could scarcely have been illustrated better than by their two matches this month: the first, an emphatic 5-0 win at home to Belgium on Friday in which the Lionesses looked unplayable at times; and the second, a concerning 3-2 loss away to the same opponents on Tuesday that exposed how easy it can be to score against Sarina Wiegman’s team. But what else can be gleaned from these two hugely contrasting matches?

Hampton is now England’s No 1

Wiegman’s decision to start the Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton for the third consecutive England match felt like the strongest indicator yet that the No 1 jersey is now Hampton’s to lose. The head coach certainly implied as much when asked about her selection before Tuesday’s kick-off. “I have two world-class goalkeepers,” Wiegman told ITV. “At the moment, [Hannah] is a little bit ahead.”

Before the April camp Wiegman admitted she remained undecided between Hampton and the Paris St-Germain goalkeeper Mary Earps, who had each played once in February’s fixtures, but the growing trend over the past 12 months has been for Hampton to get the nod for higher-profile fixtures. In Leuven, the 24-year-old did not exactly have a night to remember but it would be unfair to say she was at fault for Belgium’s goals.

The importance of Russo and James

Both full of creative movement on Friday night, both showing classy touches of skill on the ball and then both sorely missed through injury on Tuesday, it was clear how much England need Alessia Russo and Lauren James to be fully fit and in form for July’s tournament. Without James, England lacked a flair player confident to take defenders on and produce an inventive pass while, without Russo, England’s hold-up play was disappointing and they missed her runs into the channels.

Asked how big a factor Russo’s absence had been on Tuesday, Wiegman said: “Of course there’s different personnel but it had also to do with the spaces were a lot smaller, the space behind the defence was a lot smaller [on Tuesday compared with Friday] and if we had a different starting lineup, yes that’s a difference, but I don’t think that caused the problems we had in the first half.”

The defence lacks pace

Where England clearly did have problems in the first half in Leuven, having gone 3-0 down inside half an hour, was in dealing with the speed of Tessa Wullaert on the counterattack. It was painfully apparent that the Lionesses’ back four is devoid of great pace.Such was Wiegman’s concern that she replaced the Chelsea duo of Niamh Charles and Millie Bright at half-time and brought on Jess Carter and Esme Morgan. Things did improve, though Belgium were happy to defend by that stage.

Agyemang is the real deal

The undoubted highlight of Tuesday for the European champions was Michelle Agyemang’s debut goal, lashed in spectacularly with only her second touch after coming on as a substitute. Asked about scoring on her debut, the 19-year-old told ITV: “It means a lot to me. I’m really grateful for the opportunity. It’s a great ball from Leah [Williamson] and I just thought, as soon as I touched it: ‘Just hit it.’ I think there is a lot more [to come from me]. I just want to go out there, put the work in, score goals and help the team. That’s what I’m here for.”Wiegman praised the youngster’s “incredible goal” but, when asked if she saw Agyemang as England’s long-term No 9, said: “I can’t say that to you right now. She’s an absolute talent and I think she’s a very good No 9 but it’s the first time she came into the squad, had one training session with us and came on. The spaces were really small, she’s very powerful and in these tight spaces I thought she could do something good, which she did. Of course we will keep an eye on her and keep following her. It’s too early to say now where that goes, because when players come back and are fit, the competition up front is really, really high.”

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