It’s time for the Lionesses to stop talking and get back to basics | OneFootball

After Euro 2025 began in a heatwave, heavy rain and cooler temperatures have swept across Switzerland, freshening the air. In the hills above Lake Zurich, England have been speaking about a similar reset. It needs to happen quickly; from the disappointment of their opening defeat and the manner of their performance against France, the Lionesses will find themselves out of the Euros on Wednesday if they lose to the Netherlands.

England know what is required as they look to put things right. The Lionesses admitted they failed to turn up against France and there were “healthy” conversations and “helpful” analysis meetings following the 2-1 defeat at Stadion Letzigrund. Sarina Wiegman’s players now can’t wait to get going against the Netherlands, eager to “stop talking” and show the resolve of European champions. “I didn’t want to do the press conference today because I’m fed up of talking now,” said Georgia Stanway. “We want the game to come around as quickly as possible. We want to make change.”

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Lucy Bronze reacts after England’s 2-1 defeat to France, which leaves the Lionesses vulnerable in Group D (Getty Images)

But for someone who was so sick of speaking after the honest discussions that took place following the France defeat, Stanway was at least able to articulate what England must do better against the Netherlands. “We’ve spoken about wanting to be ‘proper England’ and going back to what we’re good at and our traditional style of football, tough tackles and remembering why we’re here,” Stanway explained. “Sometimes it’s about blocking out the noise and getting on the pitch and getting stuck in.”

It’s about getting back to basics. There was a similar response when England played world champions Spain in February, in a game that arrived after an unconvincing spell of results. Back then, Wiegman’s side needed a result to ease the doubts and restore some belief. It came down to the simple things: the willingness to compete and the desire to fight. Millie Bright used a similar “proper English” description after the 1-0 win.

Given England’s struggles against France, it was no surprise that their only real moments of threat in the second half came when they started to play direct and bypassed the midfield completely. “We have to be brave and ruthless,” Stanway said. “You can see, even in spells against France, that urgency and desperation towards the end of scoring. We need that for 90 minutes.”

But don’t expect a complete shift from England. In the immediate aftermath of the France defeat, Leah Williamson gave an insight into some of the honest conversations that would have taken place over the following 24 hours. The England captain criticised “cheap, emotional defending” and said the expansive shape Wiegman wants to play in made them vulnerable when they lost the ball in midfield.

Wiegman will not abandon how she wants England to set up but there is pressure on being tighter in possession. “We believe in the plan that we have,” Stanway said. “Obviously we become expansive, because that's how we play, and I think if we tidied up then expansiveness wouldn't become a problem.” Stanway believes the Netherlands, too, pose a different test. “They play a lot of midfielders, so maybe they’re more likely to come inside then they are to go outside, which is going to overload the central areas.”

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Stanway said she was 'disappointed' with her own performance against France (Getty Images)

And England can’t afford to be second-best again. The accusation that England were “bullied” by France in Zurich will have hurt Stanway, who prides herself on being the enforcer in the England midfield. France were instead far sharper, which exploited just how poor England were on the ball. “If I’m being totally honest, I’m disappointed with my performance,” Stanway admitted. “For some reason I couldn’t do the things that I wanted to do, in possession especially.” The 26-year-old compared it to a “bad night out” that you would rather just forget.

If Wiegman keeps faith with Stanway and Keira Walsh in midfield - the pair who have, when both fit, started every match at the last Euros and World Cup - and gives them both a chance to redeem themselves, it may come with a new addition to the three-player midfield. Wiegman said she did not regret selecting Lauren James at No 10 against France but it was a needless risk that ended up making England lighter in central areas. If England need to get “stuck in”, as Stanway said, Ella Toone or Grace Clinton can match that energy and bring more balance.

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Ella Toone or Grace Clinton could come into the midfield (Getty Images)

“We know what LJ can do and also Tooney, Grace and Jess Park. No matter who is on the pitch we know exactly what we're going to get from one another,” Stanway said. “Going forward, we just have to make sure we’re dealing with everything we can in every situation. Sometimes it feels like teams put a lot of players in the middle and we need to make sure we can figure out how to deal with that and not get overrun.”

Time is running out to find a solution and, above all, it’s time for England to do their talking on the pitch to save their Euros campaign.