What is Sarina Wiegman's best England XI for the 2023 Women's World Cup?
By Emily Keogh
With the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup commencing in just five weeks, England manager Sarina Wiegman has several big decisions to make to determine her starting XI as the Lionesses hope for another summer of triumph to follow on from Euro 2022.
The Lionesses were crowned European champions just over 10 months ago, and whilst fans are still enjoying memories of that triumph, attention for England already turns to the next one and filling the gaps in the starting XI that have emerged since.
At Euro 2022, Wiegman made use of an unchanged starting XI throughout the tournament. However, with Leah Williamson and Beth Mead both ruled out through an ACL injury, Fran Kirby also missing due to a knee injury, Ellen White retiring after the summer triumph, and Rachel Daly moving from left-back to striker, five places in that team immediately need filling this summer.
What formation do the Lionesses play?
England most commonly operate in a 4-2-3-1 which was used throughout the Euro 2022, altered only slighly into a 4-1-4-1 - with the the same personnel - for the 4-0 semi-final victory over Sweden.
More recently and most likely due to injury, Wiegman has opted for a tweak, using a 4-3-3 set-up interchangeably with her favoured 4-2-3-1. The adaptation came after the injury to Kirby, most likely opting for the shift given how well she operated as a 'number 10' with no direct replacement.
The England boss used 4-3-3 during the Arnold Clark Cup in February and the Women's Finalissima and recent friendly against Australia in April. The latter saw the Lionesses suffer their first loss under Wiegman, having gone unbeaten for 30 games before that.
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England's best XI - Women's World Cup 2023
The six remaining starters from Euro 2022 will likely also start at the World Cup: Mary Earps, Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright, Georgia Stanway, Keira Walsh and Lauren Hemp. But plenty of other places are likely up for grabs as the tournament nears.
Goalkeeper
It is hard to envisage an England side without Mary Earps between the sticks after her emphatic 2022 summer, winning Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper and more recently earning the 2022/23 WSL Golden Glove for 14 clean sheets in 22 games for Manchester United.
With the two reserve options being Hannah Hampton and Ellie Roebuck - both good in their own right - Earps holds an edge and, therefore, is England's best choice for keeping clean sheets and deterring the opposition's forwards from finding the back of the net.
Defenders
Half of the back-line will be made up of Euro 2022 starters Lucy Bronze and Millie Bright, the duo who have started nearly every game under Wiegman when fully fit.
It is hard to see the England boss moving away from this, and with a lot of young, less experienced introductions to the side, the maturity and experience of a major tournament and a World Cup will be needed at the back during this summer.
With a vacant centre-back position in the absence of Leah Williamson, it is likely Alex Greenwood will take it - the Manchester City player also featured in the 2019 World Cup and has 74 caps for the Lionesses already. Chelsea's Jess Carter has more recently taken stock of the left-back spot. However, the pair could be interchangeable, rotating positions during the Arnold Clark Cup and April games, with their versatility being imperative during this tricky time.
Midfield
Everyone remembers that Keira Walsh through ball that fell to the feet of Ella Toone to gave England a 1-0 lead over Germany in the Euros final, so it is no-brainer that the Barcelona star and recent Champions League winner remains one of the first names on Wiegman's XI.
To partner Walsh, Georgia Stanway again is another automatic pick. Bayern Munich's number 31 has proven time and time again how important she is to progressive play, defensive action and spot-kicks, becoming England's favoured penalty taker. With 107 caps between the two stars, they hold a wealth of experience at this level, have both gone to the last World Cup in 2019 as well.
With no Fran Kirby, the aforementioned Toone has also made the move from super-sub to regular starter during England's games since September in place of the Chelsea midfielder. Whilst her time in the XI has been a rocky, struggling to immediately find her feet in a new role, she is the favoured starter and one who has had time to develop a relationship with her fellow Lionesses on the pitch.
Wingers
A vacant wide spot is also up for grabs, with Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly, and Lauren James all rotating between left and right-wing, starting and sub places. Whilst Kelly was an impact sub during the Euros, the loss of Beth Mead has required her to step into a starting role more frequently.
With all three in form and vying for a place, Hemp has started more games for the side and has garnered the most minutes throughout the season for club and country after James saw her club season with Chelsea somewhat curtail. Hemp may be the favoured left winger, while Kelly, who got nine WSL assists for Manchester City in 2022/23, could get the nod on the right.
But, regardless of which starting pair Wiegman chooses, it is like these three will be rotated depending on the specifics of any given game.
Striker
Despite Daly moving up front - a position she has always played at club level, despite starting for England as a left-back, Alessia Russo has become the more favoured starting number nine.
The argument will continue to had by fans over the coming weeks, with Daly scoring 22 WSL goals for Aston Villa this past season to claim the Golden Boot and equal the league's single season record, while Russo is proven at tournament level after netting four times off the bench at Euro 2022.
With Wiegman's formula centred around impact subs, as Russo benefitted from a year ago, the return of Bethany England to the squad also poses another debate.
Although starting Daly has been less common, her ability to find the back of the net will be crucial for England given the loss of Mead and the retired Ellen White, who were previously England's most prolific goalscorers under Wiegman.
Predicted England lineup - Women's World Cup 2023
GK: Earps; RB: Bronze, CB: Bright (c), CB: Greenwood, LB: Carter; CM: Stanway, CM: Walsh, CM: Toone; RW: Kelly, ST: Russo, LW: Hemp