Beth Mead’s exclusion from England’s Women’s World Cup squad was a disappointment but not a surprise – instead there was reward for two players who made bold moves in January.
Arsenal forward Mead, player of the tournament and Golden Boot winner at Euro 2022, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in September and was considered a risk too high for manager Sarina Wiegman.
All eyes instead were on the inclusion of striker Bethany England, who made a British-record move to relegation-threatened Tottenham from Chelsea in January – and has grabbed her opportunity.
Midfielder Jordan Nobbs was also a welcome sight on the squad list with her decision to leave Arsenal after 12 years to join Aston Villa also paying off.
Both left top-three clubs – who won silverware – in search of regular game time to boost their chances of making the 23-player squad and they will now fly out to Australia for the tournament, starting on 20 July.
‘A fairytale after horrendous heartbreak’
Striker England has not played for the Lionesses since September 2022, but her 12 goals in as many Women’s Super League games was hard for Wiegman to ignore.
Playing back-up to superstar Sam Kerr at Chelsea – though still scoring an impressive 74 goals in 164 appearances – meant the forward had not built “enough credit” before, said Wiegman.
The January switch did the trick and England, who turns 29 on Saturday, has finally been able to show her quality on a consistent basis, finishing the season as England’s second-highest top scorer in the WSL.
Nobbs’ international journey, meanwhile, has been one of immense potential, but riddled with injuries.
The 30-year-old has earned 71 England caps since 2013, but injuries led to absences at the 2019 World Cup, Euro 2022 and the Olympic Games in 2021 with Great Britain.
“It’s a fairytale for Jordan,” record goalscorer Ellen White told BBC Radio 5 Live. “She’s had some horrendous heartbreak with knee injuries, missing out on three major tournaments.
“But she made the biggest decision probably of her life to leave Arsenal to go to Aston Villa to get game time and force her way into the England squad. She brings a lot of experience.”
Ex-Lionesses goalkeeper Karen Bardsley said it was “brave” for Nobbs and England to move away from clubs where they had been so comfortable and fight their way into Wiegman’s squad.”Several players have benefitted from taking that brave step,” said Bardsley.
“It’s the importance of communication from Wiegman, essentially saying, ‘look, you’ve not been on our radar because you’ve not had enough minutes, go and prove to us what you can do’.
“The likes of England and Nobbs have seized those moments and have had huge impacts in teams that maybe would have struggled without them.”
Le Tissier overlooked for versatility
Elsewhere, Manchester United centre-back Maya Le Tissier was the biggest surprise omission.
The 21-year-old had an outstanding debut season for United after leaving Brighton in the summer, playing in every match for the club as they finished WSL and FA Cup runners-up.
Wiegman admitted it was one of the hardest decisions to leave her out, having named her in the two most recent squads.
Perhaps Le Tissier has been indirectly impacted by Leah Williamson’s ACL injury, forcing a reshuffle in defensive positions which is likely to see Alex Greenwood move across from left-back to centre-back.
That means there is a left-back void that needs filling and it seems Wiegman has opted for defenders who have recently played in both full-back positions to provide cover.
Le Tissier has played right-back before but only featured at centre-back for United this season, while players that have been selected – Esme Morgan, Niamh Charles and Jess Carter – have regularly switched between defensive roles, giving them an advantage.
United winger Nikita Parris is another player unfortunate to miss out, having finished the season in strong form, but Wiegman has overlooked the 29-year-old’s experience in favour of the youthful Katie Robinson.
Parris had become increasingly out of favour due to the rise of Robinson, 20, and 21-year-old Everton loanee Jess Park – who is on the standby list – but she had dragged her way back in contention.
Nine goals and one assist in 27 games this season is a decent tally, but Parris ultimately misses out because others have excelled in her position and it is an area where England have real depth.
‘England are one of the favourites’
Injuries to key players Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby, as well as Ellen White’s retirement, means four of the unchanged Euro 2022 starting XI will be absent in Australia.
“If you take Mead, Williamson and Kirby out of any squad, that will hurt them,” former England defender Lindsay Johnson told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“But there are lots of squads going into this World Cup – Germany, the United States – who are missing big players because of injuries. This is football, it happens. We’re one of the favourites.”
Several of England’s “super-subs” at Euro 2022 are now starters – Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo and Ella Toone – but Wiegman’s selection includes players capable of making an impact off the bench too.
WSL Golden Boot winner Rachel Daly provides stiff competition for Russo up front, along with Tottenham’s England.
Nobbs is also a strong replacement for playmaker Toone, while Chelsea’s Lauren James has been described as a video game “cheat code”.
England’s strength clearly lies in their attack, but injuries have left them a little short on experience, most notably in defence.
Aside from regular starters Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright and Greenwood, the other four players have just a combined 37 caps between them – and only Chelsea’s Carter has made more than 10 appearances.
“Losing that experience is probably one of Wiegman’s biggest challenges,” said Bardsley.
“She’s got Bright and Bronze, but even some of the more experienced players in terms of age – the likes of midfielder Laura Coombs, this is going to be her first tournament.”
