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41 min: The Lionesses, by the way, look far likelier to get the next goal. Hemp over-deliberates in the box when she’s got space and time to shoot.
39 min: Good question by David Holland, for which I don’t have the answer. He gets in touch: “There were 31,000 tickets sold for this match. When I looked for tickets on Friday the only ones available were in the back two rows of the corner. Any idea why there are so many empty seats?”
Great swathes empty for a near sell-out, that are visible on TV? Shades of Qatar 2022. Was at this stadium a few weeks back, and one end was completely empty – Cov v Wrexham. It made for a right bracing breeze.
Any ideas on the empty seats? Get in touch.
37 min: Italy struggling to respond to the speed of England, who now look far more of a unit. That goal seemed to energise them and the midfield passing patterns are paying off, too.
35 min: Daly’s goal shows the options Wiegman has within her squad. Rachel Daly won the Euros as a left-back, let us recall.
Goal! England 1-0 Italy (Daly, 33)
The breakthrough at last! Hemp scampers to the line, and the ball is cleared. The second ball comes back in, and there’s Daly to finish. Robinson chips in from the right and Daly heads in. That’s what happens when she plays as a centre-forward.
30 min: Walsh in the thick of it, as Italy continue to defend deep and compact. Rachel Daly chases the ball down out wide as a No 9, but can’t find the speed to reach the ball. There’s a vacancy in that position with Ellen White having retired.
27 min: All England for the last few minutes, but Italy are holding firm enough, with the Lionesses’ midfield struggling for fluency.
25 min: This hasn’t been anywhere as easy as was expected in pre-match, though all those changes have resulted in a disjointed England performance, as can only be expected.
22 min: Hemp is released out wide, links with Park, and on the opposite flank, Robinson cuts in, but is tackled. Italy are showing off their experience here.
19 min: Bonanesa shows off some really neat skill, but she can’t release the ball out wide. England have been forced to go more direct by an opponent that seems more comfortable on the ball. Get it launched? Well, that’s always the best policy.
17 min: Nice run by Charles, in from the left, and sets up Maya Le Tissier for a shot that is rather hurried. And no, no relation to the famed alternative thinker.
15 min: Italy are doing well, and Lauren Hemp is forced into evasive action and a foul. There’s relief when Girelli is caught offside.
12 min: England’s bright start fading? Greenwood is in the thick of things as one of the more experienced players on show amid this inexperienced lineup.
10 min: Italy riding out a storm, and gain some territory. England’s defenders do admirably enough with a corner. Italy seem fine in midfield, and then England’s attacks have come on the counter.
7 min: Rachel Daly forces a chance by hunting down an Italian defender and forcing a mistake and then a decent save from Giuliani.
5 min: But Italy go on the attack, Galli shows off her class, playing in Giacinti to force a decent save from Roebuck. The corner is wasted but the danger of the visitors has already been revealed.
4 min: Early burst by Robinson, released by Jess Park, and she looks full of speed. Been a busy afternoon already for the Italian defence.
2 min: England begin on the front foot, and force a quick corner. Plenty of the usual impetus, even with that unfamiliar lineup.
1 min: The players take the knee to applause. Worth noting that the England players are wearing purple wristbands during today’s game to display their support for gender equality and in a show of solidarity for the Canadian women’s national team. Canada’s players are in dispute with Canada Soccer because of concerns over funding cuts and a lack of pay equality.
The teams are in the tunnel, and make their way into the Warwickshire afternoon.
Pretty full crowd in the arena, and flames a-burning in the pre-match ceremony. The Italian anthem rings out first, sung lustily by their players. God Save The King now, as we look for those who can’t help sing “queen’, which sounds better anyway. Lennon and McCartney would have chosen Queen over King as the key word.
Sarina Wiegman speaks to ITV.
The camp has been nice. [Katie Robinson] is very quick and very agile. We want her to run behind and be involved in possession when we need it. Hopefully, she can attack crosses from the opposite side and also deliver some too.
[Jess Park] started out wide but at her club, she can also come inside and play as a 10. We want to see her as a 10 today to see where she is at in this moment and where she relates to this team.
With three games we want to try some things and one of those is that [Rachel] Daly starts as number nine.
I think there will be more duels and they will challenge us more in possession so we need to prepared for that.
Find it remarkable that the Lionesses’ theme tune is Rockin’ All Over The World, made famous by Status Quo, actually written by John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival fame.
Quo’s version is better, isn’t it? Nice piano on the Fogerty version, mind.
Ahead of this game, Emma Hayes, the Chelsea manager, had some interesting thoughts on the diversity of the women’s game.
Women’s football is quite a middle-class sport in my opinion. In terms of the locations, the pedigree of player, they’re often coming from suburban belts around the training grounds. They’re not the Alex Scotts, the Rachel Yankeys, the Anita Asantes. They’re not coming to our facilities in the same way and you’ve got to ask yourself the question: why?
Look at the number of footballers that came out of south-east London and into the England men’s team; an unbelievable number. Why aren’t they in the women’s side? I often ask that question [at Chelsea]. They’re all from Surrey. They’re the most talented kids in Surrey. But are they the most talented kids around? I beg to differ.
Why aren’t we going into London? Why aren’t we hosting our academies right in the heart of London? Who in their ivory tower has been dreaming up this prawn sandwich girls football club?
Here’s the Italy starting team, by the way, a stronger lineup than they picked against Belgium.
Italy: Giuliani, Salvai, Boattin, Lenzini, Bergamaschi, Giugliano, Rosucci, Galli, Girelli, Giacinti, Bonanesa. Subs: Schroffenegger, Baldi, Filangeri, Linari, Cantore, Cafferata, Bonfantini, Serturini, Polli, Caruso, Piemonte, Greggi, Catena, Orsi, Severini.
Keira Walsh returns, and Wiegman had this to say on the Barcelona player.
It is really nice for her that she is back, because of course she wants to be part of the team and we want to see her play. It will be really nice to have her on the pitch.
That’s 10 changes made to the England team by Sarina Wiegman, with only Alex Greenwood remaining from MK. Jess Park and Maya Le Tissier are both earning their second caps.
The England team is in
England: Roebuck, Greenwood, Walsh, Hemp, Daly, Park, Carter, Charles, Robinson, Le Tissier, Coombs. Subs: Earps, Bronze, Bright, Williamson, Kelly, Stanway, Russo, Toone, James, Salmon, Zelem, MacIver, Wubben-Moy, Nobbs
Preamble
Thursday saw Sarina Wiegman’s team do what we have become accustomed to in taking apart South Korea. From Milton Keynes to Coventry, their tour of the southern Midlands continues, and this time it’s the Italians. Italy lost 2-1 to Belgium in their opening game of the Arnold Clark – does anyone call it The Arnie? – to continue what has been a shaky buildup to this summer’s World Cup, for which they are qualifiers, and face Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina in the group stage. They’ve lost their last four matches, by contrast to the Lionesses, still yet to lose a match of all the 27 Wiegman has presided over. The expectation has to be an England win, doesn’t it, with the sun-bleached Sky Blue seats of the former Ricoh Arena rattling to the sound of another triumph for this nation’s saving grace of a football team.
Per Suzanne Wrack
Italy finished bottom of their group at Euro 2022 but face the champions buoyed up by topping their section in World Cup qualifying, winning nine of their 10 matches. Wiegman said: “Italy are a pretty good team. What they do tactically is they do different things in the game which will challenge us – sometimes a high press, sometimes dropping a little deeper. It’s good for us to adapt to that and scan continuously as a team what they do and be proactive in that so we can control the game.”
Kick-off at 3.15pm. Join me.
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