If there were numerous questions to be asked about England’s future under Phil Neville then this narrow victory did little to answer them. A late tap-in from Ellen White secured a desperately needed win against a Japan side they convincingly beat at the World Cup last summer and who kept the Lyon star Saki Kumagai on the bench. There will be relief in the dressing room but once again the Lionesses looked unable to get the better of a team that dealt well with them tactically.
Neville had been heavily criticised for his team selection in SheBelieves Cup opener, a tepid defeat to the USA. That 2-0 loss, their six defeat in nine games, heaped pressure on the games to follow –and when the teamsheet arrived there was a buzz in the air. The 19-year-old Lauren Hemp, who impressed against the world champions, was again entrusted with a place out wide and she was joined by Everton’s 22-year-old Chloe Kelly on the opposite flank and Chelsea’s top scorer, Beth England, up top. It was a fighting move from the beleaguered England manager and one fans and critics alike have been crying out for: to play the in-form young players ahead of the less convincing stalwarts.
Neville’s is a tough position for any manager. Phasing out an old guard that have given so much to the game without disrupting the dressing room is no easy task. The inexperienced group began brightly against a Japanese team that had, until their defeat to Spain in Orlando, won all their games since the World Cup. But with Keira Walsh, one of six Manchester City players on the pitch, alone in front of the back line though, Japan’s tricky attacker Mina Tanaka and star forward Mana Iwabuchi found success in between the lines of England’s 4-1-4-1.
After a frantic start, Hemp got the better of the right-back Risa Shimizu but her shot was low and too close to Sakiko Ikeda, who palmed wide. With half an hour gone a neat backheel from Jordan Nobbs saw Beth England force a fine save from Ikeda and Georgia Stanway’s follow-up was blocked. “Love it! Love it!” shouted Neville from the sidelines.
The longer the Lionesses went without a goal though, the more nervy proceedings became. Pressing harder and higher after the break proved fruitful but on the hour mark the Neville reverted to a much more conservative line-up with the lively Kelly and Hemp swapped out for Toni Duggan and Nikita Parris, while Leah Williamson, played somewhat cruelly at right-back against the USA, came on for an overworked Walsh in central midfield.
Less that 10 minutes later England found herself hooked for White. It was a strange move when anything less than a win would likely see England plummet further down the world rankings having occupied third place before the World Cup.
For Chelsea, England, has scored 14 goals and performed well in a front two with the Australian star Sam Kerr. While White is more familiar to leading the line alone, it seems an odd hill for the manager to die on.
The substitutions took the sting out of England’s tail. In a rare attack, White almost got on the end of a delightful Nobbs ball across the face of goal but it was just out of reach of the forward.
With seven minutes remaining, though, White lifted the pressure a little. Shiori Miyake gifted the ball to Duggan just inside the box on the right and the Atlético Madrid forward chipped a neat pass into the feet of White, who poked home.
There was palpable relief in the familiar goggles celebration, and from the bench, but this was a much tougher and laboured win than it should have been against a team ranked four places below them. It was a victory Neville needed – but it wasn’t a pretty one.
