Women’s World Cup: Where Australia v England semi final will be won and lost
The oldest of sporting rivals, Australia and England go into their semi-final with contrasting styles. ADAM PEACOCK breaks down how the path to a World Cup final will play out.
It’s not quite as wild as ‘Bazball’ but England’s Lionesses offer something different to most other teams at this World Cup.
Sarina Wiegman’s side play a 3-4-1-2 formation, a set-up no other team in the knockout stages has employed. Even without suspended x-factor Lauren James, England play a high possession game, suiting the style their elite players feel comfortable with.
Contrast this with the Matildas, who play a high-octane game on and off the ball, and you have a contest defined by an intriguing battle of styles and tactics.
KEY FOR MATILDAS
Three central defenders provide England’s ballast but true functionality comes from the four players ahead of them.
Lucy Bronze and Rachel Daly are the two most dangerous players on the pitch out wide. They are, in name only, fullbacks, but are as likely to pop up in attacking areas to deliver crosses or join up in threatening positions.
Bronze, now with Barcelona, is the best right back in the game, marauding down that touchline with endless energy.
Meanwhile, Weigman’s most curious deployment is on the opposite side. At club level, Daly is a free-scoring striker. For England, she is required as a left back. But, like Bronze, she likes to get forward.
The change came due to a worrying goal drought. Until their third group game with China, England had scored just one goal from open play in 517 minutes of football – and that was a wonder-strike from Lauren James against Denmark in Sydney.
In response, Wiegman tweaked her formation to get more out of Bronze and Daly in attacking areas, plus suit their high possession game through the middle of the pitch.
Wiegman also added a third centre back for protection. Captain Millie Bright controls the middle with Alex Greenwood to her left and Jess Carter on Bright’s right.
It is no secret the Australians like to break forward quickly, using the searing pace of Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso, supported by jet-propelled fullbacks Steph Catley and Ellie Carpenter.
The key for the Matildas will be to move it forward quickly in transition and not allow Bronze or Daly to get back and help. Raso against Greenwood shapes as a great battle, but the Matildas’ best match-up might well be Foord getting one-on-one with Carter.
KERR-FOWLER THREAT
England arrived at the World Cup without a number of stars due to injury and must now also contend with the loss of their most dynamic player, James, who is serving the second of a two match suspension for a red card against Nigeria in the round of 16.
Lauren Hemp is the sole creative attacking player left and she has been deployed alongside striker Alessia Russo. It’s serviceable, but nothing like the threat posed by the Matildas if Sam Kerr is back in the starting eleven.
Kerr’s presence will allow even greater freedom for Australia’s own x-factor player, Mary Fowler. Should Gustavsson start with Kerr and Fowler, it would be tough on Emily van Egmond. Still, the veteran would have an important role to play off the bench and could be a huge factor late on with her well-timed runs into the penalty area, as seen with her goal against Nigeria in the group stage.
Kerr and Fowler’s job, though, won’t be just about threatening goal.
They must also stop England’s midfield getting on the ball with comfort.
With the 3-4-1-2 set up, England have an overload in midfield, outnumbering the Matildas’ hardworking duo of Kyra Cooney-Cross and Katrina Gorry. Not ideal for the home side, particularly given the extreme amount of work Cooney-Cross and Gorry have already done this tournament.
England’s midfield trio of Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone and Keira Walsh are all clever. Walsh, in particular, is world class. Now with Barcelona, but originally from the outskirts of Manchester, Walsh’s vision and technique make a mockery of the term given to players in her position of ‘defensive midfielder’.
Walsh is more like a quarterback in the NFL: setting her team’s tempo and orchestrating the direction of attacks.
Gustavsson and his coaching team would have spent many hours since Saturday working out a way to cut easy supply to Walsh through the positioning of Kerr and Fowler defensively, and also taking time away from her once on the ball.
If she is given free reign, it won’t turn out well for the Matildas.
PENS … AGAIN
This game shapes as a similar contest to the Matildas-France quarter-final in that both teams know each other well, sharing the pitch in England and across Europe.
No player will be overawed by the abilities of their rivals.
Set pieces will be crucial.
The occasion will be a factor but not definitive.
Perhaps penalties will be.
It’s that close.
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