Both Sarina Wiegmans England team and Lars Søndergaards Denmark went into their second game in Group D, knowing that a victory would give them the best possible chance to secure their place in the first knockout round.
In the opening group game, the Danes left it late to seal a 1-0 victory against China, whilst the Lionesses put in a rather lacklustre performance and had to rely on a retaken penalty by Georgia Stanway to see off Haiti. Safe to say both teams were looking to put in better performances on matchday two.
This performance did little to dispel the doubts raised about Englands performance in the opening game. Wiegmans team got off to the perfect start and took the lead within six minutes, thanks to Lauren James. For 20 minutes after that, the Lionesses resembled the aggressive and dynamic team we saw in the Euros. However, Denmark slowly built into the game and can consider themselves unlucky not to come away with at least one point.
This tactical analysis will look at the tactics used by England, which saw them grind out another 1-0 victory despite having to withstand some heavy Denmark pressure throughout the game. This analysis will also look at how England will have to adapt due to the injury sustained by Keira Walsh, who went off injured in the first half.
Lineups
England lined up in their usual 4-3-3 formation. However, Sarina Wiegman did opt to make some changes from the team that played against Haiti; Alex Greenwood came in to play as a centre-back in this game, meaning Jess Carter dropped to the bench. Therefore WSL top scorer Rachel Daly came in to play at left-back, as we saw in Euro 2022. Additionally, Chelseas Lauren James got the nod ahead of Lauren Hemp in the starting eleven, and please note that this was a direct swap, and James lined up on the left despite what the graphic shows.
Denmark also lined up in a 4-3-3 formation with Christensen in goal, a vastly experienced back four of Rikke Sevecke, Stine Ballisager, Simone Boye and Katrine Veje. The midfield consisted of Holmgaard as the pivot player, with Hasbo and Kühl given more licence to attack. The front three consisted of Janni Thomsen, Rikke Madsen, and Bayern Munichs Pernille Harder leading the line, but she was also given the freedom to drop in and play as a 10.
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