Previewing the Lionesses for Euro 2025: Alessia Russo as a contender for the Ballon d’Or, the retirement of Marp Earps, and the challenging ‘Group of Death’.
Can the Lionesses create history at UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 this summer?
That is the question on everyone’s lips as Sarina Wiegman prepares her England side to defend their crown in Switzerland.
England gave their supporters the perfect send-off on Sunday when they eased to a dominant 7-0 victory over Jamaica, and they will be hopeful that form can continue when the tournament gets underway.
A lot has changed since they lifted the trophy on that famous day at Wembley three years ago, but the Lionesses are still amongst the favourites to win it all.
However, questions still remain: How will they cope without stalwarts Mary Earps, Fran Kirby, and Millie Bright? How will they fare in the ‘Group of Death’ at the Euros? Is Alessia Russo a favourite to win the Ballon d’Or?
Ahead of the tournament, TNT Sports experts Karen Carney and Fara Williams answer the key questions on the Lionesses.
What is the Lionesses’ form heading into the Euros?
Carney:
To be brutally honest, I think their form has been a little bit inconsistent in terms of results. You look at the form in 2022 when we won the Euros; we enjoyed a great run of form leading up to the tournament. That campaign was pretty flawless, but it feels a bit different now. However, three years on from that time, the level and standard of all the teams across the world have significantly improved. Our inconsistency is a bit of a worry, but it helps that we’ve got major tournament experience and the know-how to turn up in big games.
Williams:
It’s been mixed form for them. We’ve seen England look at new players, and there’s always a bit of inconsistency in performance when you make changes. It was a really good performance against Portugal in the UEFA Nations League where they showed they could score lots of goals. In the next match against Spain, I felt the first half was good, and they scored in transition, which I think is the way to beat them. However, the second half was a bit disappointing, but there were a lot of changes made, and that impacted the rhythm of the game.
Thoughts on the squad?
Carney:
I think it’s a fantastic squad with experience and depth. I really like it, and there are a few fresh faces that haven’t been to the Euros before, or players who are in the early stage of their international careers. It’s exciting that we’ve got that mixture, but there are a lot of players within the squad who have won the Euros, league titles, the Champions League, and experienced the World Cup final. We have some dominant players in there, so I think we’re in a very good spot.
Williams:
It’s a strong squad with a mix of young players and others with tournament experience. I was disappointed for Fran Kirby, who missed out because I felt she did enough to make the squad, especially with her experience. I also felt that Nikita Parris had a good season at Brighton and did enough to go to the Euros. But they’ve opted to go for younger players who’ve also had good seasons, and there are players who can make an impact off the bench, so I think the squad is good enough to go all the way in the competition.
How much will England miss Earps, Kirby & Bright?
Carney:
We must acknowledge how much they’ve done for their country and their contribution in winning the Euros and reaching the World Cup final. Like Mary said, teams evolve and move on, and it’s Hannah Hampton’s time to be No. 1 now. It’s unfortunate not to have Millie there because I think she’ll be a big miss. I thought Fran was phenomenal for us when we won the tournament in 2022, but it’s tough, and it shows how competitive the team is right now. I think our front players are the best part of the England team, and I doubt you can find me a better front six than ours. Those three have done so much for the women’s game and the England national team, and they will be missed. I hate to be brutal, but it happens, and that’s the nature of football, and that can hurt.
Williams:
I think their experience will be missed. You can’t buy experience; you gain it by being there and feeling it. Those players and their characters around the squad will definitely be missed. If you’re talking about the spine of the team, it’s basically the three of them. It’s been a lot to deal with for the squad, and that might explain the inconsistency over the last two performances. In my opinion, the timing (of Kirby and Earps’ retirements) was a little bit off, and maybe they could’ve waited to take some pressure off the squad. But they’ll be big misses, and there’ll be some players who need to step up in those roles within the squad, and there’s enough experience for them to do that.
What was your reaction to Earps’ retirement?
Carney:
I think everybody was shocked, but at the end of the day, it’s Mary’s decision. It’s her life and her career. I’ve said this before, but for any player, it’s never your jersey, and I’m including myself in that. You only ever borrow it for as long as you can, and your job is to leave it in a better place than you found it. In terms of Mary, she’s left that goalkeeper’s jersey in a fantastic position and a better place – as an international player, that’s your job. Now it’s over to Hannah, and her job is to pick up and continue that goalkeeping legacy as well.
Williams:
I think everybody was shocked. You always want the best players available, and as fans, we’re selfish and want players to go on forever and don’t think about the factors outside of football which play a part in the decision. As a former player and a supporter, I’m disappointed because I want the best 11 to compete, and she would’ve been a part of that. But you have to respect her decision, and I’m sure Mary will have her reasons why, and it won’t have been easy to retire. My retirement was forced on me, and it’s so difficult to retire from something that you’ve known forever, so it would’ve been a difficult decision for her.
Is there pressure on Wiegman?
Carney:
Every international manager who is going into a major tournament, whether that’s in the men’s or women’s game, will be under pressure. You can say the same about (men’s manager) Thomas Tuchel, who will be looking to win the World Cup next summer. With Sarina, she’s won two European titles, and she’s going for a third, so she understands the pressure of winning and trying to retain trophies. What we know about Sarina is that she’s pretty calm, direct, and calculated, so I don’t worry about her dealing with pressure. We always say that, ‘In Sarina We Trust,’ and we have to because she’s delivered the trophy for us, so we need to have confidence in her.
Williams:
She’s a winner, and I’m sure she’ll be looking to lift the trophy again. She’s been to the last four finals on the international stage, so that’s all she knows. I think there will be pressure because after becoming European champions and reaching a World Cup final, the expectations from the fans and the media will be to get to another final and hopefully win it. I don’t think pressure weighs heavily inside the camp for the Lionesses as much as it does for the men’s senior team. I do believe the Lionesses are better at not letting pressure affect performance. The players will put pressure on themselves and have their own expectations of making another Euros final.
Can Russo win the Ballon d’Or if England win Euros?
Williams:
I think she has to be in the conversation. If England go and win the Euros after Arsenal won the Champions League, and then you look at her goal involvements, it’ll be difficult to understand if she was excluded from the list. I’m hoping that she has a great tournament, and although she’s competing against the likes of Aitani Bonmati, if she goes on to score goals and helps England to win it, I don’t think there should be any argument about the Ballon d’Or winner.
How key is Russo to this England team?
Carney:
She’s been on a massive trajectory in the last five years, but during the past 18 months, I think the No. 9 shirt for her club suits her well, and it doesn’t wear heavy on her. I think she’s had a great season, and her hold-up play is ridiculous. There have been improvements in her athleticism, strength, and power, and she’s also getting into the right areas. Previously, I’ve wanted her to be a little bit more selfish, and she’s started to do that. It doesn’t mean you’re a selfish person, but you just do your job. We’ve got unbelievable wide players, and if we give her the service, I think she could end the tournament as the top goalscorer.
Which England players are you excited to watch?
Williams:
If I’m looking at form, then Russo is one to watch because she has been outstanding for Arsenal. I think she is key to this team as she’s an intelligent striker and can play that role in a different way, which really helps the team. There are a few players returning from injury, like Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, and Georgia Stanway. I think they’ll be key for England, and it’ll be interesting to see how we manage their minutes on the pitch because they could make a huge impact. We all know what James and Hemp can do, but Stanway is a player who doesn’t get mentioned enough. If you look back to when we won the Euros, she had a great impact and scored important goals, and in my opinion, she still doesn’t get the recognition she deserves.
Carney:
I’m quite intrigued to see how Grace Clinton and Jess Park get on. They’ve both played 20 caps or under, but I think this is a big opportunity for them. It’ll be interesting to see whether Sarina starts them or sees them as impact subs given the amount of experienced players we have in the squad.
What can England expect in ‘Group of Death’?
Carney:
The French manager has made some bold decisions, and he’s been quoting Albert Einstein, saying if you keep doing the same things, you’re going to get the same results. That intrigues me a little bit about what they’re going to do. He’s dropped a few players, including all-time leading goalscorer Eugenie Le Sommer, and that’s interesting, but England have played France over the last two years, and we’ve got a good understanding of how they’ll play, so I think that’ll be a tightly matched game.
Williams:
France have a young and talented squad, but the problem is you never know what to expect from them in tournaments. They used to go to tournaments with a stacked squad during my time as a player, and you’d think this French team looks good, and then they’ll struggle to win it or even get to a final. France are always exciting and have a lot of pace in those forward areas. It’ll be difficult for France after leaving out their captain Wendie Renard, so their young players will need to step up.
Carney:
With the Netherlands, it’s an interesting situation where their manager is leaving and is being replaced by our assistant manager Arjan Veurink. But they’ve got unbelievable talent, and tactically, they’ll cause us some problems.
Williams:
With the Netherlands, there’s a connection with Sarina, and their squad consists of some WSL players, so we’ll be familiar with a lot of them. They’ve been a bit quiet in recent years at tournaments, especially during the World Cup, and we know about the managerial situation.
Carney:
By the time we reach the Welsh game, we’ll know the permutations of the group and what both home nations need to progress, so that’s exciting.
Williams:
I think games between home nations are always difficult because they will not want to lose to England, and they’ll play with that regular pride and passion.
How will England fare in the group?
Carney:
If we can get out of that group, momentum should be there in the team, and when you go into knockout football, we shouldn’t really fear anyone because the group was a good test for us.
Williams:
I do think we have the toughest group, but if we manage to get out of the group, it sets us up nicely for the knockout rounds. En route to the final, we’ll be facing tough opposition, but you need those challenges, and France and the Netherlands will certainly provide a test given their tournament experience. Both teams will be a difficult test, but England are more than capable of beating them on their day.
Your starting XI for the opening match v France?
Carney:
I’m playing this team with an eye on my subs. I could’ve started Chloe Kelly, but I’m thinking who could be more impactful coming from the bench. I’m not sure how up to speed Georgia (Stanway) is in terms of her fitness, and that’s the same with Lauren James. The bench is really important in these conversations, so it might not be the strongest XI, but it might be the best one tactically to start with. I think James can be a super-sub and our game-changer. It’ll be interesting to see her impact as a player coming off the bench, but you can’t risk any player. Although we’ve been told that she’s ready to play from the start, she can still make a huge impact as a sub in 15-minute bursts, as opposed to playing 60 minutes and making the other players tired. I see her more as an impact player.
Williams:
With the left-back role, I think we’ll see changes during the tournament between Charles and Carter depending on the opposition. If we need a more defensive full-back, then Carter will start, and Charles will be the more attacking option.