England light on defence as Sarina Wiegman names latest Lionesses squad
Several uncapped players named in Wiegman's squad ahead of games against China and Ghana
Sarina Wiegman has named five uncapped players in her latest England squad for upcoming games against China and Ghana.
Winger Freya Godfrey has received her first senior call up after impressing for London City Lionesses this season. West Ham defender Anouk Denton, who was a late replacement in Wiegman’s October squad, has also made the 25-player roster.
Godfrey and Denton are one of many uncapped players in the Lionesses’ latest squad. Goalkeepers Anna Moorhouse and Sophie Baggaley have previously been included in Wiegman’s squad but are yet receive a cap.
There was no place in the squad for Ellie Roebuck, who has played twice for Aston Villa in the WSL this season. Roebuck has 11 caps for England but has struggled for consistent minutes since suffering a stroke in February last year. Wiegman said that Roebuck was a “little bit further” from an England return.
There is a distinct lack of experience in England’s defence as two of the seven defenders named are yet to step on the pitch under Wiegman. Outside of Lucy Bronze’s 142 appearances, there is a combined 70 caps in England’s defence, with only Niamh Charles having more than 20 to her name.
Sarina Wiegman is managing a squad in transition following the retirements of Mary Earps, Fran Kirby and Millie Bright this year.
Tuesday’s press conference was dominated by questions about Earps following the release of her autobiography earlier this month.
Wiegman did well to bat away any further controversy by acknowledging the private nature of conversations she had during her time managing Earps, and also praised the goalkeeper for the success they achieved together. England’s head coach reflected on the decisions she made “to win”.
“We always have conversations, we have conversations with different players all the time”, said Wiegman at Wembley. “What my reality is and someone else’s reality can be different, because how you experience things, that’s very individual. I just know what I want to do is create an environment where we speak up, where we get clarity, where I always communicate with players when it’s necessary, and also I make decisions to win”.
She dismissed concerns that the fallout from Earps’ book - in which she criticised Wiegman and her decision to make Hannah Hampton England’s number one ahead of Euro 2025 - will have an impact on England’s squad during these upcoming games.
“In teams, there’s always dynamics going on. You’re working with people, and everyone’s different”, Wiegman later added.
Wiegman is also dealing with the absence of injured captain Leah Williamson, and Alex Greenwood. Jess Carter will also miss this window as she will be resting after playing in Saturday’s NWSL Championship with Gotham.
Wiegman is optimistic about the “opportunity” that those absentees provide for more inexperienced players.
“I think at club level there’s a lot of experiences players have. So they’re used to that. Of course, with the years of experience some players have that are not here, players have to step up. So it is absolutely an opportunity to step up and show where the players are, who are in the squad now”.
Given these fixtures will be against China and Ghana, Wiegman can afford to try some new ideas and fresh faces, but the long-term reliance on England’s older core is a problem that isn’t going away.
Full England squad:
Goalkeepers: Sophie Baggaley (Brighton & Hove Albion), Khiara Keating (Manchester City), Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride)
Defenders: Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Anouk Denton (West Ham United), Grace Fisk (Liverpool), Taylor Hinds (Arsenal), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Laura Blindkilde Brown (Manchester City), Grace Clinton (Manchester City), Missy Bo Kearns (Aston Villa), Lucia Kendall (Aston Villa), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Chelsea)
Forwards: Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea), Freya Godfrey (London City Lionesses), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Chloe Kelly (Arsenal), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Jess Park (Manchester United), Alessia Russo (Arsenal)Thanks for reading The Cutback. Support independent journalism and join our women’s football community that is changing the game.