Lionesses have ‘lots to work on’ but Wiegman ‘not concerned’

England appeared to be heading in the direction of their World Cup opener against Portugal, but at full-time there was a well-known, underwhelming feeling.

With only two of their previous six matches up for grabs, the Lionesses appear far from their best and have won just two of them.

Alessia Russo’s 15th-minute opener gave England a strong start, and they continued to dominate the second half.

However, as England had to settle for a 1-1 draw, Portugal’s substitute Kika Nazareth capitalized on a period of pressure from the hosts to equalize.

Manager Sarina Wiegman insists England are “moving forwards” and said she was “not concerned” by their disappointing run of form.

However, England’s second-half performance has not been as bad as it had been for Millie Bright, who admitted there is “lots to work on.”

Portugal, which had not experienced defeat since a stinging 1-0 defeat by France in December 2023, entered the match unbeaten in their previous ten games.

In the Fifa world rankings, they are 18 places below England, but they are not to be underestimated.

Georgia Stanway, Alex Greenwood, Beth Mead, and Lauren Hemp were all injured, but that didn’t seem to be a hindrance when things first started to improve in Portugal.

Grace Clinton, a midfielder for Manchester United, was effective, Lucy Bronze, a dangerous right-hander, and Russo, who had already put in some good goalscoring form, kept the lead.

Wiegman’s side looked in complete control, dominating proceedings and moving the ball around nicely.

But they were unsuccessful in maximizing their advantage and continuing to lead, which ultimately cost them.

“I think when it’s just 1-0 you keep a team in it and the longer it stays 1-0 the more the opposition gets confidence”, Bright told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“We definitely need to be more ruthless in front of the goal and take our chances,” he added. We also need to add more, “”

Wiegman repeated that statement, calling for more ruthlessness and acknowledging that their tally did not increase.

As a result, Portugal responded, using their pace to get in behind England’s backline and a tiring midfield.

Former England international Karen Carney, who spoke on ITV, said, “In the second half, I was scratching my head and thought it was a different team.”

Bright described it as “a game of two halves” but this is nothing new for England.

A poor October performance against Germany caused a 4-3 defeat before unconvincing victories over South Africa, Switzerland, and a goalless draw with an injured United States.

With just five months to go until Euro 2025, should Wiegman be concerned?

“It is not July now. I’m not concerned. I’m just working really hard with the team to get things right and I think we are improving”, said Wiegman.

“If you look at the results then you might think we are not improving, but if you look at how we play in the first-half performance, we are definitely moving forwards.

” Yes, we want to get results and it’s disappointing we didn’t win, but as I said, it’s February now and not July. “

With World Cup winners and current Nations League holders Spain at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday (20:00 GMT), England’s next test will be even tougher.

Wiegman claims that this is yet another opportunity to demonstrate their progress, and Bright believes that consistency will help England win the summer.

” We need to be confident, we didn’t win the game]against Portugal] but equally we didn’t lose, “added Bright.