‘Very good week’ for England or ‘back to the drawing board’?

Huge-name retirements, a stunning display against Portugal before being overshadowed by Spain days later. Has England’s week been a positive or negative experience?

After two testing matches in the Women’s Nations League, Sarina Wiegman’s team arrived in Switzerland to prepare to defend their European title in the following month.

After goalkeeper Mary Earps announced her shock international retirement and key defender Millie Bright withdrew from the squad to concentrate on her mental and physical well-being, manager Wiegman had her hands full.

Hannah Hampton was increasingly more likely to take the top spot, according to Paris St-Germain stopper Earps, who had fallen down the pecking order.

However, Wiegman acknowledged that Earps would have made a valuable addition to the Euros squad and that her choice had been “hard.”

As England prepared to face Portugal, the news caused a significant turnback, putting pressure on Hampton and raising concerns about the squad’s morale.

They thrash Portugal in front of a jubilant crowd at Wembley, and the outcome was admirable and emphatic.

Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood, and Georgia Stanway all got minutes after recovering from knee surgery, while Aggie Beever-Jones brilliantly capped the England attack’s depth with a brilliant hat-trick.

Even though their week did not come off well as a top Spain side fought back in style to advance to the Nations League semi-finals with a 2-1 victory, those positive signs cannot be forgotten.

Anita Asante, a former England defender, stated to ITV that the most crucial thing is that the right players receive the necessary preparation before the Euros.

Former Lionesses midfielder Karen Carney commented, “It’s great we got Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood in shape.”

It’s a good position for them if we get them back fighting. I’m confident that England will advance through the group stages.

Carney acknowledged that England had to “perform” in the second half when Wiegman tried to bring some of her underclassmen into the hands of world-class players.

Just before midfielder Fran Kirby announced her international retirement, she names her Euros squad for the week and makes her senior debut Missy Bo Kearns, caps a giddy week for the Dutchwoman.

Carney added that “sometimes you have to go through these moments because the bigger picture for the summer is giving the players the minutes they need.”

“We felt disconnected and the changes in the second half really hampered England.” Because Wiegman has a lot to learn, it is a positive.

The England boss echoed that sentiment, saying she was unconcerned and could take advantage of the defeat to Spain as another “learning moment.”

However, despite the obvious positives, most notably Portugal’s performance following such a disruptive build-up, the second-half display in Spain’s defeat demonstrated that they still have work to do.

They don’t have much time to get up to speed because France, the Netherlands, and Wales are waiting for them during the Euros’ group stages.

Many people believe that Spain will be the favorite to win the tournament, and they will undoubtedly pose one of England’s biggest challenges in the process.

The second-half dominance of Montse Tome’s side and constant pressure on them would have been unsettling, and Claudia Pina should have had more goals than the two.

On BBC Radio 5 Live, former England international Lindsay Johnson declared, “It’s back to the drawing board against our old rival Spain.”

England “looked confident in that low block” in the first half, and they made the transition to Spain.

“In the second half, England really lost ground, Spain really stepped up their game, and England was unable to escape Spain.” They were “chasing shadows”

Captain Leah Williamson acknowledged how difficult it has been for her side to perform recently away from home.

The Lionesses’ Women’s Nations League campaign has been inconsistent.

In Portugal, they were held to a 1-1 draw before losing to Spain at Wembley a few days later in February. They defeated Belgium 5-0 at home in April, before falling 3-2 in Leuven.

It’s the new England, we’ve been saying it’s been saying for a long time. So we also wanted to try various things, Williamson said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

You have seen very good sides of us, but there was more inconsistency than we like. They represent the levels we must continue to strive for, with the goal of being prepared [for the Euros].

We would have liked to win [versus Spain] in my opinion. That would have greatly improved our sense of self-assurance, outlook, and general mood.

“But we still have a lot of work to do.” I prefer to have a lesson now than in a month, as we always say.