Disjointed defeat to Belgium shows England’s lack of depth – and it could cost them at Euro 2025 | OneFootball

Instinctively, England feel like a side with a lot of depth. The problem, though, is that they never seem to act like a team who do. A handful of injuries can make the house of cards fall in the way it did on Tuesday as the sloppy, disjointed Lionesses were beaten by Belgium.

The only real positive came through a moment of individual brilliance from Michelle Agyemang, who produced something spectacular to net her first England goal and ensure they left with a 3-2 defeat which does not hint as much at the weaknesses in their display.

England fans will want to see Agyemang’s goal on repeat. The 19-year-old brought the ball down on her thigh before thrashing a wonderful half-volley into the top corner having been on the pitch for less than a minute.

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Michelle Agyemang's wonder goal was the lone highlight for England (The FA via Getty Images)

Aside from the teenager’s wonder goal, there isn’t much Lionesses supporters will want to see again. Their only other came from a penalty, with Beth Mead rifling into the bottom left after being brought down in the box.

The first half was the most worrisome element of England’s display and at its heart was an inability to adapt to losing key players.

There’s no dearth of talent, but there’s a lack of players who are able to play the necessary roles: Nikita Parris is a decent forward, but she’s entirely different to Alessia Russo.

The Lionesses sorely missed the injured Russo in Leuven. With nobody to hold the ball up, Belgium overturned possession and attacked with zeal, their speed and accuracy leaving England dumbfounded.

Counter-attacks were made easier for Belgium by England’s apparent willingness to leave vast spaces free in front and behind their back line. Belgium didn’t need to pick pockets; they just waltzed into them all too often.

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Tessa Wullaert scored twice for Belgium and found space readily (Getty Images)

That was what happened when Tessa Wullaert drove home the fourth-minute opener. Jill Janssens dinked a nice ball over the top, but there was a glaring space left behind between Niamh Charles and Millie Bright for Wullaert to run into before firing in off the post.

The second, too, could have been defended better. Justine Vanhaevermaet jumped higher than Leah Williamson to send a looping header past Hannah Hampton, but she should not have been given the space to do so.

The third was simply shoddy. Lucy Bronze was completely out of position, too far advanced from the rest of her back line. Davina Philtjens collected a pass in acres of space behind Bronze, drilled it across the box and Wullaert tapped home.

What went wrong for England to fall so far behind so quickly? Sarina Wiegman will spend time pondering that question, but on first glance it looks like just about everything.

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Justine Vanhaevermaet headed home Belgium’s second (AFP via Getty Images)

England could not string passes together. They were unable to pick out the right moves in the final third. They left too many gaps. They didn’t have a set shape. They couldn’t work the ball past Belgium.

That’s just a selection of the issues. In total, they add up to a team that appeared to be the polar opposite to the one which demolished Belgium 5-0 just four days ago.

Success at Ashton Gate reinvigorated the usual hype which surrounds the Lionesses, giving a belief that maybe – finally – they were completely over any recent worries and were shaping up in the right way for the Euros.

But then Russo and Lauren James had to withdraw from the camp through injury. That followed Chloe Kelly doing the same last week. Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood and Georgia Stanway are also still not fit enough for the squad.

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Sarina Wiegman is lacking players to suit certain roles (The FA via Getty Images)

This was a team that was somewhat depleted, but not entirely. England still had quality; they just weren’t able to display it.

England’s fallibility when changes are required is a potentially troubling prospect for this summer’s Euros. Tournaments have a way of diminishing fitness and taking their toll on squads – particularly if teams go the distance – and in their current state, it’s hard to see how England may cope with that.

Of course, this has all been said before. Usually, England respond by finding a way to grind out results, win when their performances are otherwise underwhelming and achieve a record which looks positive overall.

At some point, though, that luck will surely run out. They were found out by Belgium – ranked 20th in the world – on Tuesday. They face a group including France and the Netherlands this summer.

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England were found out by Belgium (Reuters)

It isn’t as if these issues are impossible to solve. Perhaps players will return and England will benefit from a fully-fit squad in Switzerland, in which case they’ve already regularly shown just how potent they can be when at their best.

Agyemang represents one of the other potential ways around the issue: trying something different for a change.

At half-time Wiegman brought on Jess Carter and Esme Morgan, two players who significantly shored up the defence, and gave the Lionesses licence to be a tad more creative in the final third given they were not as concerned about being swiftly caught out on the break.

They did not do much with the reduced pressure, but they could have. If Wiegman finds a handful of blueprints which she can follow depending on the players available, she could then make the most of her tried-and-tested favourite weapon: the super-sub.

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England improved in the second half but could not salvage a drop (Reuters)

On Friday, that came in the form of Aggie Beever-Jones and Jess Park. When England won the Euros in 2022, it was Russo and Ella Toone who performed that role. The former two have already shown their ability from the bench and, like their predecessors, it’s also clear they don’t pack the same punch when starting.

There are other defensive options, too. Manchester United’s Maya Le Tissier and Millie Turner have both performed well in the league but didn’t get a run out on Tuesday night. Could they play a more significant role?

There are many questions for Wiegman to answer and she has precious little time to do it. She seems to have now cemented Hannah Hampton as her first-choice goalkeeper over Mary Earps, but there are other decisions to make.

What matters is that she makes the correct decisions. England can’t afford another performance like their one in Leuven. If they cannot adapt at the Euros, it’s hard to envisage them not getting caught out.