An experimental England side secured a narrow victory over Switzerland, the hosts of next summer’s European Championship, as Sarina Wiegman provided young players with an opportunity to shine in the Lionesses’ final friendly match for at least six months. Grace Clinton’s early goal, scored by the Manchester United midfielder, was enough to secure England’s second win in this autumn’s four friendly fixtures, as Wiegman focused intently on next summer’s major tournament and potential squad selection.
On Friday, Wiegman had announced she would be making “a lot of changes” for this fixture, and she delivered on her promise, making no fewer than 10 alterations to her starting lineup compared to the goalless draw with the USA on Saturday. This resulted in one of the most youthful teams the Lionesses had fielded in multiple generations, with an average age of 23.9, significantly lower than the average age of 26.8 for all teams participating in the most recent Women’s World Cup. The lineup included four 21-year-olds, two of whom—Ruby Mace and Laura Blindkilde Brown—made their senior international debuts.
Before the match, England’s starting XI had accumulated just 127 senior international caps between them, with 83 of those belonging to the Chelsea centre-back Millie Bright. The second-most experienced player in the team was the Manchester City playmaker Jess Park, who earned her 13th cap on Tuesday. Park’s eighth-minute free-kick from deep was headed onto the post by Manchester United centre-back Millie Turner, with the rebound being pounced on by an instinctive Clinton, who netted her third England goal on the night she won her fifth cap. The home side celebrated by running to form a circle around her.
Wiegman not only experimented with a new-look team but also tested an alternative formation, with England using a distinct back three and very attacking full-backs in the Manchester United duo Maya Le Tissier and Gabby George. Clinton and Park appeared to have almost free roles in the front three. Despite making their debuts, youngsters Mace and Blindkilde Brown held the centre of the midfield together impressively early on against a Switzerland side ranked 25th in the world.
The Lionesses’ most recent previous appearance at Bramall Lane was their emphatic 4-0 victory over Sweden in the semi-finals of Euro 2022. Bright was the sole survivor from the starting team from that win but was joined by Alessia Russo when the Arsenal striker—who scored an infamous back-heel goal in that semi-final—was introduced as a half-time substitute to give Park a rest. The Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton was forced into a save by Iman Beney shortly after during a rare counterattack from Switzerland, but England saw most of the ball and Blindkilde Brown’s effort was well palmed away by the RB Leipzig shot-stopper Elvira Herzog. The crowd was scarcely on their feet, as the hosts prioritized tactical tweaks with an eye on next summer.
England had put in a solid defensive display against the US at Wembley and it had been hoped this performance might be rather more entertaining and adventurous. In reality, it was still a game relatively low on goalmouth action and clear-cut chances. Wiegman had made it clear before this camp that her team might not necessarily look their best and it was all a work in progress towards next summer’s tournament. Perhaps we will only know that in July, but what was certainly encouraging was the performances of the youngsters.
In Le Tissier and Clinton in particular, England have clearly got two stars of the future, while the Chelsea striker Aggie Beever-Jones showed good energy and movement. Leicester’s Mace was calm and steady in possession, despite being given the crucial task in the holding role, and Blindkilde Brown demonstrated herself to be useful in linking between the lines. Tottenham’s Jessica Naz, on as a late substitute, also showed some good touches, but England were notably stronger from the returns of senior players such as Barcelona’s Keira Walsh and Bayern Munich’s Georgia Stanway in the closing stages, and the latter struck the post with a good low strike in second-half stoppage time.
The result saw England round off their calendar year with a seventh win from 12 games in 2024, with the reigning European champions having drawn three of the other five, losing twice, at home to France and Germany. A set of six competitive fixtures await in the first half of 2025 when the Nations League returns, including two tantalizing meetings with the world champions Spain, before the chance to defend their European title arrives in July. The draw for the Euros will be made on 16 December.
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