England player ratings vs. Portugal: Is Lauren James the Lionesses' No.10? Chelsea star shines as Women's World Cup send-off goes goalless
Sarina Wiegman benefited from James' position adjustment as the coach experimented with her lineup on Saturday afternoon.
Portugal held England to a goalless draw in their Women's World Cup opener on Saturday afternoon. Coach Sarina Wiegman will have learned a lot from the game, even though the final result was disappointing for the Lionesses, who dominated and should've won.
The Dutch coach chose to try out a few new things in her team's penultimate game before heading to Australia, including an inexperienced center-back partnership of Esme Morgan and Jess Carter, which pushed Alex Greenwood to left-back.
Rachel Daly started up front following a strong season for Aston Villa, and she had two excellent early chances, one of which was superbly stopped by Portugal goalkeeper Ines Pereira. However, England came closest in the first half when Georgia Stanway struck the crossbar from close range after a corner caused havoc in the box.
Goalkeeper/Defense
Mary Earps (5/10)
Had a wobbly moment in possession in the second half, but generally controlled her area well in a game where she had little to do.
Lucy Bronze (6/10):
Got forward a lot to help the attack but wasn't as influential as often.
Esme Morgan (6/10):
When Portugal attempted to expose England, he handled the pace of their onslaught brilliantly.
Jess Carter (6/10):
She exhibited good strength and anticipation to avoid being caught off guard by Portugal's quick attackers.
Keira Walsh, midfielder (6/10):
Strong in possession to aid England's dominance.
Georgia Stanway (7 out of 10):
She contributed to England's control of the game by getting into advanced positions, most notably hitting the crossbar at the end of the first half. I also did a lot of work for others and produced good set pieces after Greenwood departed the field.
Ella Toone (5 out of 10):
Before being pulled off at halftime, he got close to Daly to offer her support and showed indications of being a goal danger.
Lauren James attack (8/10):
One of England's most lively performers in the first half, slipping past markers, he then stepped up a notch in the second half when he was placed into the No.10 role and was incredibly creative. I made the case for starting there this summer.
Rachel Daly (nine out of ten):
Made some great runs but wasn't always discovered. Early on, she had two wonderful chances, one well-saved and one she could've done better with. At halftime, he was taken off.
Lauren Hemp (8 out of 10):
For much of the game, another of England's most creative outlets, hitting some wonderful crosses into the box and wreaking havoc.
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