Leading England to consecutive major finals is incredible but reinventing the team ahead of Nations League tilt could be Wiegman’s greatest challenge

As the Lionesses eye up their next test – the inaugural Women’s Nations League and Olympic qualification – Jessy Parker Humphreys wonders whether Wiegman will pause her World Cup-style tinkering, settle into a more predictable formation, and welcome the return of newly-fit favourites Beth Mead and Fran Kirby.

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As England’s World Cup squad have headed back to training in dribs and drabs, many will be back playing a competitive fixture for the national team before they play one for their club. With the exception of Arsenal players, who were knocked out of the Champions League at the qualifying stage after being beaten on penalties by Paris FC yesterday — as Barcelona players are set to strike for the first two games of the new Liga F season — the World Cup final will have been the last competitive fixture for most of the squad before they head to the Stadium of Light on Friday, September 22nd.

The Women’s Nations League’s inaugural season looks set to be a competitive one as well. For the first time, European qualification for the Olympics will be based on results here — as opposed to World Cup performances which would have seen England (or Team GB) and Spain join France as the European representatives. Instead, it will be the top two teams from the Nations League who progress to the tournament. England’s group is made up of Scotland, the Netherlands and Belgium — one that they will feel they should top. But Sarina Wiegman will have more to consider than might be expected from a recent World Cup finalist.

England’s path to the World Cup final was characterised by tinkering, as Wiegman shuffled her pack to try and find a team that could get wins. Now, however, she has an opportunity to reshape the side with one eye on a potential Olympics and beyond that defending their Euros title in 2025.

One key decision will be whether she persists with the back three she used this summer. England’s surprise switch to the 3-5-2 formation halfway through the World Cup saw them move away from the 4-2-3-1 they had used throughout Wiegman’s tenure, and looked to get the best out of both their defence and their front two of Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp. However, neither Lucy Bronze nor Rachel Daly ever looked fully comfortable at wing-back, whilst Keira Walsh’s ability to impact games seemed to be limited by the switch.

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The decision about whether to stick or twist might be influenced by the potential returns of two World Cup absentees. Both Fran Kirby and Beth Mead are firm Wiegman favourites, having started every Euros game, and neither were available for the World Cup due to injury. Yet Kirby and Mead have been in full team training throughout pre-season, with Kirby shining for Chelsea in their warm-up match against Roma. Mead was an unused sub in this week’s UWCL matches, but on the face of it they would both be available for the September camp.

If Wiegman was to revert to using a front three, Mead would feel like an automatic starter on the right wing with Chloe Kelly unable to really nail down her position in the England team, despite some impressive performances. Kirby’s place is not quite so clear cut with Lauren James’ tumultuous World Cup demonstrating her clear talent, whilst Ella Toone started the final. However, it is hard to say that either Toone or James feel as truly reliable as a fully-fit Kirby is.

One eye for Wiegman will surely be on the future for some of the older players on the squad. A criticism of the manager’s time at the Netherlands was her reluctance to move away from her team’s more experienced hands even as their performance levels dropped. What happens to Bronze and Daly will be an interesting case-study for Wiegman’s time at England. Neither Bronze nor Daly truly impressed at wing-back during the World Cup, with Bronze to blame for Spain’s goal in the final.

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One benefit both have is there are not many clear-cut options chasing at their heels. Niamh Charles has improved significantly over the past couple of years but certainly has a mistake in her, whilst Jess Carter can play on either side but is much better at centre-back. Whether Charles or Esme Morgan can show this season that they are ready to take the next step remains up in the air, although a return to a back four would potentially also free up Alex Greenwood to play at left-back.

For Wiegman to have led England to two finals in consecutive years has been an incredible achievement, but arguably the evolution of football teams is even harder than their establishment. She showed during the World Cup that she was able to do it on the fly. Now she will have to demonstrate whether she can reinvent the Lionesses in a purposeful way, as the room for improvement is clear for all to see.

Follow Jessy on Twitter @jessyjph

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