List of All Articles with Tag 'epsocmag'

Pep Guardiola’s intended audience may have been in Barcelona. It often has been, though usually when he was their midfielder, captain or manager. In seven years in Manchester, Guardiola has frequently had to address matters at the Camp Nou, though it was usually only to deny that Lionel Messi was bound for the Etihad Stadium. Now the subject of another saga is a player from his present, not the increasingly distant past. Manchester City’s summers seem to consist of two rituals: lifting the Premier League trophy and then enduring a wait to see if Bernardo Silva stays. The Portuguese’s most persistent admirers are in Catalonia. The other constant is that Barcelona repeatedly refuse to meet City’s asking price. Sometimes they receive no firm proposal while a cash-strapped club with a recruitment policy based on hoping their allure will encourage players to engineer their exit seemingly think they can acquire elite footballers on the cheap. All of which is a cause of some irritation in Manchester. Guardiola has long insisted that he will allow players to leave if they want to go, providing he has enough time to find a replacement and an acceptable sum is recouped. Silva has been tempted to go, although seemingly not to Saudi Arabia. But the season starts with both him and the Bayern Munich target Kyle Walker at the Etihad, with Guardiola vowing to do everything he can to keep them, but with the familiar state of affairs that no one has made a suitable offer for Silva. It remains an unsettling, undermining situation. And so Guardiola seemed to direct a message from Manchester to his old club: in effect, to put up or shut up. “I want to clarify because I know Barcelona reports make up what I say,” he said. “From day one I don't want any players who don't want to be here but I'm an employee. I want to work with guys who want to stay and work with staff and players, but after we have to get a proper offer. If we don't get a proper offer, he's our player and we want him. “If they want him, they will take a plane and come here and talk to our sporting director and CEO to make an agreement because three parts have to be there. For us to buy a player, just because we are Man City it is £10-15m more expensive than other clubs all the time. If people want our really, really important players, first they have to make an offer - and that hasn't happened. When it happens, we will fight to extend the contract and be with us. That has happened with all of our players since day one.” The notion of a City tax in signing players is familiar. Josko Gvardiol, whose arrival should be ratified, will become the second most expensive defender in history, at £77m. Barcelona appear to think tax should be deducted at source, that they should get players for below their market value. City think Silva is worth £80m which, as midfielders such as Declan Rice and Enzo Fernandez have commanded nine-figure sums, may not be excessive; it may have been an understatement when Guardiola said it would cost more than £50m to replace the Portuguese international. City were beneficiaries on one of the few occasions in straitened times when Barcelona, despite their heavy debts, paid a sizeable fee: €55m for Ferran Torres, who has since lost his place in their team. Their powers of persuasion worked on Ilkay Gundogan, who joined on a free transfer. But Barcelona’s difficulties in even registering players is a reason why there has been no bid for Silva this summer, just an extended courtship. Much as Guardiola often praises the midfielder, he has long seemed to have a wanderlust. He may be interested. “When you win the treble, it looks like the job is done,” Guardiola said. “Players who are 32, 33 like Ilkay and Riyad [Mahrez] say we arrived here for Premier Leagues and then people ask about the Champions League [and then they win that]. Some players feel they want a new experience. “I will not be the guy who says no, but they have to make an agreement with the important part of the club, the business. Make a deal and it happens. In the case of Bernardo and Kyle, we talk many times over the last months and even years how important they are, how we want them and we will continue to do so until the end. I don't know what will happen.” The uncertainty is an annual experience but Silva could be still more important now. Gundogan’s departure may allow him to play his preferred role in the middle of midfield. For Guardiola, he is central, in more ways than one. And if Silva has the technical talent to play for Barcelona, it comes with the kind of price tag that, so far, they have been unwilling or unable to match. Read More Pep Guardiola hopes Manchester City complete signing of Josko Gvardiol soon Pep Guardiola keen to avoid ‘difficult’ transfer task after Man City lose ‘incredible players’ Josko Gvardiol set for Manchester City medical after £77.5m deal agreed

The Women’s World Cup knockout stages get underway this morning as Spain face Switzerland in the last-16. It’s been a tournament defined by shocks and surprises so far, after a group stage that saw Germany, Brazil and Canada crash out while Jamaica, South Africa and Morocco advanced to the knockout phase for the first time. Switzerland will look to keep the upsets coming as they take on Spain in Auckland. The Swiss have been defensively resilient so far and did not concede a single goal as they topped Group A ahead of Norway, New Zealand and the Philippines. Spain, meanwhile, are looking to respond to their 4-0 defeat against Japan in their final game of Group C. That result increased the pressure on head coach Jorge Vilda, as Spain look to rediscover their early form that made them contenders for the World Cup. Follow live updates from Switzerland vs Spain in the Women’s World Cup last-16, followed by Japan vs Norway. Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today When do England play next? Women’s World Cup fixtures and route to the final Can England break cycle of World Cup shocks or will underdogs continue to thrive?

Luke Shaw believes Mason Mount is “exactly the kind of player” that Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag “wants and needs” at the club. The England midfielder joined back at the beginning of July and has featured in pre-season fixtures. He is seen as a signing that has strengthened United’s midfield unit, with Mount set to compete with Christian Eriksen for a starting spot next season. “After working with the manager for the last season, I think Mason is exactly the kind of player he wants and needs around this place,” Shaw said.

It’s crunch time at the Women’s World Cup with the final round of fixtures in the group stages set to decide who will advance to the knockouts. It has been a tournament of shocks and surprises so far, with Nigeria stunning Australia and Colombia’s last-gasp win over Germany standing out as the biggest results of the World Cup. There are set to be more twists and turns as the final matches of the group stages are played out - with the top two teams in each group advancing to the last-16. With everything to play for across several groups, here’s what each team needs to reach the knockout stages, starting with Group B. Group E standings 1. USA - 4 points (+3 goal difference) 2. Netherlands - 4 points (+1) 3. Portugal - 3 points (+1) 4. Vietnam (E) - 0 points (-5) Results and fixtures USA 3-0 Vietnam Netherlands 1-0 Portugal USA 1-1 Netherlands Portugal 2-0 Vietnam Vietnam vs Netherlands (8am BST) Portugal vs USA (8am BST) How does each team qualify? United States - The USA will qualify for the last-16 as long as they do not lose to Portugal. They will finish top of Group E if Netherlands draw or lose, or if they win by a greater margin than the Dutch. Netherlands - The Netherlands will qualify with a win or draw against Vietnam. The Netherlands could still qualify with a defeat, as long as they had a better goal difference than the USA. Portugal - Portugal will reach the last-16 if they beat the USA but will be out if they lose. If Portugal draw, they would require the Netherlands to lose Vietnam by at least two goals. Vietnam - Cannot qualify for the knockout stages. Group D standings 1. England - 6 points (+2 goal difference) 2. Denmark - 3 points (+0) 3. China - 3 points (+0) 4. Haiti - 0 points (-2) Results and fixtures England 1-0 Haiti Denmark 1-0 China England 1-0 Denmark Haiti 0-1 China England vs China (12pm BST) Denmark vs Haiti (12pm BST) How does each team qualify? England - Will qualify with a win or draw against China, which would also confirm top spot in Group D and a last-16 tie against Nigeria. - England can still qualify with a defeat against China, but they require Denmark to lose or draw. If England lose and Denmark fail to win, the Lionesses will finish second if China overtake them on goal difference. - If England lose and Denmark win, the Lionesses would need to finish with a better goal difference than one of China or Denmark. England therefore cannot lose by more than one goal. Denmark - Denmark will go through if they win and China draw or lose. - If Denmark and China finish with the same result, it will go down to goal difference and then goals scored in their final group match. They currently have identical goal records after losing a match 1-0 and winning a match 1-0. Denmark will also go through ahead of England if the Lionesses lose to China by more than one goal. China - China will go through if they win and Denmark draw or lose. - If China match Denmark’s result of a win and a draw then it comes down to goal difference. Haiti - Haiti must beat Denmark and hope China lose to England. It would then come down to goal difference, with three teams (Haiti, Denmark and China) all level on three points. Therefore, if Haiti win by more than one goal and China lose, they are guaranteed to go through. Group A standings 1. Switzerland (Q) - 5 points (+2 goal difference) 2. Norway (Q) - 4 points (+5) 3. New Zealand (E) - 4 points (+0) 4. Philippines (E) - 3 points (-7) Results New Zealand 1-0 Norway Switzerland 2-0 Philippines New Zealand 0-1 Philippines Norway 0-0 Switzerland Norway 6-0 Philippines New Zealand 0-0 Switzerland Group B standings 1. Australia (Q) - 6 points (+4 goal difference) 2. Nigeria (Q) - 5 points (+1) 3. Canada (E) - 4 points (-3) 4. Ireland (E) - 1 point (-2) Results Australia 1-0 Ireland Canada 0-0 Nigeria Australia 2-3 Nigeria Ireland 1-2 Canada Australia 4-0 Canada Nigeria 0-0 Ireland Group C standings 1. Japan (Q) - 9 points (+11 goal difference) 2. Spain (Q) - 6 points (+4) 3. Zambia (E) - 3 points (-8) 4. Costa Rica - 0 points (-7) Results Spain 3-0 Costa Rica Zambia 0-5 Japan Japan 2-0 Costa Rica Spain 5-0 Zambia Costa Rica 1-3 Zambia Japan 4-0 Spain Read More Women’s World Cup 2023 LIVE: Australia and Nigeria through to last-16 as Canada crash out Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today Australia thrash Canada to save Women’s World Cup dream from the jaws of a nightmare England vs China: Kick-off time and how to watch on TV Australia thrash Canada to save Women’s World Cup dream from the jaws of a nightmare Kelly Smith: England can cope without Keira Walsh — here is how Lionesses can adjust

When Keira Walsh got injured, there was a collective groan of sympathy for a world-class player missing the rest of the tournament, but also for the rest of England’s squad. They must now deal with the loss of Walsh, the deep-lying playmaker who knits the team’s approach play together and so brilliantly patrols the space in front of the back four. Walsh is probably Sarina Wiegman’s most important player, certainly in the absence of Leah Williamson and Beth Mead, and England have now lost all three of the players who led them to European Championship glory. I have a lot of empathy for this team. In 2002, Faye White, Katie Chapman and I were all out. White had an ACL injury and my leg was broken. Chapman was pregnant. At the time, we were all integral players for England and were trying to qualify for the World Cup. In the group stages, we finished second to Germany in the group which meant we went into a play-off system. We beat Iceland over two legs and then had to play France to see who would clinch the final spot for the World Cup. We lost both games. I remember thinking that the three of us being out was a driving factor to not qualifying for the 2003 World Cup. It was devastating to watch France progress through the tournament and England not having any involvement. You could see the impact once Walsh went off on the game. England’s left, Lauren James and Rachel Daly, had been surging into the Danish half, pinning them back and generating chances and field tilt; that stopped. Arsenal’s excellent young midfielder Kathrine Møller Kühl had been tasked with stopping Walsh; now she was free to drop off, help Denmark build through the thirds and join in some attacks. Georgia Stanway moved back into the Walsh role, with Laura Coombs coming on as an 8; this meant England generally sat deeper, pressing less high without the security Walsh offers and losing Stanway’s bite higher up the pitch for dangerous turnovers. England have to solve several problems, but the first is probably mental. There are a lot of strong characters and experienced, quality players in that dressing room, but England’s spine in the Euros was Mary Earps, Williamson, Walsh, Fran Kirby and Mead – only Earps is still there. The downside of having world-class players and being able to pick them consistently, as Sarina has done, is that when you lose one or two in a department in short order, the change can be pretty tricky to manage. England need leaders and the pressure on Earps, Millie Bright and Stanway is now greater than ever. The next issue is tactical. Walsh’s most natural replacement, Lucy Staniforth, was only on the standby list and has gone home. England could change formation, perhaps bringing in a third centre-back to help the ball progression from deep or drop Stanway into the pivot role with two 8s ahead of her or, more likely, another defensive midfielder to make a double pivot. Coombs did not look out of place, but there is an argument for Jordan Nobbs’ energy and aggression in that area too, not least because if all that is left to Stanway, you miss out on her going forward as well and it would leave England light in terms of players joining attacks from midfield. England’s current approach means they must be able to build the ball through the thirds and circulating the ball quickly and safely around the back, and breaking the lines by going through or over, are both key. Walsh was instrumental to both, although it’s worth saying that Alex Greenwood was moved to centre-back against Denmark because even Walsh can’t do that alone. The pressure on Greenwood is now very intense; much of England’s ability to progress from deep will now be down to her and this is one reason why Sarina could opt to add another defender to the mix and go to a 3-4-3 system. England could also go for a slightly different approach. Great sides, and England are one, are expected to control the ball and hog possession, but tournaments can often favour a more counter-attacking approach. While England are not as brutally quick and athletic as the USA, for example, James, Daly, Lauren Hemp, Beth England and Chloe Kelly are all very dynamic, quick runners. England could focus on solidity in the middle and longer, more direct passing to a rapid front three or four. However Sarina addresses these issues, it is a huge loss to England and the tournament as a whole that Walsh will be missing, for some or all of it. The World Cup is about showcasing the best our sport has to offer and Walsh has joined the already too long list of star players who are absent. We need to get better at understanding the risks of injuries, why they are happening, and managing loads across the women’s game. More investment, especially in sports science and nutrition, at every level of the sport is required. Until that happens, and the injured list diminishes, our flagship events will be poorer for it. Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today As Sarina Wiegman solves one problem – a bigger one presents itself In Keira Walsh, England lose the one player who is impossible to replace Australia thrash Canada to save Women’s World Cup dream from the jaws of a nightmare Women’s World Cup group permutations: How can each team qualify? Nouhaila Benzina: The hijabi-wearing Moroccan making World Cup history

Sam Kerr remained on the bench but thankfully for Australia, they did not need her. In a must-win match, the co-hosts did much more to keep their World Cup alive: thrashing the Olympic champions Canada to reach the knockout stages and restoring belief that looked to have been lost in the shock defeat to Nigeria. With it, Group B was flipped on its head: Ireland’s draw with Nigeria means Australia advance as group winners, avoiding a potential clash with England in the last-16. Kerr could yet return for that, but Australia finally found a way to play without their star striker and captain. It came at the perfect time with the Matildas facing elimination and a World Cup dream that was instead turning into a nightmare. Kerr was back on the bench after missing Australia’s opening two games with a calf injury, but against Canada they were instead lifted by another returning star in Mary Fowler. Ruled out of the defeat to Nigeria, a result that left Australia on the brink, Fowler returned to spark Australia’s attack into life, saving a World Cup that threatened to be over long before it was meant to. The Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson changed his shape and landed on a 4-4-2 that devastated Canada on the counter-attack, with Hayley Raso scoring a decisive brace from the right and Caitlin Foord enjoying her best performance of the tournament on the left. By the end, Australia’s position was so secure that there was no need to rush Kerr back. In her absence, Fowler has emerged as Australia’s next great hope. Badly missed against Nigeria after she was ruled out with concussion, Fowler gave Australia ideas and another option, a willing runner and clever dribbler to pull Canada out of their defensive shape. With Fowler setting Australia’s press alongside Emily van Egmond, her return meant Foord could return to the left wing, creating space for Steph Catley and restoring their key combination. It gave Australia familiarity and, even without Kerr, they had the attacking options to overwhelm Canada down the channels. Catley’s cross set up Raso’s opener inside 10 minutes, with the forward taking a touch before firing a low shot through the legs of Canada defender Ashely Lawrence. Australia were denied a second after a farcical offside, but Canada failed to take the warning with Raso scrambling in her second from a corner. Fowler’s tap-in, finished after Foord was released down the left in the second half, was then added to by Steph Catley’s late penalty. Relief had long since turned into joy, with Australia celebrating their biggest ever World Cup win, but this was meant to be nervy and a potentially disastrous night. Canada represented the worst possible opponents for a must-win decider, a side built for knockout football. In winning the Olympic gold medal, they were the team who simply refused to lose, absorbing pressure in their low-block and edging victories in games where they were second-best in possession and chances. They had cracked the code, always managing to find the breakthrough goal they needed to win close games. But at the World Cup that side did not turn up, and they became the first Olympic champions to exit at the group stage. Perhaps Chrstine Sinclair’s penalty miss in the opening stalemate with Nigeria was the moment that foreshadowed a doomed campaign - what would have been a historic goal for Sinclair, and a record sixth World Cup in which she had scored, turned into a missed opportunity. Throughout their three games, Canada only showed up in the second half against Ireland, where for 45 minutes they were able to solve some of their problems. Defensively, Canada never found a shape or structure that suited them. Kadeisha Buchanan, hooked at half time against Ireland, was overwhelmed again, struggling alongside Vanessa Gilles. Lawrence, another experienced member of their side, was often found out of position, never settling left or right. Behind them, goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan was far from the reassuring presence in goal that Canada desperately required. Bev Priestman’s four changes at half time was an alarming indication of how far Canada’s levels had fallen. It did not rescue them. Instead, Canada fell to their heaviest defeat under Priestman, a team in disarray. Australia now look the opposite: they are likely to face either Denmark or China in the last-16 and even without Kerr, this is a side who will be confident of progressing. Kerr could yet return and her World Cup is not yet over - more importantly, neither is Australia’s. Read More Kelly Smith: England can cope without Keira Walsh — here is how Lionesses can adjust Women’s World Cup group permutations: How can each team qualify? Nouhaila Benzina: The hijabi-wearing Moroccan making World Cup history

Sam Kerr, 29, is Australia’s most beloved player, the captain of Matildas and the first person from her homeland ever to score a hat-trick at the World Cup. Now preparing for a tournament on home soil, the icon hopes to conjure an even greater moment for her fans to savour. Australia are coming into it in a rich vein of form, having won their last eight games in a row, one of which saw them inflict the first defeat of Sirena Wiegman’s tenure on England, a 2-0 defeat on a rainy night in Brentford this April. Kerr, naturally, bagged the opener. A global phenomenon, she made her debut on the international stage aged just 15 and split the early part of her career between teams in Australia (Perth Glory, Sydney FC) and the US (Western New York Flash, Sky Blue FC). She chalked up five goals at the 2019 World Cup and subsequently joined Chelsea in the Barclay’s Women’s Super League (WSL) from Chicago Red Stars. She made her debut in the team on 5 January 2020, setting up two goals in a 3-1 win against Reading. She opened her Chelsea account two weeks later with an iconic header in a 4-1 win over Arsenal and has gone from strength to st The 2020/21 campaign saw Kerr become the Blue’s top scorer, netting 28 in all competitions. After another fine season in 2021/22, she now has the extraordinary total of 54 goals in 67 games for the West London club. Get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds here She has received huge acclaim since arriving in England and has won the WSL Player and Goal of the Season awards and been named FWA Player of the Year, PFA Player and Players’ Player of the Year and Player of the Year at the London Football Awards. Now hoping to lead the Matildas to World Cup glory and add to her 63 goals at international level, Kerr told The Guardian recently her team is “here to win” and said they are “really confident” for the challenge ahead. Read More Women’s World Cup LIVE: Japan beating Spain before Canada vs Australia Sam Kerr ‘available’ for Australia’s must-win clash with Canada after calf injury Today at the World Cup: Australia third in Group B after Nigeria defeat

England’s Keira Walsh did not suffer an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Denmark at the Women’s World Cup and could feature later in the tournament after the Lionesses confirmed the midfielder will remain with the squad in Australia. Walsh was stretchered off in the Lionesses’ 1-0 win against Denmark on Friday and there were fears that the 26-year-old had become the latest star in women’s football to suffer an ACL tear - with England captain Leah Williamson and forward Beth Mead among several star names to be ruled out of the World Cup due to the injury. The Barcelona midfielder was left on crutches after stretching for the ball and catching her studs on the turf, but a scan on Saturday afternoon revealed that the injury was not as bad as it first looked and there was no serious ligament damage. Walsh will be unavailable when the Lionesses face China in their final group stage match on Tuesday but she will remain at England’s training base while her knee injury continues to be assessed, in what is a promising sign that the Champions League winner could feature in the knockout stages should Sarina Wiegman’s side progress from Group D. Georgia Stanway is expected to deputise at the base of England’s midfield against China, while Laura Coombs, who replaced Walsh against Denmark, could come into the starting line-up. The Lionesses will advance to the knockout stages if they avoid defeat to the Asian champion in Adelaide after taking six points from their opening two games. Elsewhere at the World Cup, Australia captain Sam Kerr confirmed she will be available for the Matildas’ final group stage encounter with Canada after missing their first two matches with a calf injury. The Matildas’ chances of progressing from Group B hang in the balance after Thursday’s surprise 3-2 defeat to Nigeria in Brisbane, and only victory over the Olympic champions on Monday will see Tony Gustavsson’s side qualify for the last 16, barring a draw scenario that will still rely on the Republic of Ireland beating Nigeria. The Chelsea striker would not confirm if the encouraging update would mean the home support would see her start in Melbourne, telling a press conference: “I feel good. The plan has always been the same, miss the first two games then reassess. “ I’m feeling good, I was out on the pitch today. As good as I can be. I would love to tell you guys everything – but you know being in sport a long time, that that’s a massive thing the opposition wants to know. And like Tony said yesterday it’s going to go down to the wire. I’m definitely going to be available, but how we decide to use that is not to be given to the opposition, I think is the main thing. “Obviously the plan for me is to be involved and I’m excited. I’ve done everything I can, and no matter what happens I know that I’ve given everything just in the last 10 days, in the last four years, I’ve given everything to be here.” Meanwhile, Norway striker Ada Hegerberg will not play in their must-win Women’s World Cup group game against the Philippines after failing to recover from a groin injury in time. Hegerberg withdrew prior to kickoff in the second game after tweaking her groin in the warm-ups. The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner headed quickly down the tunnel to the locker room before Norway drew 0-0 with Switzerland. Norway are bottom of Group A with one point and must win to have any chance of qualifying for the last 16, but their fate is not entirely in their hands with the top two sides Switzerland and New Zealand playing each other. Includes reporting from PA Read More Who do England women play next? World Cup fixtures and route to the final In Keira Walsh, England lose the one player who is impossible to replace As Sarina Wiegman solves one problem – a bigger one presents itself How ‘magic’ Lauren James can lead the new Lionesses at the Women’s World Cup England manager Sarina Wiegman reacts to ‘serious’ Keira Walsh injury As Sarina Wiegman solves one problem - a bigger one presents itself

US Women’s National Team (USWNT) striker Trinity Rodman is seeking to introduce herself on the international stage in Australia and New Zealand after making swift progress at domestic level playing for Washington Spirit, scoring 13 goals in 47 appearances since making her debut in 2021. She will also be seeking to emerge from the long shadow cast by her famous father, Dennis Rodman, one of basketball’s greatest and most eccentric stars who was pivotal to the success of the “Bad Boy”-era Detroit Pistons and to Michael Jordan’s dominant Chicago Bulls team of the 1990s. The star has largely been a remote figure in his daughter’s life as she was raised by her mother Michelle Moyer but Rodman has said she learned the importance of being reactive from watching clips of his performances on the court. “Even if he wasn’t the first guy under the basket or he was next to Shaq [O’Neal], who was way bigger, way taller, he was going to get the rebound,” she said of her father recently. “It was timing, it was anticipation, it was body movement, it was positioning, it was everything. And I think he was so intelligent and I think people take that away. He was a freak of nature. He was an insane athlete, but at the end of the day, he, I think, was one of the smartest players at the time. He knew the game.” Hailing from Newport Beach, California, Rodman, now 21, began playing football at 10 for SoCal Blues, winning four national championships in the Elite Clubs National League before graduating high school and enrolling at Washington State University with the intention of playing for its college soccer side the Cougars, only for her time there to be completely derailed by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Subsequently turning professional and signing with Spirit in DC, she made her debut at 18 – scoring five minutes after coming on as a substitute – and has never looked back. Get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds here Rodman was named Rookie of the Year and US Soccer Young Female Player of the Year in 2021 and was nominated for the Ballon d’Or Feminin in 2022 and has since progressed with ease into the ranks of the all-conquering USWNT alongside such greats of the women’s game as Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle. She threatens to be the breakout star of this World Cup. Read More FIFA Women’s World Cup fixtures and full schedule Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today

Captain of the German national team since 2019, Alexandra Popp has established herself as one of the stalwarts of the women’s game and the German national side since making her debut in 2010. A full-back-turned-forward, the 32-year-old will be carrying her nation’s hopes on her shoulders at the Women’s World Cup as she looks to avenge their heartbreaking defeat to England in Euro 2022 final last summer. Born in Witten, in western Germany, Popp began her fledgling football career as a student at Gesamtschule Berger Feld in Gelsenkirchen. The elite footballing school trains players for the men’s Bundesliga side, Schalke, with Popp the only female student to attend the school courtesy of a special permit. Having also played for mixed-gender teams at FC Silschede, Popp eventually got her first taste of senior football at Recklinghausen in the fourth tier of German football. Her stay there would last just one year with the then 17-year-old joining top-flight Duisburg in 2008 under the tutelage of the current national team manager, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. Popp would enjoy a hugely successful first season, winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League and German Cup with Duisburg. She would follow that up the following season by retaining the German Cup with the season culminating in Popp making her debut for the senior national team in 2010. After two further years, Popp transferred to Wolfsburg in 2012 where she remains today. Much like her debut season at Duisburg, Popp would hit the ground running at Wolfsburg with a famous treble-winning campaign that saw her side capture the UEFA Women’s Champions League, Frauen-Bundesliga and German Cup. Her career at Wolfsburg went from strength to strength as Popp guided her side to a successful defence of the UEFA Women’s Champions League and Frauen-Bundesliga in the 2013-14 season. Whilst her Wolfsburg side may not have tasted European glory since that 2014 season, they have been the dominant force in domestic German women’s football with her side winning the German Cup for nine-straight seasons while also winning the Frauen-Bundesliga on five occasions. For the national team, Popp has also been a stalwart since her debut in 2010, scoring 62 goals in 128 appearances. Despite missing the final through injury, Popp scored eight goals as Germany went on to retain the Euros in 2013. Get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds here Having lost in the semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup, the national side would go on to claim gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In 2019, Popp would become captain of the national side ahead of the World Cup where they fell to Sweeden in the quarter-finals. A heartbreaking injury in the warm-up for last year’s Euros finals prevented Popp from playing as England defeated Germany in extra time. Read More FIFA Women’s World Cup fixtures and full schedule Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? Germany and Alexandra Popp are out for revenge - the World Cup is the perfect chance

Already one of the true legends of the women’s game, Lucy Bronze has been a regular for England since making her debut in 2013 and has played all across the park, although she is best known as a marauding right-back, overlapping Beth Mead in the Euros to often devastating effect. Born into a bilingual Portuguese-English family in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Bronze, now 31, played for Alnwick Town until she turned 12, when FA regulations prevented her from continuing to play for the boys’ team, a matter about which her coach felt so strongly he launched an unsuccessful discrimination case to challenge the rules, reluctant to lose his best player to an outmoded technicality. A multi-talented athlete in secondary school, she played at youth level for Blyth Town and Sunderland, graduating to the latter’s senior squad and winning the FA Women’s Premier League Northern Division in 2008/09 before relocating to the US to enrol at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to play for the Tar Heels, a path future LionessesAlessia Russo and Lotte Wubben-Moy would later follow. Get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds here Returning to England to complete her sports science degree at Leeds Metropolitan University, playing for the institution’s women’s team while supporting herself by working at Domino’s Pizza, Bronze then commenced her senior career in earnest with Everton in 2010. After two years, she transferred to city rivals Liverpool where she won back-to-back Women’s Super Leagues, before moving to Manchester City in 2014, where she again won the title and the FA Cup in 2016. She then moved on to France to play for all-conquering Lyon in 2017, winning the Champions League, three successive league titles, two domestic cups and finishing second in the running for the 2019 Ballon d’Or before returning to City for further cup success. A final switch to Barcelona alongside long-time teammate Keira Walsh followed last summer and the Catalans duly won the title and Champions League in Bronze’s debut season. A hugely popular and respected member of the England set up with 105 caps to her name and counting, and an Instagram account for her West Highland Terrier Narla, it could all have been so different for Lucy Bronze. As the daughter of a maths teacher, she had reportedly planned to become an accountant had football not worked out. Read More How to watch England vs Haiti: TV channel and start time for Women’s World Cup opener Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? FIFA Women’s World Cup fixtures and full schedule

You could say England rode their luck, except that’s only because it keeps going against them. It feels the fate of this entire campaign is that just as Sarina Wiegman solves one problem - in this case through the genius of Lauren James - a bigger one presents itself. The European champions, at last, looked exactly that as well as potential world champions as the England manager got her system right to secure this 1-0 win over Denmark, only to quickly lose their one irreplaceable player. It had such a huge effect, not least on poor Keira Walsh herself. Wiegman and the rest of England will now wait for news of what this injury is, as she clearly motioned to her knee. Until then, the question will weigh there over whether you can win a World Cup without Walsh, Leah Williamson and Beth Mead. Wiegman at least has the burgeoning James, who gave one of those vintage landmark performances a young talent does in winning a World Cup game with a moment of brilliance. Her early goal was sumptuous. It is surely almost certain now to put England into the last 16, as they otherwise battled to a second successive win. That isn’t to be overlooked but it’s been a grind so far. The other side to that is that this can be good for campaigns. It’s how Spain, as an example, got through the men’s World Cup in 2010. There can be that sense of a side just learning to graft through, to answer questions. The main issue, though, is that Wiegman possibly faces the biggest question of all. How many times can she keep refitting this team in the face of absences to keep it at champion level? Until there is actually confirmation of Walsh’s injury, it is almost futile to speculate, beyond the discussion of the facts. The 26-year-old immediately knew something was wrong, as she could be seen signaling that she had to come off as she motioned to her knee. It didn’t look good. The great frustration, that is almost always the case in these situations, was that it happened from something so innocuous. Walsh reached for a ball near the centre circle. That did point to one of the only weaknesses in England’s game up to that point. As against Haiti, they had been that bit looser at the back. The other frustration was that it had been the only issue with England up to then. They looked so much better than in that first match. The first 25 minutes were a hugely convincing period of football. There was obviously the benefit of finally having 90 minutes of competitive football to hone them, something that has been a factor in a lot of this World Cup. The better squads have felt the effects of not playing proper games for two months. There was more to it than that, though. With Wiegman going for the typically innovative move of putting the Women’s Super League top scorer at left-back, and with James on the left, there was so much more balance to the side. It looked like it fit again. In her more natural position, James knew exactly where to go, what areas to create real danger in. That was illustrated within minutes, as she got the ball just outside the box and curled the most divine strike around Lene Christensen. It was no less than England deserved. The mood was right. The approach was forceful. They looked a threat in every move forward. It seemed like a statement victory - like that which Spain, Germany and Brazil have offered - could be on. The only slight concern was how those issues remained at the back. There’s just that greater laxness. It didn’t help the confidence around this that Rikke Marie Madsen almost scored with Denmark’s first meaningful attack. The turn to create the chance was admittedly supreme, and it required something so mercurial to make it happen. It was more how fragile the lead seemed, as against Haiti. The mood soon changed entirely, as Walsh went down. It became a different game. Denmark sensed some opportunity. England just sought to get through it. This was entirely understandable. They’d lost their one tactically essentially player and felt her anguish. They’d lost their system. It asked a lot of the players. By the end, they were trudging through, Denmark doing all the running. One overlap produced the cross that almost undermined all of England’s efforts. The ball was flighted so invitingly for Amalie Vangsgaard, whose header bounced off the other side of the post. It was a let-off. It was also another test passed, if just about. It could be said England were lucky. The squad might point to everything else happening around them. They can also, almost certainly, point to a last-16 place top of the group. Read More England vs Denmark LIVE: Women’s World Cup latest score as Lauren James curls in Lionesses opener BBC pundit slams Women’s World Cup pitches after Keira Walsh injury – ‘It’s not good enough’ England lose the one player who is impossible to replace England manager Sarina Wiegman reacts to ‘serious’ Keira Walsh injury Why Keira Walsh is irreplaceable for England Bethany England: The Lionesses’ overlooked attacking threat in profile