Georgia Stanway Calls For 'Proper England' To Step Up Against Netherlands In Euros Clash

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Georgia Stanway has called on England to back their words with action against the Netherlands to avoid an early exit from the European Championships. England suffered a 2-1 loss to France in their opening match, with goals from Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Sandy Baltimore sealing their fate. This marked the first time a reigning champion lost its opening match at a UEFA Women's EURO tournament.

The defeat to France also ended England's 14-match winning streak in group stages of major tournaments since their 2015 World Cup opener loss. Under manager Sarina Wiegman, England had previously lost only four of their first 39 competitive matches. However, they have now lost three of their last four competitive games across all competitions.

In the match against France, England failed to register a shot on target in the first half for only the third time under Wiegman. This also happened against Sweden in July 2024 and Spain during EURO 2022 quarter-finals. France dominated with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.34 from 14 shots compared to England's 0.87 from 12 attempts.

Facing the Netherlands next, England needs a positive result to avoid consecutive group stage losses for the first time since between June 2005 and August 2009. Stanway expressed determination ahead of the clash at Stadion Letzigrund, stating: "What we want going forward is to make actions and stop talking."

Stanway emphasised that it's crucial for them to focus on playing rather than talking: "It's time that we focus, and we want to put things right on the pitch in order for us to be able to talk." She stressed that actions on the field are necessary following Saturday's events.

Group D Scenarios

England is aware of Group D's permutations: losing to the Netherlands and a French victory over Wales would eliminate them from the tournament. The Opta supercomputer gives England a 50% chance of finishing in the top two and advancing, compared to the Netherlands' 58% and France's 90%.

Stanway was candid about facing potential elimination: "If we're not good enough on Wednesday then we don't deserve to continue in the tournament." She highlighted the need for bravery and ruthlessness moving forward.

The team aims to return to its traditional style of football by focusing on tough tackles and remembering their purpose. Stanway noted that sometimes it's essential to block out distractions and concentrate on playing effectively.