England should be thanking its lucky stars, as Lauren James could be back for the World Cup final should her side get that far.
The Chelsea star was given a two-game suspension by FIFA after stomping on Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie in the round of 16. England hung on with 10 players, and would eventually go through on penalty kicks after a scoreless 120 minutes.
That very conveniently opens the door for James — arguably England’s most important player at this World Cup — to return for the tournament’s final or third-place game should England get past a quarterfinal clash with Colombia. James will be ineligible for that match, as well as a potential semifinal against Australia or France.
The length of James’s suspension is, shall we say, convenient. England will certainly breathe a sigh of relief, as offenses like hers have generally been punished more harshly in the past. It’s also hard to square the fact that a potentially dangerous action like stepping down on another player’s lower back only results in one more game than, for example, collecting two bookings for time-wasting.
England adjustments incoming
James’ importance for the Lionesses cannot be overstated.
As a team, England has scored just seven goals. The 21-year-old has played a direct role in six of them, divided evenly between goals and assists (not to mention a potential fourth against China that was called back by VAR for offside). James’ ability to turn low-quality looks into goals has covered for an attack that has struggled to carve out the volume or quality of chances that many expected out of the European champions.
With James, England were lucky to scrape by against Nigeria, who hit the crossbar twice before the red card. Manager Sarina Wiegman had moved James into an attacking midfield role, effectively building a 3-4-1-2 formation around the London native after previously stationing her on the wing.
The most likely fix is to return to the 4-3-3 used to start the tournament, with Chloe Kelly coming in on the right where James had been playing before the move to a back three. However, Wiegman could also bring Alex Greenwood in at left back and move 2022-23 WSL Golden Boot winner Rachel Daly up to the front line.
England may not be firing on all cylinders, but a collective defensive performance has seen Mary Earps beaten just once in four matches (and that was on a penalty kick). It may not be thrilling, but England is strong enough at the back to possibly survive until James returns.
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