Three keys for England Women against Scotland

Four keys for Scotland Women against England

England are undoubtedly the favourites when they face Scotland in Nice on Sunday. In order to get their tournament off to a winning start against their neighbours, here are three key things that England have to do.

Dominate possession early on

Scoring an early goal is not essential for England but they will be looking to grow in confidence throughout the match by being dominant in possession. The Lionesses are at their best when they control the ball and they will look to unsettle Scotland with clinical passing before pouncing once their opponents tire of running after the ball.

Don’t panic

Being expected to win comes with plenty of expectation and this can be overwhelming but England have to be prepared. The Lionesses are now experienced enough at the highest level to know how to deal with matches of this magnitude.

However, it is important to bear in mind that Scotland are making their World Cup debut and they will go into this match feeling that they have nothing to lose. England are more than capable of using their experience, as well as their talent, to overcome a Scotland side who are not accustomed to performing on such a big stage.

Ignore warm-up defeats and remember your strengths

The Lionesses are one of the favourites to win the tournament for a reason. Their ‘Road to France’ series of warm-up matches was a 50% success with two wins against Spain and Denmark and two defeats at the hands of Canada and New Zealand. The defeats were concerning but they should not deter England too much.

Phil Neville’s side have to put the defeats to the back of their mind and focus on the World Cup.

This is where their quality will shine through and they have the chance to become the first England side to win the World Cup since 1966. They must not lose sight of this.