England's first camp since their second successive European Championship triumph was certainly a little up and down. Marred by injuries going into the window, with there already three notable absentees before Sarina Wiegman's squad was announced and four withdrawals after it was revealed, the Lionesses then suffered a 2-1 defeat to Brazil in their first game post-Euros, despite playing for over an hour against 10 players, but were able to bounce back on Tuesday against Australia, who also had a player sent off very early on in a rather strange couple of games.
Wiegman would've certainly preferred to have played both of these matches, two of four friendlies England have before being thrown into World Cup qualifiers in the New Year, in an 11v11 format, but that the Lionesses had a numerical advantage in each game for a similar amount of time did at least present a good comparison point. After all, the European champions struggled to carve out chances in that situation against Brazil, despite there also being greater urgency to do so given they were already 2-0 down, but took to the task much more effectively when facing Australia, able to score twice before the end of the first half in a 3-0 win.
Despite choosing a starting line-up with a much more familiar feel in that first game, featuring six starters from the Euro 2025 final and two of England's most regular subs, Wiegman was able to get through a decent amount of experimentation in this camp in the end, too. Three debuts were dished out, all in positions that – for differing reasons – needed those opportunities to be given, and three more players with their caps still in single digits got on the pitch as well.
There were negatives, of course. Such a flurry of injuries, before and during, was never ideal, while the defeat to Brazil did raise concerns. However, Wiegman's immediate reflections on the camp were extremely upbeat. "I really enjoyed this camp," she said on Tuesday. "Everyone was very excited to come back and start a new cycle, but at the same time, celebrate the homecoming and get connected with the fans. We're getting ready for World Cup qualifiers and you want to use these games in the best possible way. We had to adapt many times because we had some injuries before camp, some extra injuries [during]. But, of course, we have a big group, so then other players get opportunities, which is really good for those players and for us, it's good that we can see so many players and try out different things."
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from England's first camp since their Euro 2025 triumph…
Getty ImagesWINNER: Khiara Keating
With neither Khiara Keating or Anna Moorhouse having a cap to their name, it had been difficult to gauge just who was second in the pecking order to Hannah Hampton in the England goalkeeper department since Mary Earps' shock retirement before Euro 2025. This camp, though, gave everyone on the outside the clearest indication yet of what that looks like, as Keating stepped forward to make her senior international debut.
A talented 21-year-old with plenty of raw ability that still needs a bit of polish, Keating is a really exciting prospect for the future, particularly because of the extremely modern style of goalkeeper she has been moulded into by the Manchester City youth set-up. There are still errors in her game, which is no surprise given the way she plays, but Wiegman's decision to give her that first cap – at the Etihad Stadium, of all places – was a clear show of faith in the youngster.
"She is a very talented player and has been with us a while," the England boss said on Saturday, reflecting on how Keating fared in the 2-1 defeat to Brazil. "It was a hard start to the game but I think she dealt really well with it. She didn't get many actions in the second half but it's even harder for a goalkeeper to be there at the moments when she's needed, so that was good. She stayed calm and played out [from the back] when the opportunities were there. I think we can be happy with her debut."
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWINNER: Maya Le Tissier
With 63 minutes gone in this international window, Maya Le Tissier felt quite far away from emerging as a proverbial winner from the England camp. After plenty of debate over her position in the build-up to these games, related to Wiegman seeing the Manchester United captain as a right-back despite her playing consistently well as a centre-back over the last three years, Le Tissier started England's first game against Brazil on the right and did not look a good fit.
While Lucy Bronze, who started that game on the bench as she continues her return to full fitness after injury, is often brilliant at getting extremely high up the pitch and then using her athleticism to track back quickly and effectively, Le Tissier wasn't able to do so in quite the same way, leaving Jess Carter, the right-sided centre-back, very exposed for both of Brazil's goals, which saw them take advantage of the acres of space left on that flank.
However, Bronze entered that game just past the hour and Le Tissier was able to move centrally, where she was much better. Then, in the win over Australia on Tuesday, the 23-year-old actually started as a centre-back and showed everyone just why that is her best position. Having not had much opportunity to play in that role in an England shirt, to get a full game and a good chunk of another there was a real positive for Le Tissier. Does it change how Wiegman sees her? We'll find out in due course.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Michelle Agyemang
By far and away the most disappointing thing to come out of this England camp was the worrying knee injury sustained by Michelle Agyemang in the latter stages of the Australia game. The 19-year-old has been the story of the year for the Lionesses, scoring 41 seconds into her senior international debut back in April to thrust herself right into Wiegman's thinking and secure a surprise spot in the Euro 2025 squad. She made the most of her opportunity, too, scoring crucial goals in the quarter-finals and semi-finals as England retained their European title. Now, though, there's a real chance she is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
It was an innocuous one, an off the ball movement that led to Agyemang laid on the floor in real agony and quickly had everyone in the stadium fearing for the worst as she was stretchered off in the second half. "It was an awful moment," Wiegman said after the game, her body language and demeanour matching the tone. "It doesn't look good. We don't know [the extent] yet but I'm not very positive about what I've seen."
It would be a devastating thing for Agyemang to be out for a significant period given how productive and incredible her past six months have been. The 19-year-old has been continuing her development with another good loan spell at Brighton, too, but the concern is that she will now have to focus her attention on a totally different, and incredibly difficult, challenge.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Lucia Kendall
Asked about finding the balance with her experimentation in these friendlies after the Brazil game, Wiegman said something to suggest that, while she would make changes against Australia, it may be unlikely to see much of any of the newest faces on camp. "We brought players into the squad that are in our environment for the first time," she noted. "So let's see how they adapt to the situation." However, the star of the show on Tuesday night was a player who was making her debut, one who was in the Lionesses' squad for the very first time: Lucia Kendall.
Completing 50 of her 51 attempted passes, including five key passes, one of the most impressive things about Kendall's first outing as a senior England player was the confidence she exuded, which led to her demanding the ball constantly, with there no sign that she was overwhelmed by the occasion. Her comments to after the game reinforced that idea. "I felt at home," the 21-year-old said.
It's an interesting development when it comes to England's squad depth. The Lionesses have long lacked options in the deeper midfield roles, with there little in the way of cover behind Keira Walsh and Georgia Stanway. However, Kendall's excellent debut in Stanway's No.8 role shows she could help provide a solution moving forward.
