England's left-back woes continue! Winners & losers as Lionesses start Euro 2025 with historic France defeat that must leave Sarina Wiegman pondering changes - with Georgia Stanway & Beth Mead not safe in XI

It always feels harsh to criticise both Carter and Niamh Charles when they don't perform well in the left-back role with England, because neither of them are left-backs. It's a position that Carter in particular never plays except for when on international duty, so it can never come as a huge surprise when she does struggle. However, she did so massively on Saturday, with Cascarino running rings around her down France's right.

It was a tough challenge. Emma Hayes, the United States women's national team head coach, has watched a lot of Cascarino this year, given she plays in the NWSL, the top-flight in the U.S, with the San Diego Wave. On punditry for ITV, she described her as "by far and away the best player in the league" in 2025. Still, it wouldn't be a shock if Carter finds herself out of the starting line-up for the next game given how difficult she found the opener, and how close the battle for that place is with Charles.

There were not many stand-out performers in this England team on Saturday, but Lauren James was certainly the most impressive starter by a long shot. And that's not just by default, either. The Chelsea star made things happen consistently in her first start since early April, and only minutes since then aside from last weekend's 30-minute cameo from the bench against Jamaica, with sharpness not lacking despite her recent absence.

It was a surprise to see her start in the No.10 role, especially in a match like this against France which might have been better-suited to a more steely midfield rather than including a free-roaming forward. But she did find a lot of space and cause Les Bleues problems in it. If she is ready to start again in just four days' time against the Netherlands, that balance is something Wiegman has to consider, with it perhaps better for the whole team if James is out wide. Still, her performance was massively encouraging, especially given England might need her at her best to get out of the group.

The wide areas are some of the most competitive in this England squad and given the lack of productivity the Lionesses got from there on Saturday, Wiegman could well opt to change personnel for the clash with the Netherlands. Lauren Hemp was by no means sensational in that France defeat, despite making a lively start, but it is Mead's place that feels slightly more up for grabs, especially given some of the poor errors in possession she made in dangerous areas.

There was no lack of effort from the Arsenal winger, who often defended better than some of England's back line, but she struggled to get into the game in attack and could've handed Les Bleues a couple of extra goals with some sloppy passing. With there questions to be asked of James' most effective place in the XI and competition from Chloe Kelly, a change on the right feels likely to be considered.

Not since April, when she scored 41 seconds into her senior international debut, have England fans seen Michelle Agyemang play for the Lionesses. In the three games that followed that defeat to Belgium, which Agyemang's superb volley couldn't prevent, Aggie Beever-Jones has been given the bulk of the opportunities in the forward areas, rather than her teenage team-mate. So, it was a slight surprise to see Agyemang called upon for the final five minutes of Saturday's game.

But she came into the game hungry to make an impact and there was no shock about the influence she did have, lining up in an improvised front two with Russo. The 19-year-old was physical, she battled well in her duels and latched onto second balls, with Hayes simply noting, on ITV, that "she brought presence" as a "different type" of No.9.

It was a long time coming for Agyemang to win that second cap, given what she did on her first. The impact she had in such a short space of time, though, should surely pave the way for Wiegman to turn to her more often as this tournament progresses.

Everything has been so positive about Stanway's return from injury over the last six weeks. Having had knee surgery right at the end of January, a procedure which ended her 2024-25 season, the midfielder got back on the pitch at the end of May, as a substitute in victory over Portugal, then impressed a few days later in a 45-minute appearance against Spain. When she marked her first 90 minutes of 2025 with a goal last weekend, in the thumping of Jamaica, she looked like the woes of this year were behind her, primed to thrive at Euro 2025.

Saturday, then, was perhaps a reminder that returns from injuries like that are never straight forward. So usually a reliable and consistent performer, one whose place in this England XI is rarely questioned when she is fit, there's certainly reason for Wiegman to consider a change in the midfield for the game against the Netherlands on Wednesday. It's still unlikely, given how rare these blips are for Stanway, but alongside Grace Clinton's lively cameo from the bench, it doesn't feel as impossible as usual to think that the Bayern Munich star could drop out of the line-up.

Perhaps the biggest winner from this on Saturday, aside from France, was the Netherlands. Andries Jonker's side overcame a tricky first half to eventually beat Wales by a comfortable 3-0 scoreline in the earlier kick-off in Group D, then will have watched on happily as Les Bleues exposed all of England's weaknesses for them to see, ahead of their meeting on Wednesday.

That game will be very different, with the strengths of France and the Netherlands having few overlaps, but the Oranje will certainly be encouraged by the sloppiness of the Lionesses' play and how vulnerable they looked defensively. Expose all of that again, and pick up a second win from two games, and the Dutch will have escaped the 'group of death' with a game to spare.