Who should be the Lionesses' No.10? Solving midfield conundrum should be a priority for England & Sarina Wiegman

Most of the time, Wiegman's starting line-ups have been relatively easy to predict. While that has resulted in some criticism, it is an approach that has ensured familiarity for players in the XI, allowed on-pitch relationships to blossom and, above all, yielded results.

For the first year under Wiegman, which included the Euros triumph in 2022, it was Kirby in the No.10 role and Toone as her regular replacement from the bench. With Kirby struggling for fitness after that tournament, Toone became Wiegman's go-to in the build-up to the World Cup, and she got the nod in five of the Lionesses' seven games in Australia as they reached the final.

The two other teams Wiegman named in that tournament lined up in a 3-5-2 formation, and it was James who was granted the free role in midfield, one she ran riot in against China before a red card in the last-16 clash with Nigeria paved the way for Toone's return.

That formation change messed with England's consistency for a while. Wiegman flip-flopped between it and her more common 4-3-3 during the Lionesses' UEFA Women's Nations League campaign, with that at least one reason for the disappointing performances throughout the competition.

She also regularly changed the player in the No.10 role, with Kirby, Toone and James all getting chances to start there. However, bar Kirby's impressive performance in the last of those six matches, a 6-0 win over Scotland, no one really stole the show or laid down a marker to be the Lionesses' first-choice playmaker.

Now, there are two new faces competing for that position. Park's England debut came in late 2022, but it's in recent months that she has really hit levels that make her a contender to start on a regular basis for her country. Her form for Manchester City has been seriously impressive and, in truth, the energy she brings to the midfield was what the Lionesses were missing on Friday against Sweden.

However, it was another youngster who started alongside Keira Walsh and Georgia Stanway in the middle of the park at Wembley, that being Clinton. The 21-year-old is thriving on loan at Tottenham from Manchester United, and her form was rewarded in February with two starts as England faced Austria and Italy in friendlies.

Despite those being her first senior appearances for her country, Clinton shone, and it was little surprise to see her in Wiegman's line-up on Friday, even if she didn't produce a performance of similar electricity.

Most managers would love to have this problem. Here are five excellent footballers for Wiegman to choose from, all with different strengths and profiles. It's not particularly clear who of them is closest to taking control of the battle to be England's No.10, either.

Though Kirby has long been first-choice and has often justified her status, England have never got the best out of her massive talent - during and before Wiegman's tenure. At Chelsea, she is granted a free role and that maximises her skillset. With the Lionesses, she feels like a round peg placed in a square hole, though her natural ability means the chance of her being able to impact a game is always high.

Part of that is the difference between international football and club football. The international game is often more disciplined, owing to fewer matches and the requirements of tournament football. That means these free spirits can sometimes be a little caged, for the good of the team.

You could say similar of James, though probably to a lesser extent. She has shone as an attacking midfielder in this England team, but has openly stated that she prefers to play out wide, a position she's also done well in for her country. James is an option as a No.10, and a tantalising one at that, but given the sheer quantity of playmakers Wiegman has included in recent squads, it does feel like she is starting to see the Chelsea star more as a winger.

Then there are Toone, Clinton and Park, who all fit the demands of the attacking midfield role with the Lionesses a little bit better. Toone has had really good spells for England, especially as a super-sub throughout 2022, and she's had lulls. After a difficult 2023, her recent form for club and country has been much brighter and it keeps her well in the hunt to be a regular for Wiegman. Her understanding with Alessia Russo, England's No.9, certainly works in her favour, too.

Clinton and Park, meanwhile, have been playing at a level for their clubs that has made them serious contenders regardless of their relative inexperience on the international stage. Despite Clinton's run of three straight starts, though, Wiegman tends to be patient with young players, a stance she reiterated just this week. "We always want to go quick and want young players to improve right now, but players need time," she said on Monday. "We see that with several players. They need time to develop. It goes a little bit down and then upwards again. Some go a little bit quicker, a little bit slower. Some go really quick and then slow down a little bit."

While the array of options makes rotating in this position an attractive proposition, Wiegman has been doing that since the World Cup and, bar Clinton's top performances in two friendly wins, it's not really produced any stand-out displays from those involved.

As such, it feels like England would really benefit from having a regular starter in the midfield alongside Walsh and Stanway, who are essentially ever-present for their country. It'd give the trio a chance to work on their relationships in midfield and the No.10 the opportunity to build an understanding with the front three.

That's not to say rotation shouldn't be an option, especially given the increased demands of the women's football calendar, and there is also a role as a super-sub up for grabs there, something England have really lacked since Euro 2022. But a little more consistency would certainly benefit the Lionesses.

Though this is the kind of selection headache that a manager would describe as a good problem to have, it is also a slight issue. Having four genuine attacking midfielders in a squad is great, but for a player to be fourth in the pecking order for one position isn't, especially if that player is to gain experience at the top level and be ready to be called upon in big moments.

Wiegman needs to figure out who her starting No.10 is and who her impact sub in that position is, but she also needs to find purpose for all of the players in contention for that role, even if it is somewhere else.

Recent changes to the calendar do not help her in this sense, as the new Nations League competition and tweaks to major tournament qualifying mean fewer friendlies and games against lower-ranked opposition, where experimenting is relatively risk-free. But she'll have to find a way to understand it all, as not only could England use a bit of a spark in midfield, there is also no point only using two or three members of this wonderfully talented quintet, not if the Lionesses want to retain their European title.