How do you beat the USWNT at a World Cup & are they afraid of England? Lionesses legend Rachel Yankey lifts the lid

Quizzed on whether England are, player for player, a match for any other team in the tournament at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, Yankey – speaking in association with Freebets Football – told GOAL: “Great question. I think it’s a good squad. Obviously if there weren’t injuries, it would probably be a different squad. I suppose throughout the three group games, we’ll see. I think the attack looks stronger than our defence – our defence is relatively unknown. You need time to form partnerships and obviously with players being injured and being out, that hasn’t been the case, but there is no reason why they can’t really go on and be strong. I think there will be more tinkering with this squad and group and the XI that starts than there was in the Euros.”

Pressed on whether there are any chinks in the American armour that could be exposed by the likes of England – with any side harbouring ambitions of going all the way likely to have go through the USWNT at some stage - Yankey said: “Yeah. Again, I think their defence. I don’t think they have got the strongest defence that they could have had. I always think that the way English teams play, you always have a chance of beating the USA. Even teams that I played for, and knowing a few of the U.S. National Team when we were playing, they always had a fear against the English – in terms of how we play football. It was more back then the mentality of did we really believe that we were good enough?”

Ted Lasso, the star of the hit Apple TV+ show, was big on the power of belief at AFC Richmond and Yankey feels that quality could serve England well on the back of their recent successes. She added: “I think this squad, because they have won the Euros, actually will go into this World Cup believing that they are good enough, and that’s powerful. I wouldn’t be fearful of playing the U.S. Sometimes it’s easier to play the bigger nations. I know it’s a more difficult game, but you’re not playing against that underdog – not to say that there is complacency, but you have got to up your standard, you know that when you come across a team like Spain, like USA, France, Germany, you have got to be at your best because at any time they could beat you. I think this England team will be able to look back at their experiences from the Euros and that will put them in a really good place.”

England now know what it takes to win a major tournament, while coach Wiegman boasts two continental triumphs to her name. Yankey said when asked if that winning mentality is what separates the class of 2023 from the Lionesses of years gone by, with there a belief now that they can beat anybody: “100 per cent. That’s why, for me, players like Lucy Bronze, you need players like that – that never say die and always pushing on for the next thing. OK, she hasn’t got the captain’s armband, but she is definitely a leader in that team. You need your team to be strong off the pitch. In tournament football it’s about being close, having each other’s back, and it seems like they have that. Draw on the experiences from the Euros, you believe in the manager. When you are maybe questioning if that’s the right thing, well she has been there, done it and won the Euros twice. That gives you a bit more faith to listen to the words and to go out for the tactics and what you want to do.”

Wiegman and Co are in the process of drawing up plans that they hope will take England all the way. They boast youth and energy aplenty within a star-studded squad, and that should serve them well when facing the likes of America. Yankey said when asked if front foot football is the way to get at rivals for the ultimate prize: “I would say so. I think one of our biggest strengths is our attacking – whether it is the attackers that start or those that come off the bench, we have got real strength in depth there and players that can produce moments that win you games. We saw how well players like Ella Toone played in the Euros – she didn’t start every game, but she grew into that and grew into the player that she has become. Look at Georgia Stanway – there were moments, particularly in the Spain game, where she drove that team. You look at players like Jordan Nobbs that have missed out on previous tournaments and have the hunger to want to go and be involved, believe that she should be a starter. You get given an opportunity and they will want to take it. You get players like Lauren James – her technical ability is fantastic, she has got an eye for a pass, and it’s about getting her the ball.”

Yankey, who earned 129 caps in her playing days and also represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics, added on what England need to do in order to put themselves in contention for a first World Cup trophy: “You just need to get off to a confident start. You need people to be scoring, that breeds confidence in the team. What you don’t want is people not scoring and no goals, or not creating. If you aren’t creating anything, then that leads to questions within the team. Once you play against the better teams, you up your standard. I don’t fear anything or anyone for them.”