How England should line up for crucial Euro 2025 clash vs Netherlands: Beth Mead must be sacrificed to facilitate Lionesses' formation change

The 2022 winners would be the first holders in European Championship history to crash out in the group stage if they lose to the Dutch on Wednesday

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  GK: Hannah Hampton

  Whatever changes Wiegman makes, there will not be one in between the sticks. Hampton remains England's only capped goalkeeper and she did little wrong on Saturday to shake the faith in her.

  Yes, there was a heart-in-mouth moment when the Chelsea shot-stopper spilled an effort from Grace Geyoro and it nearly trickled in, but she was otherwise blameless in a poor team performance.

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  CB: Jess Carter

  Despite the formation helping England to reach the 2023 Women's World Cup final, Wiegman has only deployed her team in a 3-5-2 set-up once since September of that year, in a friendly against Switzerland at the end of 2024. It was a very experimental line-up that night in Sheffield, with debuts handed out to Ruby Mace and Laura Blindkilde Brown, but it still felt significant that Wiegman chose to change to a shape she seemed to have completely discarded as an option.

  Given what England endured on Saturday, could Wiegman be tempted to bring that system back? For several reasons, it would certainly make sense to throw in such a curveball, though one of the biggest is because it would improve the situation at left-back. Carter has been playing well there in recent games, but was exposed dramatically on Saturday, and she's much better in her natural centre-back role. Her performances at the World Cup showed how much the back three suits her, too.

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  CB: Leah Williamson

  As one of the best ball-playing defenders in this England team, Williamson would make sense as the central figure in a back three.

  It does stop the captain from being able to drive out and break lines with her passes as she is so good at, which is perhaps a reason to argue for her to play on the right instead, but she has ability to adapt and still be influential in possession here, while also being a reliable last line of defence.

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  CB: Alex Greenwood

  Like Carter, Greenwood thrived in a back three at the World Cup two years ago, and can do so again if Wiegman switches to that shape in Switzerland.

  She'd be able to step forward more to influence the attack with her excellent passing and even get up the pitch to support the wing-back regularly, something she's particularly good at given her history as an orthodox full-back.

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  RWB: Lucy Bronze

  Also capable of playing in the back three if desired, Bronze fits the wing-back role nicely with her excellent work rate and ability to be effective in attack. She's played there this season with Chelsea and she's also thrived in the position with England in the past.

  The veteran didn't start Euro 2025 with a great performance, but she's more than good enough to recover from that and help lead this team to a bounce-back display.

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  CM: Keira Walsh

  One of the arguments against the 3-5-2 shape is that, when England played in it at the 2023 World Cup, it didn't seem to bring the best out of Walsh. The Chelsea midfielder excels at the base of midfield in a 4-3-3 set-up, but when playing more alongside Georgia Stanway, she didn't quite stand-out and was unable to make her mark on games in the same way.

  However, we're talking about a world-class player here, someone who made a significant impact at Barcelona, arguably the best team in the world, and someone who you would certainly back to adapt and thrive in whatever system she's in.

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  CM: Georgia Stanway

  While all of the back three were excellent, there's a case to be made that Stanway was England's best player at the last World Cup. She was superb in both formations used and has so many qualities which suit her to the 3-5-2 shape in particular, with a fantastic engine, admirable tenacity and an ability to make an impact on both sides of the ball.

  The Bayern Munich midfielder didn't play well against France and it's unclear where her fitness is at in regards to being able to play so many games in quick succession, with her having missed the first six months of the year and only played 90 minutes once in 2025. However, with Grace Clinton ready to come off the bench where necessary, Stanway should be starting this high stakes outing.

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  CM: Lauren James

  James' performance was one of the only positives about England's defeat to France, with the 23-year-old proving to be a wonderfully creative spark on her first start since picking up a hamstring issue in early April. That she was deployed in the No.10 role was something of a surprise, mainly because it removed a genuine midfielder from the middle of the park in a game that was always going to be a real physical battle, especially in that area. As it transpired, it was an error in judgement from Wiegman, with the Lionesses never able to get a grip on the game as they were overrun by France's midfield.

  However, in a 3-5-2 system, that's not a problem. The middle of the park is well-supported by the defensive shape and it is in this formation that James can really enjoy some freedom. It was in those circumstances that the Chelsea star really took the World Cup by storm two years ago and she'll hope to reproduce that level on Wednesday as England look for an inspired performance.

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  LWB: Niamh Charles

  Charles has struggled for form this past year. She's not a natural left-back, which is part of the reason for that, and Sandy Baltimore, her Chelsea team-mate, thrived in that role during her first season at the club, leaving Charles on the bench for spells. However, when the Blues changed to a back three towards the end of the 2024-25 campaign, the England international was deployed as a wing-back and it proved to be a role that suited her strengths much more.

  Naturally a winger or a No.10, it allowed Charles to be an asset in the final third while not being exposed defensively. She was able to showcase her excellent crossing ability, great athleticism and good decision-making in crucial areas - qualities she could express with the knowledge that there was ample protection behind her if the opponent regained possession and countered.

  That, married with the evidence that both Carter and Charles have struggled to really impress against top opposition in an orthodox full-back role, means it would make total sense for Wiegman to change shape to mask this huge issue.

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  ST: Alessia Russo

  Russo has taken big steps forward as a No.9 in recent years, with this past season in particular a real highlight. However, she can still be isolated in that position at times, with her lack of service against France evidence of that.

  When she plays in a front two, that's not as much of an issue. It was no coincidence that England looked much more threatening when Wiegman reverted to that in the latter stages of that defeat and, while that was somewhat down to Michelle Agyemang's impact from the bench as that second striker, it is something that helps bring more out of Russo in general and would help her make more of an impact.

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  ST: Lauren Hemp

  Despite the mark Agyemang made alongside Russo, it would be something of a surprise if Wiegman started the teenager against the Netherlands. She's only got two caps to her name to date, both from the bench, and there is use in having her come on as a substitute to make an impact, too. Plus, Hemp has shown regularly in the past that she can be effective as a striker for England, both as a lone No.9 and as part of a front two.

  The Manchester City star partnered Russo effectively at the World Cup and she can use her pace and directness to trouble the Netherlands' defence, especially if Veerle Buurman is missing. The young Chelsea defender was withdrawn late on in the Oranje's win over Wales with a potential injury and her absence would remove some of the speed in their back line.