FEAR FACTOR

“Keira is OK. We know as not an ACL. We cannot give you anymore information. We have a strong enough team. Every game we want to be at our best. We will find solutions.”

ON MAKING MOST OF POSSESSION

“We had moments in both games where we played really well and moments where we lost the ball too much. We want to keep the passing game in a good place and try to create chances to score goals. That’s the main thing – to keep control of the game as much as possible.”

ON CHINA

“I think it’s a different team than it was two years ago [when Wiegman faced them as manager of the Netherlands]. It’s a different team, a different coach. They can play a direct style of play. I think they are very well-organised.”

Denmark outfit. Results matter more than goals scored but should this group somehow come down to goal difference, England could find themselves in a muddle.

And if in later stages of the tournament down in Australia and New Zealand they need penalties or a late score, their ability so far to convert chances into goals won’t offer too much confidence.

Must Show Ruthlessness

The mood around England at the moment seems to be one of stability; they’re winning so there’s little end of days worry but they’re not winning by the margins some

That is, in part, down to the quality of the opposition; there have been two score lines of 6-0 in this competition, Norway and Germany achieved the

Potential Route To The Final

IF THEY WIN GROUP D

Last 16: Nigeria, 7 August, Brisbane

QF: 12 August, Sydney

SF: 16 August, Sydney*

F: 20 August, Sydney

IF GROUP D RUNNER-UP

Last 16: Australia, 7 August, Sydney

QF: 12 August, Brisbane

SF: 16 August, Sydney*

F: 20 August, Sydney feat, but nothing close to the 13-0 win by the eventual winners United States in 2019.

*The winners of the other semi-final, in the other half of the draw, will need to travel from Auckland to Sydney for the final.

But they’ll be conscious of showing that they can grow into the tournament, otherwise the aura they earned from winning the Euros will hold little value going forwards.

Due to the segregated draw used in this World Cup – decided due to the two co-hosts being a fair distance apart – England will not leave the eastern coast of Australia between now and any potential final, unless they get dumped out.

So it’s a combination of Brisbane and Sydney awaiting England after today’s clash in Adelaide. But before they and Sarina Wiegman even think about progressing through the knockouts, they’ve got to be ruthless today against China.

And that’s no easy feat.