Houghton is Out

With the discussions around the England Men’s team’s performances in the National League turning toxic, in the wake of their humiliating 4-0 loss at home to Hungary this week, I have decided to turn my attention to the release of the England squad for the Women’s Euros that they are hosting in July.

I am incredibly hyped for the Euros and have tickets to many of the games, including England’s opener against Austria at Old Trafford on July 6th. As such the release of England’s is of huge interest to me.

The Goalkeepers (Mary Earps, Hannah Hampton, Ellie Roebuck) are not really surprising in any way at all.
Mary Earps has had a brilliant season for Manchester United in the WSL and was a key influence on taking their tilt at Champions League qualification right down to the final weeks of the season.
Ellie Roebuck had to contend with injury problems at the beginning of the season, but has excelled since making her return to the Manchester City team. Her contribution to the turnaround in their form cannot be understated as they ended the season like a runaway train beating their city rivals to 3rd place and Champions League qualification in the process. Roebuck would be my choice for the number 1 shirt against Austria.
Hannah Hampton is the most left-field choice of the keepers, but more than worthy of her place in the squad. Having seen her play with Birmingham City, back in 2019, her skill between the sticks is undeniable. Her move across the city to Aston Villa has seen her push on and she will be hoping to add to her 2 current international caps during the tournament.

There are very few surprises in the midfield either (Jill Scott, Fran Kirby, Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Kiera Walsh, Leah Williamson) and I’m particularly pleased to see Williamson rewarded for her excellent performances in defensive midfield for the Gunners this season. Many people will say that Jill Scott is too old for this level of the game, having now reached 35, but there is no denying that the experience she will have gained from 156 caps to her name will be crucial to the team in their difficult moments. Plus, anyone who has seen what James Milner has done since joining Liverpool will know that for the best players age really is just a number.

It is a little strange to see Fran Kirby included in the midfielders section of the squad given her searing form upfront for first Sunderland and now Chelsea. I’m sure Sarina Wiegman has included her in this section for a reason though and if Kirby does indeed play in the midfield I look forward to seeing what she can do there.

The power available to England up front is impressive, with Beth Mead (Arsenal), Bethany England (Chelsea), Alessia Russo (Man U) and Ellen White (Man City) all being potent creative forces for their clubs in domestic competitions. For England to be able to call on some of the greatest forwards at the top 4 teams in the WSL is awesome to see and will make them a force to be reckoned with during the Euros. Added to the quartet already mentioned are Nikita Parris (Arsenal), Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly (both Man City).

It is particularly gratifying to see Chloe Kelly included in the squad to top off her triumphant return from a career-threatening knee injury, sustained at the end of the 2020/21 WSL season. She missed months of the 2021/22 season but it is great to see her back now and in brilliant form. As long as the injury holds she will be tormenting opposition defences to her hearts content next month and I’m looking forward to seeing it.

Jess Park has been brilliant for Man City all season and it is a testament to the competition up-front for England that she missed out on the squad. Baring any horrendous injuries next season it will be horrendously difficult for Wiegman to leave her out of the World Cup squad next summer.

The defence is where the biggest shock is with ex-captain Steph Houghton being left out of the squad. She has been unable to play football since January due to an Achilles injury, but there had been a lot of talk that she was on a timetable to recover in time for the Euros. That she has not managed to recover in time is hugely disappointing as to have her influence in defence would have been a huge benefit for the rest of the team. Her long-time partner in central-defence, Millie Bright, has been included in the squad though so hopefully some of the experiences that the pair have shared on the pitch will bleed through to the rest of the team.

The rest of the defence contains nothing out of left field, with Alex Greenwood, Lucy Bronze, Jess Carter, Rachel Daly, Demi Stokes and Lotte Wubben-Moy all deserving of their places. If Houghton had recovered from her injury in time the choice of who to leave out so she could be included would have been a stomach-churning one for Wiegman. I have no doubt Wiegman would have made the right call if it had come to it, but perhaps she will be glad it didn’t come to that.

I want to take this opportunity to wish Steph Houghton all the best for the rest of her recovery and to wish the England Women’s team the greatest of luck for the tournament. It would be incredible for this brilliant team to win the trophy at Wembley on Sunday 31st July. Just a shame I won’t be able to see it in person, because despite getting a lot of tickets in the draw I was unable to get myself a ticket to the final.

Good luck to the England Women’s team at the Euros and I’ll be back blogging again soon.