Advantage Mary Earps! Winners and losers from the Lionesses’ October camp as England’s goalkeeper battle takes another twist

When Leah Williamson struck home after just 12 minutes against South Africa, the relief was palpable in her celebration. Four days prior, the England captain had endured a really tough outing against Germany, making a big mistake in the build-up to their opening goal and generally looking shaky from there on out. It was a performance that continued the difficult form she’s been showing at Arsenal through the first few weeks of this season and so, when she marked her 50th cap with a goal on Tuesday, it felt like the confidence boost she needed.

Sadly though, those errors would creep back in before the day was out. It was Williamson’s pass that allowed South Africa in for their goal in Coventry, that one of several mistakes made in the game, but fortunately for her, the only one that was punished.

It’s understandable that Williamson finds herself in this difficult spot. After all, she only returned from her ACL injury in January and has just had her first pre-season campaign since that devastating setback. It’ll take time for her to get back to her best. Throw in that the England defence as a whole looked poor, and the upheaval at club level after Jonas Eidevall’s departure, and there are also factors out of her control that will not help.

Whether Wiegman should have started her in both of these games is one question, though sometimes it’s best just to try and work through these moments, especially in games where the results are not a priority. Hopefully, it’s just a matter of time until Williamson is approaching her top level again.

Things have been tough for Chloe Kelly at club level over the last few months. The winger dropped out of Manchester City’s XI towards the end of last season and is still working at regaining that spot in the new campaign, with game time at a premium under a coach, in Gareth Taylor, who doesn’t make a lot of substitutions. Given she is in the final year of her contract while all of this is going on, it’s unsurprising that speculation continues to swirl around her future, too.

This international window will have been a welcome break from all of that, then – not least because Kelly got a good run out off the bench against Germany and a first start, for club or country, since May in the clash with South Africa. That second game was particularly positive for the winger, who delivered a strong performance which she was so close to capping with a goal, only to see a fierce strike from range cannon off the crossbar.

This is a week that will certainly be good for Kelly’s confidence and, if she is called upon by City in the coming weeks, her sharpness. Amid a lack of club minutes, it’ll build her credit with England too, with her proving that she’s able to shake off any rust with relative ease.

Wiegman used all-but-four members of her squad in this international window, with the lack of action for uncapped goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse, the similarly inexperienced defender Lucy Parker and Lotte Wubben-Moy, who had a setback in her return to play protocol, somewhat understandable. The absence of Aggie Beever-Jones, though, was a surprise.

The 21-year-old has been excellent since breaking through at Chelsea last season, earning herself an England debut in the summer. Capable of playing out wide or as a No.9, and both very effectively, it feels like she can be a very useful member of the Lionesses’ team, not least because of the lack of depth at centre-forward.

However, Beever-Jones didn’t see a single minute of game time across these two matches. Instead, after Alessia Russo started against Germany, it was Jessica Naz – predominantly a winger – who led the line against South Africa. The Tottenham forward was good too, showing great energy with her pressing and her runs in behind, while her composure to tee up Williamson for the opener was impressive.

It feels like there is an opening in the England squad to provide the depth at centre-forward behind Russo, to be the impact sub who replaces her in a tournament like Euro 2025. Through the first few weeks of the season, Beever-Jones’ form has suggested she could earn that spot. That she didn’t get the chance to impress in an England shirt this week then, while Naz took her opportunity well, will have been a blow.

There were not too many non-regular starters who staked a claim for a place in Wiegman’s best XI this past week, but Grace Clinton was absolutely one of them. Given her electric Women’s Super League form, which has seen her score three times in her first four appearances for Manchester United, many expected the midfielder to start against Germany. However, she only had to wait a few days to get over the disappointment of not getting on at Wembley, shining against South Africa on Tuesday instead.

Everything that England did well, Clinton was involved in. Her passing was positive, she picked up good pockets of space and her header for the Lionesses’ second goal showcased good movement and aerial ability. It wasn’t just on the attack that she caught the eye either, as a fantastic last-ditch intervention prevented Hildah Magaia from scoring a first-half equaliser.

While Keira Walsh and Georgia Stanway have nailed down two of the midfield spots in Wiegman’s XI, there is real open competition for the No.10 role. This past week, the coach also gave Ella Toone, Jess Park and Fran Kirby opportunities to show what they’ve got in the middle of the park – but Clinton was the best of all the players competing for that last spot.

After not getting on at Wembley on Friday, Lotte Wubben-Moy missed out on Tuesday’s clash with South Africa entirely, having suffered what England described as a ‘minor setback’ within her return to play protocol. Given centre-back isn’t Arsenal’s deepest position right now, and Williamson’s struggles, the Gunners will certainly hope she is okay.

From a Lionesses perspective, this window could have been an opportunity for Wubben-Moy, too. The defending was abysmal at times, so any involvement would have been a chance to mark herself out in the competition for places. The 25-year-old is one of those on the fringes of Wiegman’s XI and she’ll now have to wait until November to try and improve that status.

Niamh Charles wasn’t in the England squad this month, ruled out of contention due to a dislocated shoulder which required surgery back in September. The Chelsea star is Wiegman’s go-to left-back at the moment, having emerged as the best option for a problem position in recent months. As a right-footer who started out as a forward, she’s not perfect for it, but it’s a role she plays at club level and so one she has little problem playing for England. Based on the past week, it’s a role she’ll continue to play for the Lionesses for the foreseeable, too. That’s because, in these two games, no one else really took to the position as well as Charles does.

Against Germany, Jess Carter started at left-back for the first time since July, when she also filled the position of need for England. That lack of recent action in the role showed, with the natural centre-back caught out numerous times by an incisive opponent. “Germany’s movement today was excellent and that was what was causing us a lot of issues,” she admitted. “They were kind of dragging us.”

In the clash with South Africa, it was Esme Morgan who got a go, starting at left-back for the first time since doing so for Manchester City back in May 2023. Again, a lack of sharpness in the role showed, with her also guilty of some sloppy moments in possession. Maya Le Tissier was actually the player who impressed the most in the left-back position this past week, but it’s hard to read too much into that given she only played half an hour there in the middle of a match.

With no natural left-back in Wiegman’s squad, it’s clear that recent practice in the role is important for any player who is asked to step in and play there. In that sense, it’s hard to see anyone really taking Charles’ spot in the England XI if she continues to be a regular starter for Chelsea upon her return from injury.