Not since the European Championship in 2022 – where Alessia Russo, Ella Toone and Kelly shone – has the team had a consistently impactful bench
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There are a lot of reasons why England won the European Championship back in 2022. Mary Earps' solidity behind a defence that protected her brilliantly, Keira Walsh's other-worldly displays in midfield and form that put Beth Mead in the Ballon d'Or conversation are just a few of those. But, amid it all, Sarina Wiegman's management always stood out, particularly when it came to her substitutions.
So many big goals in that tournament were scored by players that came off the Lionesses' bench. When England finally broke the deadlock in the quarter-final win over Spain, it was one substitute assisting another, as Alessia Russo's header was knocked down for Ella Toone to finish; Russo was the player who put the finishing touches on the semi-final win over Sweden, with a stunningly memorable backheel; while both goals in the final were from subs, with Toone again opening the scoring before Chloe Kelly scored iconic winner in extra-time.
Since that magical summer, though, Wiegman has struggled to find players to replace the likes of Russo, Toone and Kelly as they've been absorbed into the starting XI on a regular basis. Indeed, a 21-game stretch that stopped thanks to April's 5-0 win over Belgium saw England's subs contribute just two goals and one assist, only one of which was result-altering. For a long time, when things haven't been going to plan for the Lionesses, the bench hasn't done much to change that.
That is until recently. England's last five games have offered a glimmer of hope that this is changing, with five goals scored by subs in that time, though that none of those have helped to change a result for the better for the Lionesses is a reminder that there is still work to be done to make the bench as valuable an asset as it was three years ago.
So, as Wiegman's side prepare to begin their European title defence, who are the players who could be the Russos, the Toones and the Kellys of 2025? GOAL looks at those with the potential to be the game-changers in Switzerland…
Getty Images SportAggie Beever-Jones
Until Aggie Beever-Jones scored her first senior international goal in England's 5-0 win over Belgium in April, a substitute had not scored for the Lionesses since December 2023. There was a gap of almost 16 months between Toone's winner against the Netherlands at Wembley and Beever-Jones' strike to make it 3-0 in Bristol.
But if anyone is primed to be a 'super-sub' in Switzerland, it has to be Beever-Jones. The Chelsea star would be in with a shout of starting for her country if Russo wasn't so secure in her No.9 role, with the Chelsea star's Wembley hat-trick against Portugal in May great evidence of her continued maturation and development as a young talent.
Working especially in Beever-Jones' favour is how much of an impact she has made from the bench for the Blues at club level, with her run of four substitute appearances with a goal during the 2023-24 season helping to build her case for a first England call-up. She's well-established in the set-up now and her work rate, versatility and growing awareness in the penalty area are all traits that Wiegman should be looking to maximise from the bench.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportMichelle Agyemang
Scorer of another of those five goals by subs for England this year, Michelle Agyemang's incredible strike just 41 seconds into her Lionesses debut was the start of her late and surprising charge to be included in this summer's squad. The teenager was only called into camp because of an injury to Russo, but she took her chance with both hands, beautifully controlling the ball on her thigh before volleying it into the top corner for a late goal in England's 3-2 defeat to Belgium.
It was an incredible way for Agyemang to announce herself to a national audience, and she will hope she gets the opportunity to do so on a continental basis this month, having been selected to be part of the senior squad as opposed to turning out for the Under-19s in their Euros campaign in June.
The 19-year-old would've been a key player in that tournament and played a lot of minutes to benefit her development, so that Wiegman has opted to bring her into the seniors' plans for the summer instead surely suggests she plans to use Agyemang. Having watched what she did on her debut, you can't blame her; the Arsenal youngster is different to everything else in this squad and she can cause any opponent problems.
Getty ImagesJess Park
It's probably naive to read too much into the England squad numbers, which have Ella Toone down as the No.10 for this summer. However, it does feel like the ball is in the Manchester United star's court when it comes to securing the creative midfield spot in the Lionesses' XI, with her two-goal performance against Jamaica on Sunday only making it more likely than she starts there against France in this weekend's Euros opener.
That would leave Jess Park on the bench, despite her starting England's final two Nations League outings at the end of the 2024-25 season. Again, it might not be that way, but it would allow Wiegman to start the game with plenty of experience in the middle of the park before introducing a lively, hungry replacement like Park later on. The 23-year-old is tenacious, is willing to run at defenders and can be deadly either with her creativity or her ability to find the back of the net. Those are qualities that should make her a great super-sub.
That said, the starting No.10 role feels well up for grabs, too, and if Park can perform from the bench, Wiegman may well reward her with a place in the line-up as the tournament goes.
Getty ImagesGrace Clinton
While Grace Clinton will certainly hope that she, too, can push to start in the No.10 role for England this summer, it may be wisest for Wiegman to instead use her in a role that allows Georgia Stanway some respite in the box-to-box midfield position. The Bayern Munich midfielder only returned from knee surgery in late May and has limited minutes under her belt as the Euros get under way, meaning it would be a risk to suddenly put her through 90 minutes every four days.
As such, having Clinton on the bench to replace Stanway at a timely interval would be smart, especially given how well the Manchester United star performed in that role while her team-mate was unavailable through injury. In fact, it wouldn't be a surprise if Wiegman trusted Clinton to start in the No.8 in this tournament at some point, in order to protect Stanway and keep the midfield fresh, with both capable of making their mark in Switzerland.