SYDNEY : England have not dwelled on the loss of influential striker Lauren James from their World Cup quarter-final clash with Colombia on Saturday, said goalkeeper Mary Earps.A standout in the group stage, James was shown a red card in the European champions' shootout victory over Nigeria in the last-16 after a stamp to the back of Michelle Alozie.
She was suspended two games after a disciplinary review."To be honest with you, it's not something that we've really spoken a lot about, because we're so focused on the game," Earps told reporters on Friday. "Naturally, we want everybody to be available at all times.
But the situation is what it is. England coach Sarina Wiegman said they approach the 21-year-old's absence as they did that of Keira Walsh, who missed a game-and-a-half with a knee injury."We have a squad of 23...
and now we miss another player," Wiegman said. "It's just a team effort, and we support each other and we fill in places that come free."Fourth in the FIFA World Rankings ahead of the tournament, the Lionesses are one of the few leading teams remaining.