Women’s Euro 2022 team guide No 2: England

This article is part of the Guardian’s Women’s Euro 2022 Experts Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 16 countries who have qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 6 July.

As Euro 2022 hosts England qualified automatically but there should be few doubts about their playing credentials. After reaching the semi-finals of the last three major tournaments under Mark Sampson and Phil Neville, the Lionesses appear to have hit new heights, taking their game to a different level under the guidance of the former Netherlands manager Sarina Wiegman.

As the former England forward and Guardian columnist Karen Carney says: “There’s something different about this team now. They’ve got a little bit of class. This is such a promising period for England. The manager really is top drawer.”

Like Neville, Wiegman likes to play out from the back but, less dogmatic, she is unafraid to confuse opponents by varying her tactical approach and has added attacking incision and defensive discipline to a now altogether more ruthless first XI. With some once key stalwarts nearing the end of their careers there has been been an infusion of new blood and a fresh captain in Arsenal’s Leah Williamson.

With Williamson, naturally a centre half, likely to be deployed in midfield, Wiegman’s central defensive axis of Millie Bright and Alex Greenwood looks key. Even so, she will continue to rely heavily on Ellen White’s goals and could do with Lauren Hemp and Fran Kirby (if fit), two world class attacking talents, being at their very best in a tournament featuring some formidable looking opponents.

Undaunted by the threat from, among others,