England vs Switzerland LIVE: Grace Clinton gives Lionesses slender win at Bramall Lane
England 1-0 Switzerland: Clinton’s strike ends Lionesses’ year on a high
England ended a ‘tough’ 2024 with a victory as they defeated Switzerland 1-0 at Bramall Lane in an international friendly.
Coming off the back of a 0-0 draw with Emma Hayes’ United States, Sarina Wiegman decided to switch things up and made 10 changes to the starting line-up and handing a debut to Laura Blindkilde Brown. Aggie Beever-Jones also made a first start for the Lionesses and was effective at the top of the pitch.
Elsewhere, Jess Park and Grace Clinton showed off their credential as they look for spots on the plane for next summer’s Euros. Park delivering a fine free kick and Clinton finishing off the move to score the only goal of the game.
In the second half, Switzerland bounced back and created plenty of chances to test Hannah Hampton in between the sticks but the goalkeeper was up to the task and kept a clean sheet. It was far from the dominant display of Wiegman’s early reign but the signs are strong that the new generation can live up to their experienced counterparts.
Relive the action from Wembley with our live blog below as England take on Switzerland:
‘Switzerland will be different'
“We took a lot of learnings from Saturday [against the USA] but I think tomorrow will be a different game with different challenges.”
Those were the words of Sarina Wiegman as she took the pre-match press conference yesterday ahead of tonights encounter with the Euro 2025 hosts.
The Lionesses coach added: “I do expect, first of all, that Switzerland will play in another shape and what we’ve seen from them is that they drop deeper quicker a little bit, so we expect to have the ball more.”
Wiegman looking for ‘clarity’ before Euro 2025
Sarina Wiegman also spoke about England’s preparations for their European title defence next summer and explained how her she is hoping for clarity ahead of the tournament.
“Before the tournament, you want clarity,” she explained, “Now, you’re trying out things and now, you want everyone to compete at the highest level – compete against opponents but also compete with each other.
“That’s what you need to become better. Of course, we’re not going to get everything right but we’re learning and it gives us information.”
Wiegman on experimenting with her squad
There has been a renewed focus, certainly in the back half of the year, from Sarina Wiegman to experiment and switch up her England squads.
While Euro 2022 was a triumph of consistent personnel playing their roles to perfection England had come to rely on they same group of players.
Wiegman has tried to change that and has brought in a new crop on young, hungry players to try and keep the Lionesses’ playing style fresh and new. It’s a work in progress.
The England coach said: “It gives opportunities for us to try out things and to play many players so absolutely, we need this game to try out these things.
“We still have seven months to go [before Euro 2025] but we want to get as much information as possible and develop our style of play and experience where we are at the moment.”
Tactical stalemate with Emma Hayes and USA offers clues to England’s future
Another night of learning for England and Sarina Wiegman, even if the only fireworks produced from the visit of Emma Hayes and the United States were those in the pre-match light show at Wembley. A blockbuster between the European champions and Olympic champions this was not; rather a reflection that both teams missed key players in attack and were using this November friendly for tactical experimentation. Seven months out from the Euros, Mary Earps admitted England are still “figuring out” how they want to play.
But after conceding four goals in their previous outing at Wembley, Wiegman’s changes were made to ensure there would be no repeat. It offered a view of a more pragmatic “mature” England, to the point that Wiegman may have been overly cautious and the Lionesses finished with just one shot on target. “I don’t remember a chance,” said Hayes. Earps said it had been a “tough year” for England and the Lionesses played like they did not want another defeat. There was restraint, that shut out the USA. “After the Germany result, we expected a reaction,” Hayes said.
Tactical stalemate with Emma Hayes and USA offers clues to England’s future
England 0-0 USA: Lack of attacking prowess results in a goalless draw between the European and Olympic champions
Predicting England’s starting XI
Here’s how we see England lining up against the Swiss this evening:
England XI: Hampton; Le Tissier, Bright, Morgan, Greenwood; Walsh, Clinton, Park; Mead, Russo, Beever-Jones
What is the England team news?
The Lionesses have been hit by further injuries ahead of the Switzerland game, with Chloe Kelly and Fran Kirby pulling out of the squad - adding to the absences of Lauren Hemp, Lauren James and Ella Toone.
Sarina Wiegman suggested she would “rotate a lot” against Switzerland, suggesting Hannah Hampton, Grace Clinton, Aggie Beever-Jones and Esme Morgan could be involved while Maya Le Tissier could return from concussion.
Laura Blindkilde-Brown and Ruby Mace are uncapped but could be handed their first minutes from the bench.
How can I watch the game?
England vs Switzerland will be shown live on ITV 4 and ITV X, with coverage beginning at 7pm. The programme will be hosted by Laura Woods with Ian Wright and Karen Carney providing punditry from the studio.
When is England vs Switzerland?
The friendly will kick off at 7:45pm on Tuesday 3 December at Bramall Lane, Sheffield.
England vs Switzerland
England close out the year with a home friendly against Switzerland in Sheffield as the Lionesses look to finish 2024 with a win.
Sarina Wiegman’s side drew 0-0 with the USA at Wembley on Saturday night, with the visit of Emma Hayes leading to a tactical stalemate in front of a crowd of over 70,000.
The European champions maintained there were improvements, particularly in defence, but there have been further injuries to attacking players ahead of the Switzerland game.
The Lionesses are building towards the defence of their European crown next summer, and will face the hosts Switzerland at Bramall Lane.
It’s their first meeting since a 4-0 win over the Swiss in June 2022, ahead of the summer where the Lionesses won the Euros.
Good evening!
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s international football action between England and Switzerland as the two teams clash at Bramall Lane.
The game is the Lionesses final outing in 2024 and they will want to go out on a high following a tricky 0-0 draw against the United States in their previous fixture.
Sarina Wiegman continues to refine her team and her tactics ahead of the European Championships next summer so expect another surprising performance from her side tonight.
We’ll have all the team news, line-ups and updates throughout the night so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 7.45pm.
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