It was another defining moment for Lucy Bronze.
Her 121st England appearance last night, in the 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland, moved her closer to Steph Houghton as her country’s seventh most capped player. Questions remain, however, over whether the 32-year-old is more of a hindrance than a help for the Lionesses in the long term.
The trip to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin ultimately proved routine for Sarina Wiegman’s side. It was a game that should have been worth three points, given England’s score. The Euro qualifying group – which also includes France and Sweden – will not be easy. Only the top two teams are guaranteed a place in Switzerland next summer, although the third and fourth nations will still have play-off opportunities.
But after going two goals ahead, thanks to Lauren James’ 12th-minute strike and Alex Greenwood’s 18th-minute penalty, England’s superior quality showed, even as Ireland pushed them towards the end of the match.
Wiegman made five changes to the starting XI since Friday’s 1-1 draw against Sweden, but it is worth noting who kept his place. The front three of Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo and James remained, as did Keira Walsh at the base of midfield and Greenwood.
And there, in the back right, was Bronze. The Barcelona defender England’s role ahead of Euro 2025 is the biggest question Wiegman faces. In other positions there are debates over who might be the better choice in an excellent group, but, at right back, Bronze is the inevitable name on the teamsheet due to lack of options competitive.
Bronze’s pedigree is beyond doubt, and it is with England that she has often had her best moments offensively. But defensive errors have become increasingly notable, both at club and national level, over the past year.
In last year’s World Cup final against Spain, Bronze performed a signature dribble over several players, turning the ball over with the entire right flank free. Olga Carmona exploited this space to score the only goal of the match, with Bronze remaining near the center circle not even attempting to get back.
Three months earlier, she was also responsible for Barcelona’s two first-half concessions against Wolfsburg in the Champions League final. She turned the ball over for their first game before sitting in front of Polish striker Ewa Pajor to give him enough time to send in the perfect cross for their second.
It was clear in this match that bronze was the target, and that’s an obvious option for opponents to focus on against England. In Friday’s match against Sweden at Wembley, Bronze was facing Barcelona teammate Fridolina Rolfo and, in the build-up to Sweden’s equalizer, she failed to glance over her shoulder once to see where Rolfo was, thus giving the attacker a free kick. on your mind.
Wiegman’s problem is that even if she wanted to, there is no obvious option to replace Bronze. Only Esme Morgan in the current England squad is regularly capped at right-back for her club, and she has played just 537 minutes in the WSL for Manchester City this season. His two recent appearances for England have come in central defense.
Bronze’s physical ability to dominate the right side has long been her greatest asset, but it’s increasingly clear that she no longer has that athletic ability to balance her offensive instincts with a possibility of tracing. His number of progressive runs per 90 minutes has decreased from 4.02 to 2.57 over the last four seasons.
The decision to play Jess Carter at left back against Ireland could indicate where Wiegman believes she can find the opportunity to plug Bronze’s deficits. Asked before the game about Carter’s selection, Wiegman spoke of looking for a little more “defensive security.” England have conceded two goals in three of their last six matches, and it is clear that the balance between defense and attack is broken.
Niamh Charles has been first-choice left-back since the end of the World Cup, but she is keen to move forward, having been transformed from wing-back to full-back by Emma Hayes at Chelsea. This tended to leave England’s central defender duo exposed. With Carter on the left, there is more security, regardless of Bronze’s decision.
Given Carter’s versatility, there’s no reason Wiegman can’t guard Charles on the left and use Carter on the right. This would match the original system in which Chelsea used them. It would also allow England to more comfortably use a player like James on the right, who tends to provide less defensive support when looking to win the ball back.
But Bronze’s selection against Ireland demonstrated that Wiegman has no interest in experimenting in that particular position at the moment. It’s clear that bronze is costing him secondary goals, but for now, Wiegman seems to think the benefits are still worth it.
(Top photo: Jess Hornby – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)