Long balls, set pieces and more shots: how England must improve

The Lionesses cannot forget they are lucky still to be in Euros and there are areas where they need to get better

- Tom Garry

For all the well-deserved praise England have received since Thursday's victory over Sweden, relating to their never-say-die attitude, spirited comeback and the game-changing impact of their substitutes, it should not be forgotten that the defending champions are lucky still to be in Euro 2025.

The Lionesses were somewhat fortunate that Sweden failed to convert two penalties to win the contest and England will know they need to make notable improvements if they are to progress past Italy and reach a third consecutive major tournament final. Here are six areas in which the players and Sarina Wiegman must do better.

The England defenders Leah Williamson and Alex Greenwood have played more passes into the final third than any other players from the 16 teams who have contested this tournament, but fewer than half of Greenwood's 26 long passes against Sweden were completed successfully.

Both players are usually far more accurate when it comes to pass completion, as two of the best ball-playing centre-backs around. Against Sweden, though, England did not seem to be picking the right moments to go long. There is clearly a case for some direct balls, exemplified by the perfect execution of Hannah Hampton's defence-splitting pass against the Netherlands, but on Thursday England seemed too keen to go long more often than usual, and only one of Lucy Bronze's seven long passes found its target.