England Face Greece With Finishing Under Scrutiny

England will look to secure progress in the Women's World Cup qualifying playoffs when they face Greece in the second leg in Leicester on Tuesday. Sarina Wiegman's team hold a 3-1 aggregate advantage after Friday's first leg in Crete, but their wastefulness in front of goal has prompted concerns ahead of the return match, scheduled for 19:30 BST.

England dominated possession in the opening encounter, controlling 74% of the ball and registering 26 shots, according to BBC Sport. However, they scored only three times, conceded in the second half, and allowed Greece to strike the crossbar, leaving room for improvement despite their two-goal advantage.

The finishing problem has persisted through several major tests since England finished runners-up to Spain at the 2023 Women's World Cup. Their campaign included narrow 1-0 group-stage wins against Haiti and Denmark, a penalty shootout victory over Nigeria, and a 2-1 comeback against Colombia in the quarterfinals.

England midfielder Keira Walsh believes the team's ability to create opportunities remains a positive, with the execution of their attacks requiring greater precision.

"We played differently back then [in 2023]. There's a lot more pressure when you're at the World Cup," Walsh said.

England recorded 58 touches inside Greece's penalty area and completed 210 passes in the final third during the first leg. Walsh said those figures indicated that the team was reaching dangerous positions, even though the final actions were not consistently effective.

"In these [qualifying] games, the worrying thing would be if we were not arriving in the final third. That would be a bigger problem," Walsh said.

She identified the final pass, cross, and shot as areas where England needed to improve before the return fixture.

"It's the final pass, final cross and final shot. That was what was missing [on Friday]. I see the girls do that in training every day. They are fantastic at it," Walsh said.

Walsh also expressed hope that England could reproduce their training quality during the match.

"It's just putting that in the game tomorrow and hopefully we will," Walsh said.

Wiegman has called for better coordination in attacking positions, emphasizing that England must make more effective decisions when approaching the penalty area. The coach highlighted timing, movement, and the selection of crosses or cutbacks as areas for improvement.

"We got in good positions but then it's staying onside, having the final pass, the right pass at the right moment, the run at the right time and deciding what cross, what cutback and whether to go for the far post," Wiegman said.

The England manager also stressed the importance of understanding between teammates and reducing the risk of counterattacks when attacks break down.

"That is also about the connections between the players in those situations and taking out the counter-attack [threat]," Wiegman said.

Former England striker Ellen White, the Lionesses' all-time leading scorer, said attacking rhythm and partnerships are essential to converting possession into goals. She highlighted the role of midfielders in controlling the pace and connecting players operating close together.

"You need to build your own rhythm. You can't just whizz the ball around quickly all the time so you need players in midfield who can dictate it," White said.

White pointed to the relationship between attacking midfielders and center forwards as particularly important, recalling her understanding with Fran Kirby as an example of effective combination play.

"You then have to have connections with players who are close to you, for example between a number 10 and a number nine. Fran Kirby was like a dream for me because she could always put the ball near me and I felt like we had a good connection. You have to build those," White said.

England have spread their scoring across the squad, with 11 different players finding the net since Euro 2025. According to BBC Sport, Georgia Stanway leads the team with 10 goals over that period, while the national side's center forward has contributed six.

However, injuries to Aggie Beever-Jones and Michelle Agyemang have limited competition for Alessia Russo in the number nine position. Lauren James has featured as a winger, attacking midfielder, and center forward, while Lauren Hemp and Beth Mead have also occupied different attacking roles.

England's difficulties have been especially noticeable against opponents defending deep. Former England midfielder Kirby said patient movement and intelligent passing could help create openings against compact defenses.

"The movement you have around the box is so important. You need to be unselfish in your movement," Kirby said.

She explained that runs without the ball can draw defenders out of position and create better shooting opportunities for teammates.

"You need runs in behind, even if they won't get the ball. You have to entice teams to come out. You need one person to make a mistake and leave space," Kirby said.

Kirby also emphasized the importance of selecting the best available shooting opportunity rather than rushing attacks around the penalty area.

"You also need to pass to someone who has a higher percentage shot position than you. It seemed rushed [against Greece] instead of controlled," Kirby said.

She said intricate combination play remains important when opponents leave little space near goal.

"You have to be intricate in and around the box," Kirby said.

England have also struggled to recover when falling behind, having failed to win any match in which they trailed since the end of Euro 2025, including defeats against Brazil and Spain. Hemp has scored twice in 687 minutes of action, while James has gone without a goal in her previous 425 minutes, according to BBC Sport.