Women's World Cup qualifying: Do England lack ruthlessness in front of goal?
BBC Sport explores whether England's lack of a killer touch in front of goal is a concern as they aim for the Women's World Cup.
England's Scoring Woes
England take a two-goal lead into the second leg of their Women's World Cup qualifying play-off against Greece on Tuesday, but should it have been more?
Sarina Wiegman's side secured a 3-1 victory in Crete on Friday but left room for their opponents to mount a comeback, and the manager has called for more ruthlessness from her team in Leicester (19:30 BST).
The Lionesses enjoyed 74% possession in the first leg but converted only three goals from 26 shots, and conceded in the second half. Greece also hit the bar with a powerful strike.
This is not an isolated incident; England have struggled to capitalize on their opportunities in recent years.
World Cup Struggles
Since 2023, when they finished as runners-up to Spain in the World Cup, England have shown an inconsistent scoring record.
In the group stage of that tournament, they won narrowly against Haiti and Denmark, both 1-0. In the knockout stage, they relied on penalty shootouts to defeat Nigeria and came from behind to beat Colombia 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
This year, in World Cup qualifying, England have performed well but not without difficulty. They edged past Iceland and Spain, and were held to a draw by Greece.
Despite creating chances, their final touches have often been lacking.
Addressing the Problem
Midfielder Keira Walsh acknowledges the change in pressure from club to international football, stating, "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 notes that while England create chances regularly, the final pass, cross, and shot need improvement.
Georgia Stanway, Arsenal midfielder and England's top scorer since Euro 2025 with 10 goals, is leading the charge. She boasts an impressive minutes-per-goal ratio of 81, ranking among the top European scorers in internationals.
Wiegman aims to inspire her players to match Stanway's clinical finishing, emphasizing the need for better decision-making in front of goal.