Fara Williams on Lauren James reaction to ban as 'key England player' identified
Fara Williams has insisted the England stars will have already put Lauren James' red card behind them - and backed Kiera Walsh to be the Lionesses' "key player" against Colombia.
The Lionesses will take on their rivals in the Women's World Cup quarter-final on Saturday without forward James. The Chelsea star has contributed three goals and three assists this tournament but will be serving the first of her two-match ban for the red card she was issued in England’s last-16 encounter with Nigeria.
Sarina Wiegman’s side entered the tournament as favourites, having been crowned European champions last summer, but they've had to grind out wins and keep the dream of lifting a first World Cup trophy alive. And BBC pundit Williams, who earned 177 caps for England before retiring in 2019, insists the Lionesses will be raring to go despite seeing their star player banned for two games.
When asked whether there will be lasting damage inside the England camp after James' red card, Williams told Mirror Football: “I don’t think so, I think they have to move on from that. They know she’s a young player with huge talent, the future for me in terms of the Lionesses, she is our future. So, knowing the players they would’ve got fully behind her, but Lauren would be absolutely devastated with what happened.
"I know her on a personal level, and I know how upset she would’ve been. But that’s gone now, and I know the way the Lionesses think, as harsh as it is, it’s like 'okay we have to move on from you, you’re no longer a priority of this game'. Their mindset has completely shifted away from that incident for sure.”
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In the win over Nigeria, the Lionesses were boosted by the return of Walsh – a comeback from a knee injury few imagined possible after she was removed from the pitch on a stretcher in the first half of England’s second group match, a 1-0 triumph over Denmark.
Scans revealed the issue was not as serious as first suspected and Walsh managed 120 minutes against Nigeria, including the nervy 30 minutes of 10-woman extra time, before being replaced by Katie Zelem for the penalty shootout.
Fara Williams has discussed England's Women's World Cup quarter-final with ColombiaHaving been given five days to rest and recover, Williams has high hopes for Walsh and added: “I think Walsh is the key player for us. I think it’s a player we can’t leave out of the squad. She went off; I don’t know whether it was an injury or whether it was cramp, in the last game in the final minutes of extra time so hopefully she’s recovered in time.
"But she’s the player that we need in our team, and how we do that and how we get her ticking, whether that be someone alongside her I don’t know. I’m sure Sarina knows... I would go back to a 4-3-3 but it’s really difficult, because I also wouldn’t want to take Jess Carter out of my team, because I think she’s been really important.
"It’s a difficult one with players that are in form, but formations that also suit the style of play that we have. Sarina will be trying to weigh up, does she go with the form or does she go with formation.”
Walsh wasn't the first injury concern England have had to overcome this summer, with Wiegman losing several key players in the build-up to the tournament. European champions Leah Williamson and Beth Mead were ruled out with ACL injuries, while Fran Kirby also underwent surgery for a separate knee issue.
Williams has hailed the way they've overcome those setbacks, adding: “I think they have adapted really well; I think we all spoke about how depleted the squad was and we were unsure as to how far they could go and what sort of success looks like with a depleted squad.
"But I think they have risen to the challenge, I wouldn’t say that they’ve performed well but I think the mentality of the group is far stronger than any other nation. If you have a strong mentality, a strong togetherness like the Lionesses have sometimes performance doesn’t matter.
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