TERRIGAL, Australia (Reuters) – England defender Alex Greenwood is confident the Lionesses will rediscover their scoring touch quickly at the Women’s World Cup, as the European champions have gone more than three games without scoring a goal from open play.
The Lionesses beat Haiti 1-0 in their opening match on Saturday, but their lone goal was a penalty from Georgia Stanway. Their missed opportunities prompted coach Sarina Wiegman to say her players are lacking “ruthlessness”.
“I’ve seen the girls every day in training, so it’s not a concern for me,” Greenwood said on Wednesday. “I think the games (without goals) have come in a small space of time and I think we’ve proved in the past that we can score goals, we’ve got players all over the pitch who can score goals.
“In football, you go through little spells where you might not score as many goals as you’d like, but the chances are created and I think that’s the most important thing.”
England, who next face Denmark on Friday at Sydney Football Stadium, grabbed an astonishing 80 goals – and conceded none – in World Cup qualifying.
Ella Toone scored England’s last goal in open play in the Women’s Finalissima against Brazil on April 6. Their last multi-goal game was a 6-1 win over Belgium in the Arnold Clark Cup in February.
“We’ve got to put the ball in the back of the net when we have those chances and I think we will,” Greenwood said. “We’ve got enough players and enough quality on this team to create the chances and to put the ball in the back of the net.”
Denmark edged China 1-0 in their tournament opener, with Amalie Vangsgaard scoring in the 90th minute. Bayern Munich and former Chelsea midfielder Pernille Harder is key to Denmark’s play and Greenwood was wary of the threat she posed.
“What she’s achieved in the game has been outstanding. I think I’ve been very much aware of it playing against Chelsea, I remember the problems she causes,” the 29-year-old said.
“Likewise, they’ve got some really good individuals all over the pitch. I think for us it’s about nullifying their threats, her being one of them and we’ll have a game plan to do that.”
On Sunday, the Lionesses moved into their base camp in the seaside town of Terrigal, about 100 kilometres north of Sydney, where they will stay for the remainder of the tournament, save a short flight to their final group game in Adelaide.
“We wanted them to feel Australia,” Kay Cossington, the FA women’s technical director told reporters. “That’s important. They need that outside opportunity.”
Greenwood said players were spending their downtime in the local coffee shop, strolling the beach, colouring, and doing jigsaw puzzles in the team games room.
“It’s a relaxed camp. The staff make it very relaxed… the players feel relaxed so there’s no concern there,” she added.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
