With shot-stoppers on the benches of Man City and Chelsea, Sarina Wiegman and the reigning European champions have a problem
England head coach Sarina Wiegman has had a few selection issues to deal with in her incredibly successful two-year tenure. At the European Championships in 2022, she guided the Lionesses to glory despite playing a striker in defence. At the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the Dutchwoman’s decision to change formation mid-tournament helped her team reach the final for the first time. Now, as England’s next cycle comes around, there is another issue brewing.
Six months ago, Wiegman couldn’t have envisaged a problem in the goalkeeping department. Three of the five shot-stoppers she'd called up in the past year were first-choice at club level, and the other two were seeing a decent amount of action in regularly rotated roles. But, at this moment, only one of those remains the undisputed No.1 at their club and one has even switched allegiances to another national team.
Fortunately for England, that No.1 is also their No.1 and, in Mary Earps, it’s also one of the best goalkeepers on the planet. Football is unpredictable, though, and should the Manchester United shot-stopper suffer a drop-off in form, pick up a suspension or something worse, there’s no obvious replacement primed and ready to pick up the baton.
Earps has been one of the Lionesses’ key players for a while now, such has been her incredible form since Wiegman took over. But as the October international break approaches, with the team in need of good results after defeat in their second UEFA Women’s Nations League group-stage game against the Netherlands, there might not be anyone more important to this England side right now.
GettyOptions dwindle
Why do England find themselves in this situation? Well, each individual has seen their own set of circumstances change.
Hannah Hampton, part of the Euros and World Cup squads, opted to leave Aston Villa to join Chelsea this summer, a transfer which puzzled many because of the large goalkeeper group the Blues already had. Ann-Katrin Berger and Zecira Musovic had been sharing duties in between the sticks, while Belgium’s Nicky Evrard was already set to join ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Adding Hampton meant adding a fourth senior international shot-stopper and, so far, she is the only one yet to see action this campaign, with Berger and Musovic again splitting the starting role while Evrard gets minutes on loan at Brighton.
Meanwhile, the rise of teenager Khiara Keating saw another two of England’s options, in Ellie Roebuck and Sandy MacIver, usurped at Manchester City, the 19-year-old starting all of the club’s league games this season.
MacIver, who featured ahead of Roebuck in City’s only cup fixture so far, has also now switched allegiances to represent Scotland, having won just one cap in four years of Lionesses call-ups.
With Everton boss Brian Sorensen opting to rotate between England prospect Emily Ramsey and Ireland star Courtney Brosnan in his line-ups, it leaves Earps as the only first-choice goalkeeper of the five Wiegman has called up in the past 12 months.
AdvertisementGetty Images‘A little bit complicated’
For the games with Belgium in October, Wiegman has picked four goalkeepers: Earps, Roebuck, Hampton and Keating. It is a first senior call-up for the latter, one of two uncapped players set to be involved this month along with Grace Clinton, the Manchester United midfielder on loan at Tottenham.
She praised the form of both youngsters, telling reporters: “I think they showed good performances and what I want to see from them is how they come into camps, how they relate to the other players in the squad and what they can do.”
When asked about the problems with the goalkeepers and their game time, though, the coach admitted that it is “a little bit complicated”.
“We want players to play because when they play, we can see them and their performances make us pick them,” she said. “[Roebuck and Hampton] have built a little bit of credit with us because they have been with our team for a long period of time and done well in training sessions, shown up all the time.
“I think they still are among the best goalkeepers in the country and I just hope in the future they do get minutes. That makes it a little bit complicated, but I did pick them because I still think they are the best in the country.”
GettyWill things change?
The big question is, will they get those minutes in the future? Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, for example, is noted for how she gives players time to settle, and though one might associate that more with outfield players because of their increased involvement in a new style of play, it appears that is what she is doing with Hampton, too.
“Where the game is going, goalkeepers have to be almost extra outfield players,” she said on podcast shortly after Hampton’s arrival at the club. “The ability with her feet is second-to-none and I think, with an infectious playing style, is the future. I think she’s got a lot of work to do to get there, but she knows that. She understands that and she’s certainly looking forward to the challenge of competing.” How much time will it take for her to be closer to a starting role, though? It’s impossible to predict.
In Manchester, meanwhile, City head coach Gareth Taylor seems relatively happy with the impact Keating has had on his team in goal. The 19-year-old has kept three clean sheets in four games and taken to increased minutes in the WSL like a duck to water.
Given the form she is in, it’s tough to see her losing her place any time soon. That said, Taylor hasn’t been afraid to rotate that position during his tenure and the door is certainly open for Roebuck to reclaim her spot.
“We've got three good goalkeepers and they all bring different things,” Taylor said earlier this month. “The competition for places is really high. We've been working with Sandy and Khiara quite a bit in pre-season because we had them for a little bit longer. Obviously, Ellie was away with England. It's about trying to get players up to speed as much as we possibly can, but each one of those three are really well thought of and really valued by us.”
GettyA teenager on the rise
Keating’s form has been one of the stories of this early part of the season, the teenager asserting herself in Man City’s starting line-up after making eight sporadic appearances since earning her debut at the age of 17.
It was her performance against Chelsea in a huge clash of title contenders earlier this month that really caught the eye. To be trusted in such a fixture was one thing, but the way she justified her selection was exemplary. Her distribution, her confidence in collecting crosses and the saves she made almost secured nine-player City a victory against all odds.
“She was great. She's very, very good to work with,” Taylor said after the game. “She makes saves, she comes for crosses, she's got safe hands, she's good with her distribution – both short and long. She was top today and you know when you go down to nine players that the goalkeeper is going to be busy. She was quick off the line and slowed the game down when she needed to.
“She's young so she's going to make some mistakes, some errors, and can get a bit excited at times, but she's great to work with and I thought her performance was brilliant.”
Keating’s emergence as a genuine contender for City’s No.1 spot might not be great news for Roebuck in terms of her own minutes, but it brings a very promising talent into the England picture, and to gain experience around the senior team while still so young will do wonders for her development.