England Face 2023 World Cup Without Captain Leah Williamson: Can Alex Greenwood Fill the Gap?
England enters the 2023 Women’s World Cup riding high on the momentum from their victorious 2022 European Championship campaign. However, questions loom following the absence of their influential captain, Leah Williamson. Widely regarded as one of the world’s premier defenders, Williamson’s leadership and defensive acumen were pivotal to the Lionesses’ triumph. With her ruled out of the tournament, manager Sarina Wiegman must turn to alternative options to shore up England’s backline. Alex Greenwood, a seasoned professional who has transitioned from full-back to center-back, stands ready to step into this critical role.
Greenwood’s Defensive Intelligence: Reading the Game and Closing Down Attacks
Leah Williamson built her reputation on outstanding anticipation, quickly recognizing opposition movements and intercepting dangerous passes. Her approach features high-intensity tackling, with a tackle success rate of 80% in the 2022-23 Women’s Super League—more than any other England defender that season.
Alex Greenwood presents a different but equally effective defensive style. Rather than diving into tackles, she is typically more calculated and relies on her footwork, strength, and speed. Greenwood prefers to guide attackers away from dangerous areas, forcing mistakes instead of committing early. Both defenders excel at covering behind the back line—tracking runs in wide positions and sweeping up balls played over the defense. This skill is vital for England, particularly against counter-attacking opponents seeking to exploit space behind the lines.
Dealing With Over-the-Top Attacks: Positioning and Recovery Speed
England faced persistent long-ball threats during the previous summer’s international campaign, often requiring center-backs to recover large distances quickly. Greenwood’s athleticism allows her to track runners into wide areas and time her challenges precisely—attributes that will be vital as teams try to bypass England’s midfield and attack down the flanks or over the top.
Key Points:
– Greenwood efficiently reads the play and covers gaps left by advancing full-backs.
– Her ability to match pacy forwards stride-for-stride reduces the threat of opposition breakaways.
– This flexibility enhances England’s tactical adaptability, especially when opponents target transitional opportunities.
Ball Progression and Decision-Making Under Pressure
While Greenwood is technically gifted under pressure, Leah Williamson’s influence in advancing possession is hard to replicate. Williamson consistently ranks among Europe’s elite for progressive passing and carries, with only Wendie Renard exceeding her tally of 9.8 progressive passes per 90 minutes in the past year. Additionally, just Katie Bowen managed more progressive carries per 90 (1.8) during that span.
Greenwood offers similar distributing abilities, regularly switching play or launching accurate long balls from deep. Though not as aggressive when carrying the ball forward, she ensures England can circulate possession efficiently and build from the back. Without Williamson, England may look to other players—such as Lucy Bronze—to provide forward thrust through ball-carrying.
Creating Chances From Deep: The Set-Piece Threat and Final Third Influence
Despite being less of a dribbling presence than Williamson, Greenwood delivers exceptional value in progressing the ball into attacking areas. During the latest Women’s Super League season, no center-back across Europe’s top eight leagues completed more passes into the final third (7.98 per 90 minutes) or produced more key-passes (1.46 per 90) than Greenwood. Only Moeka Minami of Roma generated more shot-creating actions among center-backs.
In addition to her open-play attributes, Greenwood brings expertise on set pieces. Serving as a primary free-kick and corner taker for Manchester City, she can curl in dangerous deliveries and orchestrate attacking opportunities directly from dead-ball situations—an asset England will look to exploit.
Conclusion: Replacing Williamson and England’s Defensive Blueprint
The absence of Leah Williamson presents a genuine challenge for England’s backline at the World Cup. However, Alex Greenwood boasts a complementary skill set as a left-footed center-back—combining robust positioning, composure on the ball, and creativity in the final third. While some aspects of Williamson’s contribution will be missed, Greenwood’s presence should help the Lionesses remain resilient and competitive on the world’s biggest stage.
As England strives to repeat their European success on the global scene, the team’s ability to adapt defensively and transition smoothly through midfield to attack may well hinge on Greenwood’s performance and leadership at the heart of defense.
