Lauren James has praised Chelsea boss Emma Hayes for helping her get “back to being myself again” as the England forward heads into her first World Cup.
Having rejoined the Blues two summers ago from Manchester United, James had limited game time in 2021-22 before shining as a regular in Hayes’ team last season as they once again won the Women’s Super League and FA Cup double, and reached the Champions League semi-finals.
The 21-year-old has also impressed for England after making her debut against Austria last September, and with 11 caps and one goal for the Lionesses under her belt, James is now preparing for her first major tournament as a senior international as part of the squad for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand that gets under way in just under two weeks.
James, named young player of the year at the inaugural Women’s Football Awards in May, said of Hayes: “Emma is always helpful, she’s played a massive role in just getting me back to being myself again. She just says ‘enjoy it’, like ‘start enjoying the moments’.
“I had two years of just like constant injuries. She managed me well and it’s allowed me to find my feet again.
“In the moment everyone is like ‘why is Lauren not playing?’ and I want to be playing on the pitch, but in the long run it’s obviously paid out and it’s kept me on the pitch this season.”
James was first at Chelsea in their academy before moving on to Arsenal and then United, when they relaunched as a Championship side in 2018.
She would go on to make a big impression for a Red Devils outfit that won promotion to the WSL at the first attempt, and James said: “Without making that move, I think I probably wouldn’t be where I am now.
“People would say it was a step back because I went to the Championship, but for me sometimes it allows you to go steps forward.”
James, whose performances as England won the Arnold Clark Cup in February earned her the player of the tournament award, started Saturday’s 0-0 World Cup warm-up draw with Portugal in Milton Keynes on the right side of the attack before switching to a deeper, central role for the second half.
She says boss Sarina Wiegman has been “brilliant with me”, adding: “She’s just allowed me to express myself, and not tried to change me, which obviously plays a massive role because it allows you to just play freely and have confidence.”
James was in attendance at Wembley a year ago when Wiegman’s side won the Euros, and she said: “Going to the final, it obviously made me feel more like ‘I want to make sure I’m there’ this summer and it gave me a bit more motivation and hunger.
“I’d like to feel the same as what they felt last summer.”
While James describes herself as someone who likes to “stay grounded”, she says if England do taste glory again this summer, she will add a “big World Cup” to her collection of tattoos.
Her older brother Reece, the England and Chelsea defender, has major international tournament experience having played at the men’s Euros in 2021, and James said the advice she had received from him was to “just enjoy it, have fun, try and score goals”.
With her star very much on the rise, James has also emphasised her desire to continue making a name for herself, saying: “I do feel like that, a lot.
“Even just ‘that’s Lauren James, that’s Reece’s sister’ – I want to carve that out and be known as ‘this is Lauren James’.”
Wiegman and her England players, after departing the country on a flight on Wednesday, landed in Australia on Friday. They have a behind-closed-doors warm-up against Canada scheduled for July 14 before opening their World Cup campaign by playing Haiti in Brisbane eight days later.
Greece 0-3 England: Stunning Jones debut goal helps Three Lions go top
Curtis Jones’ brilliant backheel on his debut helped England win 3-0 against Greece to move top of Group B2 in the Nations League.
Lee Carsley’s men exacted revenge in Athens having been defeated 2-1 by Greece at Wembley. The result sees England overtake their opponents on goal difference with 12 points each.
England got off the mark quickly as Noni Madueke burst down the right wing, beating four players to the byline, before cutting back for Ollie Watkins to slot home from close range in the seventh minute.
Jordan Pickford was called into action to keep the scores level, first tipping over Kostas Tsimikas’ stinging shot before denying Fotis Ioannidis' effort from range after the break.
While Jude Bellingham hit the left post with a header from a corner not long into the second half, England would have to wait until the 77th minute to celebrate their second.
Bellingham was the instigator once more as he latched on to a first-time pass from debutant Morgan Rogers to charge in from the left and drive a low shot onto the left post.
The ball rebounded onto the trailing leg of the diving Odysseas Vlachodimos, who could not scramble back in time to prevent an own goal.
Jones completed the rout six minutes later as he latched onto Morgan Gibbs-White’s cross from the right to send an audacious backheel past Vlachodimos.
Data Debrief: Debut delight for Jones
Jones is the first Liverpool player to score on his England debut since Sammy Lee back in November 1982, also in an away game against Greece.
He is the ninth Jones to play for England, after Alf, Bill, Harry, Herbert, Mick, Phil, Rob and William. The only surname to provide more England players is Smith (20).
There were also debuts for Lewis Hall and Morgan Rogers. The latter became the 63rd player to make their England debut while with Aston Villa. It’s the first time they've had two in the same year (Ezri Konsa and Rogers) since 2007 (Scott Carson and Ashley Young).
At 20 years and 67 days, Hall became the youngest Newcastle United player to appear for England in a competitive international since Jock Rutherford in April 1904 against Scotland in a Home Nations match (19 years and 180 days).
Belgium 0-1 Italy: Azzurri advance to Nations League quarter-finals
Italy sealed their place in the Nations League quarter-finals and ended Belgium's hopes of advancing with a 1-0 victory in Brussels, courtesy of Sandro Tonali's goal.
Tonali – who recently returned to action after serving a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules – scored his first senior international goal in the 11th minute.
He fired home after Giovanni Di Lorenzo's cutback deflected off Zeno Debast and fell kindly into his path at close range.
Luciano Spalletti's visitors continued to enjoy the better of the play in the first half, with Nicolo Rovella going close when he fired high and wide in the 25th minute.
Mateo Retegui was denied by Koen Casteels when one-on-one after half-time, while Gianluigi Donnarumma was called into action at the other end by Debast and Lois Openda.
Belgium's best chance for an equaliser fell to defender Wout Faes seven minutes from time, but he headed against the post when left unmarked in the centre of the box, leaving the Red Devils locked in a battle with Israel to avoid finishing bottom of Group A2.
Data Debrief: Azzurri flying on the road
Italy have now won three competitive away matches in a row within the same season, beating France, Israel and Belgium.
They last achieved that feat between June and November 2019, winning five in a row in qualifying for Euro 2020.
Real Madrid hit Twente for seven, five-star Wolfsburg also win big
Real Madrid had six different goalscorers as they trounced Twente 7-0 in the Women's Champions League on Wednesday, while Wolfsburg beat Galatasaray 5-0.
Signe Bruun opened the scoring three minutes into the Group B encounter at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, then Maria Mendez's header gave Madrid a 2-0 half-time lead.
Madrid, who had won one and lost one of their opening two games in the tournament, got a third through Naomie Feller five minutes into the second half, then Caroline Weir made it 4-0 with a brilliant free-kick.
Mendez headed home her second of the encounter shortly after the hour mark, while Oihane Hernandez and Carla Camacho got on the scoresheet late on to complete the rout.
The victory took Madrid second in the Group B standings ahead of Chelsea's trip to Celtic.
Wolfsburg were also convincing victors in Group A, getting off the mark for this season's competition as Rebecka Blomqvist scored a hat-trick in their 5-0 thrashing of Galatasaray.
The Bundesliga side – who failed to pick up a point or score a goal in their opening two matches – had a narrow 1-0 lead at half-time through Joelle Wedemeyer, before Blomqvist took centre-stage in the second period.
She tapped home after Janina Minge struck the crossbar, then added her second goal in the 77th minute and her third six minutes into stoppage time.
Vivien Endemann powered home a fifth for Wolfsburg one minute later, as they provisionally moved within three points of Lyon and Roma ahead of their meeting.
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