Man City defender could be answer to England's problems after France defeat

It was in the dying stages of last summer's Women's World Cup final that Alex Greenwood got what some onlookers termed her "Terry Butcher moment".

The Lionesses centre-back had sustained what looked to be a nasty cut to her eye after taking a knee in the face from Spanish forward Salma Paralluelo but, after being bandaged up by the medical team, Greenwood got back to her feet and soldiered on. Her heroics were reminiscent of Butcher's valiant exploits in England's 1989 World Cup qualifier with Sweden, when the former Rangers defender famously played with blood pouring from his head to help clinch the Three Lions' place at the Italia '90 tournament finals.

While Greenwood's bravery wasn't enough to get Sarina Wiegman's side over the line against Spain, the incident epitomised the Manchester City star's brilliance at the heart of the England defence. With captain Leah Williamson sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and fellow centre-back Millie Bright still working her way back to full fitness, it was Greenwood whose scintillating form had helped propel England all the way to the final.

READ MORE: 'Only a matter of time' - Lauren Hemp makes Man City trophy promise after title race heartbreak

READ MORE: Man United star Ella Toone makes bold England claim after France defeat puts dent in Euros dream

Nobody at the tournament made more interceptions, completed more passes or had more touches than the 30-year-old, who had, in the eyes of many, done more than enough to cement her place in the Lionesses' starting lineup for the foreseeable. Fast forward to Friday night, though, and Greenwood was watching from the bench as England suffered a damaging defeat to France at St James' Park.

The result saw Wiegman's side plummet to third in their EURO 2025 qualifying group and, with only the top two teams set to qualify automatically, the European champions can ill afford to make another misstep in their final three games, the first of which is against Herve Renard's side in Saint-Etienne on Tuesday.

Although both of France's goals on Friday came from set pieces, England looked defensively vulnerable with Bright and Williamson playing alongside each other for the first time since February 2023. Both players are yet to recover their best form after enduring lengthy injury layoffs - with Bright in particular looking rusty on Tyneside - and they have only played together twice since the summer of 2022.

"Alex is a good defender, has done very well over the last period," Wiegman said when quizzed on her decision to drop Greenwood after the game. "I chose Millie and Leah. I thought we needed that in the centre because of the qualities of France. They’re very pacy, very powerful. I think that was the right decision."

While it has been hard to argue against the majority of Wiegman's team selections during her stellar tenure, in this instance her decision to relegate her most in-form defender to a role on the bench was questionable. And it is not the first time the centre-back has found herself facing a battle to reclaim her starting spot for the Lionesses.

In the build-up to the 2022 European Championships, Greenwood had been partnering Bright while Williamson played in midfield. When the tournament came around, however, the England skipper dropped into the backline, leaving Greenwood somewhat out in the cold.

Ultimately, Wiegman was vindicated for that decision as Bright and Williamson formed a formidable defensive alliance and the Lionesses went on to win the country's first major title since 1966.

At present, though, the chances of them defending their crown next summer looks unlikely unless the England boss is able to recover the kind of defensive stability that saw her team beat the likes of Spain and Germany to claim the Euros trophy. And while Greenwood alone cannot be expected to cure all of the Lionesses' defensive ills, her dependability and technical excellence would surely help their cause.

The centre-back missed only two games in the Women's Super League (WSL) in 2023/24, more often than not captaining City as they pushed Chelsea all the way in the title race. She is also tactically versatile, having previously played at left-back for England, and is a natural left-footer - something which again should convince Wiegman to restore her to the starting XI considering the Lionesses' ability to play out from the back on Friday night was stunted by the use of four right-footed defenders.

"I think one of my strengths is reading the game really well and if I can do that in the centre of the pitch I can control a lot of the play," Greenwood told the Manchester Evening News back in April. "I love being the dictator of the play, I love having the ball at my feet and I enjoy trying to make passes that are difficult because they break lines and they expose the opposition to uncomfortable situations.

"I'm a big analyser of football as well. I love watching football. I love watching the game back and I enjoy watching the opposition and seeing where their weaknesses are. Personally, I thrive off things like that and it doesn't just help me, it could help the person next to me as well."

Certainly, Greenwood's leadership, defensive acumen and eye for a pass should render her a shoo-in for a starting place in Saint-Etienne. With England desperately needing a victory to revive their faltering qualifying campaign, leaving the City defender on the bench could prove a very costly error.