England defender Lucy Bronze is helping the “shy” and “misinterpreted” Lauren James navigate the increasingly bright spotlight shining on the 21-year-old after her historic turn at the World Cup.
The Chelsea forward became the first England player to be involved in five or more goals in a match at either a men’s or women’s World Cup when she scored twice and added three assists in the Lionesses’ 6-1 win over China on Tuesday.
Bronze, one of just two England players to have featured in the last three World Cups, has found a kindred spirit in inquisitive debutant James who is a decade her junior.
She said: “When she came into her first camp she was already asking me a lot of questions about things that other players didn’t ask. I think we have formed a bond, we are in similar situations.
“I was thrust into the limelight in a different way but I can help give her advice. I can help keep her feet on the ground but she is good at that anyway. She’s someone like myself who gets misinterpreted a little bit by other players or the media because she hasn’t always got a smile on her face.
“She is quite shy like I used to be. She reminds me so much of myself when I was younger. She is shy but she believes in herself a lot. She’s a lovely girl and wants the team to do well more than anything.”
James perhaps is the epitome of a player who wants her football to do the talking. Gracious but succinct, her answers to the two questions allowed by organisers in the post-match press conference lasted all of a combined 57 words.
Writing in the Times, ex-Manchester United manager Casey Stoney, who signed James as a 16-year-old, also remembered her as someone who “never enjoyed the spotlight” with a “laid-back personality” that sometimes worked against her when others mistakenly believed that meant the Londoner did not “want it” enough.
Bronze knows just what it is like to make a headline-grabbing impact on football’s biggest stage.
In 2015, then 23 and playing in her first World Cup, Bronze broke a 1-1 deadlock in the 76th minute against Norway to fire the Lionesses into the quarter-finals and hand them a first-ever win in the knockout stage.
Third place in Canada that year remains England’s best-ever finish at the global showpiece, and Bronze knows it will take more than one person for the European Champions to upgrade their silverware in 2023.
She said: “I can’t expect LJ to score in every game and turn in performances like she did against China in every game. She is still young and she’s still getting to grips with playing at the highest level, but you have seen her at Chelsea and she has delivered some fantastic performances.
“We don’t just rely on LJ, we’ve got other players who can step up, but she is fantastic. I know how much quality she has. She has definitely announced herself on the world stage, but this is just the beginning.”
Group D winners England have returned to their Terrigal, New South Wales training base and will on Sunday fly to Brisbane ahead of their meeting with Nigeria in the last 16 the following day.
While the status of midfielder Keira Walsh remains unknown, she has stayed in Australia after sustaining a knee injury in England’s 1-0 victory over Denmark in the group stage.
England boss Sarina Wiegman got creative in Walsh’s absence, employing a 3-5-2 system that seemed to spark the Lionesses to life against China.
While words like ‘dominant’ and ‘consistent’ are often used as descriptors for world number four side England, Wiegman has with one inspired decision added unpredictability into the mix.
Bronze added: “Keira is irreplaceable, there isn’t anyone who can do what she does in the world.
“A lot of teams have studied England, they have wanted to beat England being the European champions. We have shuffled things about a little bit and it keeps other teams on their toes.
“They don’t know what to expect, it makes us unpredictable.
“If Keira does come back and play, who is to say how we will play?”
Dewsbury-Hall: Maresca will surprise people at Chelsea
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall believes new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will "surprise a lot of people" when they watch the Blues this season.
The Italian led Leicester City straight back to the Premier League as Championship winners in his only season in charge and succeeds Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.
The Foxes topped the second division table with 98 points, with Dewsbury-Hall a key figure in his squad as he netted 12 goals and provided 14 assists last season – his best tally in a single campaign.
Dewsbury-Hall was also named Leicester's Player and Players' Player of the Year.
The midfielder made the switch to West London earlier this month for £30million and is confident that Maresca will have Chelsea challenging for trophies in no time.
"The manager was a big catalyst in wanting me to come," Dewsbury-Hall told BBC Sport.
"I knew from Leicester, a club that went down and had a lot of problems, how he managed to galvanise that if everyone manages to buy into the system.
"I genuinely think in a short space of time we can be pushing for minimum top four - but more than that.
"He may be unknown for a lot of people, but he is top, top level. He will surprise a lot of people."
Chelsea's pre-season got off to a frustrating start as they were held to a 2-2 draw by League One side Wrexham in Maresca's first game in charge on Wednesday.
Dewsbury-Hall did not play in that match but is training with the squad in the United States and could feature in their next outing against Celtic on Saturday.
The 25-year-old is confident the manager's tactics will come across soon, with the players buying into his style.
"We've only been doing it for two or three weeks, but the combination plays are really quick and tidy," he added.
"That's after two weeks. I remember he said to us at Leicester after six months or a year, there might be teething problems at the start, but it will improve.
"Within the first week at Leicester, I was convinced this was top, top level. I felt a bit stupid; I thought I knew a lot about football, but he was teaching me things on a daily basis that I didn't really know before. He has an aura, he can be strict, or gentle and soft - he has both sides.
"I am getting the same feedback here with the lads. They've bought into it here from minute one which is exciting. With a system and philosophy, you need everyone to buy in because, if they do, you can really achieve something."
ECB chief insists no decision made on Mott future
England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould has denied reports a decision has already been made on Matthew Mott's future as white-ball coach.
Mott's future has been called into question in the aftermath of England's failure to defend their T20 World Cup crown in the United States and West Indies, losing to India in the semi-finals.
Mott also oversaw England's calamitous 50-over World Cup campaign last year, as they lost six of their nine matches in India and crashed out in the group stage.
Reports earlier this week suggested the decision had already been made to dispense with Mott's services, with Eoin Morgan a contender to succeed him, though the former limited-overs captain has since said he has no interest in the role.
Asked by BBC Test Match Special if Mott's future had already been decided, Gould said: "That's not true. That's certainly not true.
"Matthew Mott is a really good guy and coach. He's got a great track record and it is the same with [captain] Jos [Buttler].
"We are always assessing options - that is what happens in high-performance sport, you are always assessing your options.
"You never want to be drawn into being given the dreaded vote of confidence or anything like that. Competitive sport always brings scrutiny and decisions.
"We'll constantly want to assess our options but we'll always want to do the right thing by the sport, the team and individuals."
Ederson slams reports of rift with Man City backup Ortega
Ederson has hit out at reports of a rift between himself and fellow Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.
The Brazilian was substituted after suffering a fractured eye socket in City's penultimate game of the Premier League season, a vital 1-0 win over Tottenham.
Ortega replaced him and made a brilliant save to deny Son Heung-min as City maintained their slender lead over Arsenal at the top of the table, sealing an unprecedented fourth straight title by beating West Ham five days later.
Ortega was widely lauded for his role in that triumph, and an article published by The Athletic this week suggested Ederson took issue with that praise.
However, the goalkeeper – who missed the Copa America as a result of his injury – has now moved to shut down those suggestions with a post to his Instagram story.
"I would like to clarify that the note published by The Athletic yesterday, referring to my alleged dissatisfaction with a co-worker, is completely false," he wrote.
"The alleged day reported was, without a doubt, one of the most difficult days of my career, when I suffered a fracture that prevented me from playing in the final stretch of the season and, consequently, from representing my country in the Copa America.
"At the time of the injury, my only thought was to continue in the match, defending City in the fight for the title.
"But the emotion of the match would be greater than the reality and, inevitably, I would not be able to continue as I would have liked due to the damage it caused, completely blocking my field of vision. I remain focused on preparing for the season."
Ederson has been linked with a transfer in recent days, reportedly attracting interest from Saudi Pro League clubs.
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