England book Euro 2025 spot but 'have to improve'

England will beryllium astatine Euro 2025 to take sides their title - but will request to amended if they are to person supporters they tin spell each nan measurement again.

Sarina Wiegman's broadside had nan task successful Sweden of securing automatic qualification for adjacent year's tourney successful Switzerland.

They did that by holding connected for a 0-0 tie successful Gothenburg, but it was acold from convincing and akin themes of interest person remained passim qualification.

A deficiency of ruthlessness successful beforehand of extremity and sloppiness astatine nan backmost person been rife this twelvemonth - truthful is location much to travel from England successful nan adjacent 12 months?

"A batch more," said skipper Leah Williamson. "We took attraction of business, we qualified and we tin get nan astir retired of ourselves up of adjacent year.

"It was nan aforesaid communicative up of nan past Euros. We each cognize really that went and I deliberation everybody wants more."

Former England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley told BBC Radio 5 Live "times alteration truthful quickly successful football" - and it feels that measurement for nan Lionesses.

Two years ago, they thumped Sweden 4-0 to book their spot successful nan Euro 2022 last having played free-flowing and breathtaking shot - nan infamous Alessia Russo backheel extremity topping it off.

But this was a acold much nervy encounter, pinch England needing to excavation heavy to get complete nan statement and forestall Sweden from snatching triumph precocious on.

"Expectations person evidently changed astir nan Lionesses since they won nan Euros and reached nan World Cup final, truthful it is intolerable to judge them done nan aforesaid lens," added Bardsley.

"When they get backmost they request to reset, measure wherever they person done good and wherever they tin improve, and spell from there.

"The opportunities are location - they conscionable request to find that ruthlessness and beryllium a spot much composed astatine nan back."

It is clear different nations person caught up pinch England, but Williamson, who hopes to assistance nan trophy again successful Switzerland, is not fazed.

"We cognize really to fight. We person proven that. But we want to get backmost to our apical level," she told BBC Sport.

"Qualification has tested america but we’ve travel done it. We're not happy to not beryllium apical [of nan qualifying group] but we person a twelvemonth now to compression everything retired of us."

The biggest area of interest for England is up front.

Despite an array of riches successful attacking talent, England person lacked ruthlessness successful beforehand of extremity and struggled to create immoderate clear-cut chances against Sweden.

It was a akin taxable successful their constrictive victories complete France and nan Republic of Ireland.

"Yeah, that is thing that we perfectly person to improve," said head Wiegman.

"It’s bully we now person a year. I deliberation successful nan first half we played very bully football. The only point we didn’t do was people a goal.

"We had it against France too. That’s besides to do pinch nan value of nan force but it’s bully we person a twelvemonth to hole and activity connected those things."

Wiegman hopes to "try retired different things" successful friends matches during their adjacent world break, and says they must tighten up defensively.

Sweden piled connected nan unit precocious on, forcing errors from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton arsenic England were connected nan ropes.

"In defence, particularly successful nan 2nd half erstwhile Sweden are forcing a small more, you want to get much power of nan game," added Wiegman.

"That has to do pinch decision-making and being capable to do that. It’s bully we person a twelvemonth arsenic we can’t alteration that overnight.

"Every crippled we play we want to win, but you tin do things [in friendlies] to create individuals and effort retired different things."

England qualified arsenic League A3 runners-up, a constituent down France, and while they request to amended location are reasons to beryllium positive.

It was considered nan 'group of death' containing 3 of nan world's apical six, and England picked up 2 distant victories successful Ireland and France.

"It feels amazing. That’s what we group retired to do. This group was really difficult, really reliable and they were bully opposition," said Manchester United's Ella Toone.

"We wanted to apical nan group of course. We’re England, we want to triumph each crippled we’re in, but we knew it would beryllium difficult. To get retired of a group for illustration that, we’re really proud."

Toone said "everyone expects truthful much" from England and it is clear location is much to travel from them.

However, having faced reliable guidance successful qualifying, Toone hopes nan Lionesses will beryllium amended prepared for Euro 2025 having had their weaknesses exposed.

"We cognize wherever we’re astatine now competing against apical teams," added Toone.

"It’s each good and bully playing teams and winning 10-0, but these are nan games you study from – nan reliable games."

Wiegman added: "These top-level games showed america what we request to activity on. When you play different teams from little levels, those things will not beryllium highlighted arsenic overmuch arsenic they are now.

"We cognize precisely wherever we guidelines and what we request to amended connected arsenic a squad and arsenic individuals. We’ll commencement moving connected that beautiful soon."