Magdalena Eriksson and Jonna Andersson will bring third-place medals back to Chelsea later this summer. The Blues’ Lionesses put in better individual performances in the Women’s World Cup third-place game, but Sweden had a better team showing.
About half of Chelsea FC Women’s contingent in the Women’s World Cup were in the third-place game – even more when you include the two ex-Blues in Sweden’s starting XI. And we do include them in our player ratings.
Carly Telford, Goalkeeper, England: 6
Sweden played the first half hour with an aggressive high press, often having seven players in England’s half of the field while the ball was among England’s defenders. This took advantage of England’s tendency to treat playing out from the back as a philosophy and way of life rather than one technique among many to advance the ball.
This put Telford under regular pressure early on, which she compounded with a few ponderous moments in possession followed by a hurried pass to a defender in an equally bad position. Sweden relented their press between 30′-60′, a combination of their lead, the heat and England finding more sustained possession. Once England alleviated the pressure on Telford, she was much more comfortable when the ball came near her.
Sweden put seven of their eight shots on goal, and Telford handled most but there was little she could do about either Sweden goal.
The first deflected off her own player 10 yards in front of goal, leaving Telford wrong-footed even as she put a hand to the ball on its way in. Sweden’s second goal was nearly unstoppable, curling well wide of any angle Telford could cover on its way into the inside side netting.
Hedvig Lindahl, Goalkeeper, Sweden: 7
Lindahl also had several dodgy moments in her attempts to play the ball, but in her case it was more while trying to sweeper-keeper dribble the ball out rather than pass it out from the back. She charged outside her box to interdict two plays, using her torso to deflect one away from the on-rushing England player and tackling the other away while staying on her feet to avoid any appearance of a foul.
Chelsea’s former goalkeeper has the experience to handle such plays as cool as you’d like, but with so much of the game on the edge after Fran Kirby’s equalizer, Lindahl gave Sweden fans plenty of moments of tension and relief.
Magdalena Eriksson, Left back, Sweden: 7
The balance of play made for a relatively light day for Eriksson. Sweden stayed on the front foot for most of the game and had most possession.
They ran most of their attacks down the right, which limited Eriksson’s opportunities to contribute directly to the attack until Sophia Jakobsson switched sides in the second half. Sweden’s midfield neutralized Nikita Parris, leaving England to send much of their attack down the left or centrally through Fran Kirby. Only once England found their way into sustained possession in the final third and Lucy Bronze could stay high with Parris did Eriksson need to engage her opposite number.
Millie Bright, Centre back, England: N/A
This isn’t a snarky swipe at Millie Bright for being unavailable through red card suspension in the semifinal against Netherlands. Her absence showed just how important she is to England’s defence, and how much work Phil Neville must do to shore up England’s left side.
Sweden attacked relentlessly down the right through Jakobsson, with Kosovare Asllani playing the full pocket of the No. 10 role to pull England’s defence out of position. The Lionesses’ left back and left centreback were their most vulnerable positions in the first half. They needed Bright’s firmness and physicality to push back on the Swedes, and had no ready substitute for what she brings to Chelsea and England.
The only question is: had England won, would Bright have been wearing a full kit beneath whatever she had on in the stands? She is proper Chelsea, after all.
Fran Kirby, Midfield, England: 8.5
This was Fran Kirby’s game, and some combination of Phil Neville’s tactics and her teammate’s performance negated her impact. Within the first few minutes, against the early run of play, Kirby went on a 60 yard dribbling run, moving the ball through Sweden’s press and midfield better than the rest of the England squad could do as a unit in the opening 30 minutes.
The Lionesses brought her into the play more than they had in some earlier games in the tournament. But once the ball came to her, they did not adjust to what was coming back to them from her. They did not make the runs or find the positions that only she could create from, leaving some of her best plays inchoate as she stood frustrated and somewhat disbelieving.
Her goal changed the course of the game and made it a contest. She’s the type of player a coach can build things around, and Neville has overall done a good job organizing this squad. But Kirby needed more around her, and given the overall run of play, it could have made the difference.
Karen Carney, Forward, England: 7.5
Carney needed only a few of her 16 minutes to call into question Phil Neville’s decision to use her so sparingly in this Women’s World Cup.
Her acceleration on the ball and creative runs off the ball gave England an extra gear and different look in the closing stages of the game. The Lionesses looked more threatening with her driving more centrally than they did with Nikita Parris on the left, and Carney’s introduction seemed to revitalize the side after Neville’s first substitution pushed Ellen White towards the edge of the box. Like Kirby, she was somewhat left wanting by her teammates, particularly around the 85′ when she was wide open for a cut-back pass at the top of the box while Alex Greenwood tried to go it alone and instead was sidled out to concede a goal kick.
Carney showed in her short swan song the passing and dribbling that England needed to break the patterns their opponents had settled into by the hour mark. Chelsea and England will miss her, and hopefully one of those two will bring her back in a coaching or technical role.
Sofia Jakobsson, Forward, Sweden: 9
Jakobsson was one of Sweden’s best players of the Women’s World Cup. Against England she had three shots, all on goal. Her speed down the right tormented England’s defenders, and within minutes of switching to the left she curled in the winning golazo.
Jakobsson only played 11 games for Chelsea in 2013, but on performances like this the Blues should claim her as one of her own (even if Montpelier can make the case over eight times stronger).
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