Phil Neville faces dilemma over England’s final cut for World Cup

As the end of England’s long road to France 2019 becomes visible on the horizon, their coach, Phil Neville, is agonising over the composition of his squad for June’s World Cup finals. With the party set to be named in four weeks’ time, what did he learn from a recent friendly defeat by Canada and win against Spain?

Jade Moore must be on the plane to Nice

A lack of full fitness has largely excluded the Reading midfielder from England duty during Neville’s tenure but her vision and passing precision helped to undo an initially dominant Spain on Tuesday in the 2-1 win at Swindon, where she created Beth Mead’s and Ellen White’s goals. Mark Sampson, Neville’s predecessor, invariably selected Moore for the biggest games and the reason why was crystal clear. Moreover, Moore’s return surely ends the current England coach’s experiment with Lucy Bronze in central midfield. Yes, the Lyon player can play there but she is arguably the world’s best right-back and it is from that position that her dynamism is most effective.

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Jill Scott makes this team tick

Captain in the injured Steph Houghton’s absence at Swindon, Scott won cap number 134, emphasising her enduring importance to this team. “Jill’s vital to us,” Neville said after watching Scott completely change the evening’s narrative by disrupting Spain’s early possession. That deconstruction of the visiting midfield also served as a reminder that, had she not been suspended for the Euro 2017 semi-final defeat against the Netherlands, England might well have the reached the final. Several things went against the Lionesses that night, including a security scare which saw them arrive very late, but Scott’s absence possibly proved pivotal.

Millie Bright and Leah Williamson dovetail well in central defence

Houghton, currently in stellar form, remains an automatic first choice but Bright, an “if in doubt boot it into row X” centre-half and the elegant, ball-playing Williamson dovetailed so well neither the captain nor Bronze was missed as much as might have been expected in Wiltshire.

Beth Mead is maturing at precisely the right moment

The Arsenal forward turned winger has scored five goals in 12 England appearances and seems to be gaining strength, physically and mentally, with every game. Although she was the WSL’s leading scorer four years ago, doubts about the then Sunderland striker’s maturity dictated that Sampson omitted her from his Canada 2015 squad but, at 23, she looks ready for France. “Beth’s turned a bit of a corner,” said Neville. “She’s the nicest, sweetest, girl you could ever meet but she’s gone from nice Beth Mead to hungry Beth Mead; she’s challenging to be a starter.” If Mead seems well capable of pushing Barcelona’s Toni Duggan to the bench, White is seriously challenging Jodie Taylor’s status as first-choice central striker.

Beth Mead slides in to score against Spain.Photograph: JASONPIX/REX/Shutterstock

Canada impressed but Spain proved possession can be overrated

Related: Toni Duggan: ‘I’ve been bigging up the Spain game like a World Cup final’

After a disappointing 1-0 defeat by an impressive Canada in Manchester last Friday, Neville took England to the County Ground, a stadium situated, infamously, next to Swindon’s Magic Roundabout. A tricky juxtaposition of central and mini roundabouts, it seemed an apt location to be facing gifted Iberian opponents blessed with bewildering dexterity on the ball. For 12 minutes or so England seemed as fazed as a learner driver confronted by Swindon’s principal motoring challenge but from then on, they dominated, deserving victory. No matter that the Lionesses had only 37% of possession, they used it incisively.

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So what happens next?

Neville cuts his squad to 23 for France. “It’s going to be difficult,” the England coach said. “I know how I’m going to do it, I know when I’m going to do it but I just don’t know who it’s going to be. Telling people they’re out isn’t easy. It’s happened to me three times as a player so I’m probably the best person in the world to understand. But I have to be ruthless and put the best players on the plane.” Already without the injured Jordan Nobbs’s creativity, he hopes Chelsea’s Fran Kirby, brilliant at operating between the lines, recovers from knee trouble before the final friendlies against Denmark in Walsall on 25 May and New Zealand at Brighton a week later.