Soccer-England's women display same old failings

LONDON, June 10 (Reuters) - England's women were praised for their work rate but the old failings that so often dog their male counterparts, namely a lack of flair, were all too evident as they lost to France in their World Cup opener on Tuesday. They managed only three shots at goal during the 1-0 defeat in Group F and while coach Mark Sampson described the performance as giving his side "a platform" to build on, a more positive approach will be required against Mexico and Colombia. It was all depressingly familiar for fans of English football who still have fresh memories of last year's World Cup in Brazil where Roy Hodgson's side again looked well short of the technical skills to compete with the best. France, the third-ranked women's side, played far more creatively while England offered precious little in attack. Sampson, however, appeared delighted with his team. "That was an excellent England performance, " he said. "If people are looking to see a group of players willing to work hard, put their bodies on the line, and stick together, they got value for money." Not everyone shared his upbeat assessement. Arsenal's 35-year-old forward Rachel Yankey, who was not included in the squad, told the BBC: "The girls really need to go out and show the world what they can do because we have got some good players. "Hopefully, in the next game, England can push on more." (Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Alan Baldwin)