KATHRYN BATTE: England miss Leah Williamson’s ability to pass out from the back and the answer is moving Alex Greenwood to centre half but there are risks… So will Sarina Wiegman stick or twist?

When Leah Williamson was ruled out of the World Cup through injury, England lost their captain and one of the world’s best defenders. But what may have been overlooked is that they also lost an important part of their attack.

England have not scored from open play since Williamson’s injury, with goalless back-to-back draws against Portugal and Canada ahead of Saturday’s 1-0 win over Haiti in which Georgia Stanway scored from the penalty spot.

Williamson’s absence is not the only reason. England created chances but were wasteful in front of goal. However, it is clear that their build-up play has not been nearly as effective without Williamson on defense.

One of England’s biggest problems against resilient Haiti was Keira Walsh being kicked out of the game by husband and wife.

The Lionesses are used to this from opposition teams, but they were able to counter this with Williamson carrying the ball out of defence. This would either drag Walsh’s markers out of position or leave her room to ride in them.

The Arsenal centre-back is also one of the best players at breaking defensive lines with her passing. England failed to execute this effectively against Haiti and regularly gave the ball away in their own half. What helps Williamson is that she has played in midfield before – and last season she was sometimes pushed higher up the pitch by Arsenal due to injuries.

In their Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich, Williamson turned in a player-of-the-match performance in the midfield role, including a back-heeled assist. While England cannot replace her, it is possible to replicate the way they played with Williamson in the team.

This would mean Manchester City defender Alex Greenwood will move from left-back to centre-back alongside Millie Bright, while Jess Carter will move to left-back. Greenwood has a similar style to Williamson. She can break lines, take the ball out of defense and is comfortable in possession. But Sarina Wiegman opted to go for a natural left-footer at fullback, meaning Greenwood started wide while Carter was brought in at center with Bright.

This meant England had two centre-backs whose strengths do not dribble out of defence. Bright is capable of playing impressive long range passes, although she was careless in possession against Haiti, but it’s different to how Williamson plays through the opposing defence.

Carter had a 96 percent success rate, but most of those were sideways or backwards. However, she is England’s best 1v1 defender and that may be why Wiegman is keen to have her in the centre. Meanwhile, Bright gave the ball away 15 times as she attempted to assume the role of Williamson. As she entered her first competitive match since March, some rust was to be expected.

Greenwood had the most touches of any player on the pitch and while she is undoubtedly England’s best left-back, she may be more effective in the centre. She did produce two dangerous crosses that England should have converted, but her passing ability is wasted on the full back.

So, with Denmark next for the Lionesses, Wiegman is in a dilemma. Will she stick with Greenwood at left-back and Carter at center in the hope that England’s defense will click as the games progress?

Or will she risk changing a winning team by switching Carter and Greenwood to better utilize the latter’s passing and dribbling skills?

The England coach rarely makes tactical changes to her starting squad in tournaments. At last summer’s European Championship, she kept the same team for every game. As manager of the Netherlands, she made two changes at the 2019 World Cup and three at Euro 2017, two of which were enforced.

There’s little time to experiment in tournaments, so if Wiegman wants to change something, she should probably do it now.