There are a lot of reasons why England won the European Championship back in 2022. Mary Earps' solidity behind a defence that protected her brilliantly, Keira Walsh's other-worldly displays in midfield and form that put Beth Mead in the Ballon d'Or conversation are just a few of those. But, amid it all, Sarina Wiegman's management always stood out, particularly when it came to her substitutions.
So many big goals in that tournament were scored by players that came off the Lionesses' bench. When England finally broke the deadlock in the quarter-final win over Spain, it was one substitute assisting another, as Alessia Russo's header was knocked down for Ella Toone to finish; Russo was the player who put the finishing touches on the semi-final win over Sweden, with a stunningly memorable backheel; while both goals in the final were from subs, with Toone again opening the scoring before Chloe Kelly scored that iconic winner in extra-time.
Since that magical summer, though, Wiegman has struggled to find players to replace the likes of Russo, Toone and Kelly as they've been absorbed into the starting XI on a regular basis. Indeed, a 21-game stretch that ended with February's 1-0 win over Spain saw England's subs contribute just two goals and one assist, only one of which was result-altering. For a long time, when things haven't been going to plan for the Lionesses, the bench hasn't done much to change that.
That is until recently. England's last five games have offered a glimmer of hope that this is changing, with five goals scored by subs in that time, though that none of those have helped to change a result for the better for the Lionesses is a reminder that there is still work to be done to make the bench as valuable an asset as it was three years ago.
So, as Wiegman's side prepare to begin their European title defence, who are the players who could be the Russos, the Toones and the Kellys of 2025? GOAL looks at those with the potential to be the game-changers in Switzerland...