Does demolition of China prove Lauren James is now England's star player?

 

Sarina Wiegman has never been one to single out individuals, but even the England head coach knows right now many of her questions are going to be about Lauren James. 

 

Her fine strike to win the game against Denmark provided a taster to the world of what the Chelsea star was going to offer the Lionesses, but Tuesday’s 6-1 demolition of China sparked the fire. 

 

Still just 21 years of age, James has so often been referred to as a generational talent. The fact she is so young and has already at various points in her career been coveted by – and played for – Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United, speaks volumes. 

 

But to the wider world, she is perhaps still relatively unknown. James wasn’t a part of England’s Euro 2022-winning squad as she continued to find her feet with Emma Hayes’ Blues, but now she is taking centre stage. Those who didn’t know her now do. 

 

James became the first England player – male or female – to contribute to five goals in a single World Cup match, and at one point it was six in a row stretching back to last week’s game against Denmark. 

 

She is only the third since 2011 to do it in a Women’s World Cup, following on from Anja Mittag for Germany against Ivory Coast in 2015 and Alex Morgan who was involved in a remarkable eight goals when USA thrashed Thailand four years ago. 

 

There has been debate about what her best position is. The reality is she doesn’t appear to have one, or need one. She has played on the right, she has played through the middle, but it feels as though wherever she goes she will spark terror into the opposition defence. 

 

 

Her role on Tuesday though brought the best out of her. Utilised behind the strikers in a 3-4-1-2, James had the pace and quality of both Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp in front of her, and it took less than half an hour for her to set up both for England’s opening two goals. 

 

From then on, James took care of business herself. Maybe China were included in the list of nations where James’ talent is an unknown, because they had no interest in marking her as she curled home a brilliant first-time effort from a corner as the AFC champions gifted her the freedom of Adelaide to get her effort away. 

 

She was denied another superb goal just before the break, this time cutting in and curling home on her left foot, only for Lucy Bronze to be judged to have been offside in the build-up.  

 

Not to be thwarted again, James made up for it the second half, sending home a sublime first-time volley, again on her perceived ‘weaker’ left foot, from Jess Carter’s looping cross. Not satisfied with that, she sent a long ball forward soon after for Chloe Kelly to run through and score, before being subbed to high fives a plenty on the Lionesses bench. 

 

What though is so stark about James is everything feels effortless. From how she plays to her post-match interviews, she seems completely unflustered by the attention around her right now, which for what it’s worth is only a good thing for both her and England. 

 

Nothing she did against China was easy, yet she has the raw talent to make it look so. Two first-time finishes without even breaking a sweat, yet two strikes that are right up there with the best we’ve seen in the tournament so far.  

 

Yet for James, it appeared so easy. If she is to continue playing this way, it really is a cheat code for an England side who had been sub-par up to this point in the tournament. China made it comfortable for them, and it’s to be expected Nigeria won’t be quite so generous, but if James is in this form, she genuinely looks capable right now of winning games almost on her own. 

 

The scary thing is, for her opponents at least, she is just 21, and nowhere close to her peak. She is getting better, and will continue to get better, yet watching her you wonder just how much there can be to come, such is her level already. 

 

Against China, she had 69 touches of the ball, yet was devastating with almost all of them. She completed 39 of her 44 passes, completed four of her six dribbles, created three goals and scored two more herself. 

 

Just how far can England go with Lauren James in it remains to be seen, but they are all the better for having her in the starting XI.

Does demolition of China prove Lauren James is now England's star player?