The latest Lionesses squad is in and it is looking a little different than usual. Today's announcement sees Sarina Wiegman name her squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifying matches next month vs Greece. The 23 player squad will be hoping to win the two legged tie to progress to round 2 of the play-offs where they will compete for a spot at next years World Cup in Brazil. 

Noticeably missing from the squad is Ella Toone, Chloe Kelly & Aggie Beever-Jones. In place though we see Lexi Potter gaining her first call up for the senior team who has impressed so far this season for Chelsea. 18 year old Erica Meg Parkinson of the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL has also earnt a call up after impressing since joining the courage in the Summer. It is nice to see new names coming into a squad that until recently we have seen the same names called up over and over again. 

Looking at the defence it is nice to see a strong backline announced however, with Charles only playing her first game of the season last weekend are we relying too much on her too soon? I guess only time will tell. The full back positions are where the Lionesses often get caught out but could we see Greenwood over on the left and maybe Le Tissier in the middle getting the game time she deserves for her country? Uncapped Liverpool defender Fisk will also be wanting to make a name for herself so will we see her pick up her first cap for the senior team in this round of fixtures? Defence is what has let the Lionesses down the past few games and has changed a fair bit since their latest Euro win due to injuries and retirements so hopefully these next two games will show that the defensive line is looking stronger and that the players picked can communicate better than they have been doing especially looking back at their last game vs Spain when nothing seemed to be going right for them. 

In terms of the midfield for this round of fixtures the midfield options are a bit short however, there is plenty of quality on there. Blinkilde Brown has had a great start to the season at City so can she continue this in the qualifiers? Hopefully she gets the chance to prove herself with a good amount of game time. Potter is another one who we hope to see get some game time as she is really becoming a standout at Chelsea and has the potential to really make an impact on the Lionesses team. 

Looking at the attacking options this camp you would like to think that plenty of goals are going to be scored this camp however, only time will tell. Hemp has had an absolutely fantastic start to this season and hopefully she brings that across to the Lionesses as not only is she capable of getting the goals she can also provide plenty of assists. Hopefully we get to see Russo in her more natural role for the Lionesses too in the hopes of seeing her picking up her confidence after a bit of a rough start for Arsenal this season. Maybe a goal will help kickstart her season into another level and provide that boost that she can carry into performances for both club & country going forward. Hopefully we get to see Godfrey on the pitch in these fixtures too as we have all seen what she is capable of at London City Lionesses and she can really help push for goals for the Lionesses vs Greece and like Hemp she is more than capable of providing the assists too.

So here is how the squad for these games is currently looking...

Goalkeepers

Hannah Hampton - Chelsea

Khiara Keating - Liverpool

Anna Moorhouse - Manchester City (on loan from Orlando City) 

Defenders

Lucy Bronze - Chelsea

Jess Carter - Gotham FC

Niamh Charles - Manchester City 

Grace Fisk - Liverpool 

Alex Greenwood - Manchester City 

Maya Le Tissier - Manchester United

Esme Morgan - Washington Spirit

Leah Williamson - Arsenal 

Midfielders 

Laura Blinkilde Brown - Manchester City

Lucia Kendall - Aston Villa

Erica Meg Parkinson - North Carolina Courage

Lexi Potter - Chelsea

Georgia - Stanway - Arsenal

Keira Walsh - Chelsea

Forwards 

Freya Godfrey - London City Lionesses 

Lauren Hemp - Manchester City 

Lauren James - Chelsea

Beth Mead - Manchester City

Jess Park - Manchester United

Alessia Russo - Arsenal

It is going to be interesting to see if there are any changes due to injury in the run up to camp starting and who would be brought in as replacement if needed. This squad certainly has the potential to push the Lionesses to the next round of qualifying though so let's see how it plays out. The Lionesses take on Greece in Heraklion on Friday the 9th of October before playing the second leg at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday the 13th of October. 

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