Arnold Clark Cup 2023: Can England's success propel them to FIFA Women’s World Cup glory?

The past year has been a brilliant one for women’s football in England.

From their European Championship win in July, to their record-breaking win over World Champions USA, to their recent retainment of the Arnold Clark Cup - the Lionesses don’t seem to be slowing down their success anytime soon.

Alongside collective achievements solo stars have shone as well, with the likes of Mary Earps collecting The Best Women’s Goalkeeper award, manager Sarina Wiegman being awarded The Best Women’s Coach and Beth Mead finishing runner-up to Alexia Putellas for The Best Women’s Player award.

So, how did Wiegman lead the Lionesses to Arnold Clark success, and what can we expect to see from her this summer?

Arnold Clark Cup 2023: England 4-0 Korea Republic

England kicked off their Arnold Clark Cup in impressive form with a comfortable 4-0 win over Republic of Korea at Stadium MK.

Georgia Stanway opened the scoring as she stepped up to take a penalty just minutes before the half-time break.

Her goal was followed by three others in the second half, with Chloe Kelly, Lauren James and Alessia Russo all finding the back of the net.

The Lionesses controlled the game with ease, and it was Chelsea’s Lauren James who stole the show with an incredible attacking performance.

The comfortable scoreline presented manager Wiegman with the opportunity to rotate, and in doing so brought on Laura Coombs who made her first England appearance in over eight years.

Brighton’s Katie Robinson, Manchester City’s Lauren Hemp, Manchester United’s Katie Zelem and Chelsea’s Niamh Charles all came off the bench to get some minutes under their belts - and were undoubtedly keen to impress their manager ahead of this summer.

From the offset Wiegman was passionate about retaining this cup, but it was evident that her second objective was to experiment with the wealth of talent she has in this England squad.

Arnold Clark Cup 2023: England 2-1 Italy

Rachel Daly started up top for England against Italy, and opened the scoring half an hour into play with a powerful header.

England dominated the majority of the game, but Italy found a way back in thanks to Sofia Cantore - a goal that the Lionesses were sure to have been disappointed to concede.

It was Rachel Daly yet again who found herself on the end of a Lauren James cross and doubled England’s scoreline.

Wiegman made nine changes to her squad, bringing in Jess Park, Katie Robinson, Niamh Charles and Maya Le Tissier, and she continued to experiment with setup throughout the ninety minutes.

Jordan Nobbs and Ebony Salmon both came off the bench, as well as Lauren James and Chloe Kelly who had impressed against Republic of Korea.

Arnold Clark Cup 2023: England 6-1 Belgium

Wiegman heavily rotated her starting XI, telling the press pre-match that “we don't have to know our best eleven yet,” again reiterating her enthusiasm to give all of her players a chance to prove themselves before this summer’s World Cup.

Man United star Alessia Russo started up front at the expense of Rachel Daly, whilst both Kiera Walsh and Alex Greenwood retained their places from England’s previous game against Italy.

England opened the scoring in the 11th minute, with Lauren James finding Chloe Kelly who slotted it home. The assist from James yet again proved her worth in Wiegman’s squad - and strengthened the argument that she should definitely be on the plane to Australia and New Zealand this summer.

Lioness captain Leah Williamson doubled the scoring right before half-time and despite her brilliant first-half, Lauren James was replaced with Lauren Hemp.

England’s 3rd, 4th and 5th came from Chloe Kelly, a Belgian own goal, and Lucy Bronze. With just two minutes to play, Belgium’s Elena Dhont scored an incredible consolation goal before Williamson grabbed a brace from the edge of the box to make it 6-1.

The win secured England’s retention of the Arnold Clark Cup, with Lauren James walking away as Player of the Tournament and Chloe Kelly securing the Golden Boot.

This fixture alone demonstrated the Lionesses wealth of talent going forward, and as we move closer to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Wiegman will not be worried about finding goalscorers for her side.

Who England face next at the Arnold Clark Cup 2023

England’s success at this year’s Arnold Clark Cup was a crucial one to reiterate their danger at this year’s Women’s World Cup.

Wiegman put faith in her selection at the European Championships last summer - England started every single game of the tournament with the same XI - and it’s evident that the Lionesses boss is using every moment she has to experiment with the wealth of talent available to her.

With the likes of Lauren James quickly rising through the ranks, her decision this summer will be a tricky one.

Despite this summer’s fast approaching tournament, England now turn their attention to the Finalissima against Brazil on Thursday 6 April at Wembley Stadium.

The Lionesses will make it 30 games unbeaten if they are victorious against 2022 Copa América Femenina champions Brazil.

Shortly after on Tuesday 11 April, England will face FIFA Women’s World Cup co-hosts Australia in Brentford for a friendly fixture - yet again another chance to experiment ahead of this summer’s competition.