England legend Fara Williams MBE says that Chelsea forward Lauren James has the potential to shine at this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The Lionesses are just a fortnight away from kicking-off their tournament with a group stage fixture against Haiti in Brisbane.
FAWSL Full-Time sat down with England legend Williams earlier this week to gather her thoughts ahead of the tournament and the former midfielder believes that Chelsea forward James could star for the Lionesses this summer.
“It’s a first tournament for Lauren James so I don’t want to put too much pressure on her but she is the future of this Lionesses team,” Williams said.
“She is massively talented and can do pretty much anything with the football. She plays the game at her own pace; she knows how to speed the game up or slow it down. With Lauren James, she plays the game with an intensity that nobody really understands; it can look like she is moving slowly but you still can’t get the ball off her.
“I can promise you that she is not an easy player to play against, she is a phenomenal talent.”
Given James’ ever-increasing profile in the game, the player is expected to deliver on the pitch and sometimes she attracts some unfair criticism when things don’t go her way. Williams says that England fans have to get behind James if the nation are to get the best out of her in Australia and New Zealand.
She said “England fans need to get behind her, she’s a young player who needs encouraging and doesn’t need negativity. She’s going to make errors because of the position where she plays, that’s what happens, you can lose the ball in the front third.
“To get the best out of our young players, it is about letting them be expressive without being criticised for that.”
Williams was speaking to FAWSL Full-Time at a LiveScore media event. Williams is teaming up with LiveScore as she sheds light on the some of the more obscure intricacies of players and teams at this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. You can keep up to date with all the key moments, content, scores, and tournament details from the FIFA Women’s World Cup with the LiveScore App.
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