Wiegman pays price for lack of defensive pragmatism as Spain expose technical gap | Tom Garry

England were outclassed in Mallorca and would have been better served by trying to contain the world champions

As the game ticked into second-half stoppage time, Spain were almost showboating, Aitana Bonmatí flicking the ball around the pitch with grace, style and a swagger that sent out an emphatic message: Spain are significantly better than England.

On a balmy evening in Palma, the world champions taught the European champions a painful lesson. The scoreline was one thing but, more alarmingly, the undeniable gulf in technical ability between the teams gave the Lionesses a brutal reality check, a year out from the Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Yes, it is OK to still talk about England preparing for that World Cup, despite the fact that Spain are now in pole position to secure automatic qualification at England’s expense, probably sending Sarina Wiegman’s team into a two-round playoff process later this year. Given the playoff format, England will still be hugely fancied to qualify. There is no need for panic. But England’s objective is not to merely qualify – their dream is to win a first world title and that ambition, right now, looks a long way off.

Of course it is less than 11 months since England got the better of Spain in the European Championship final, but what became clear with Friday’s heavy defeat, was that 2025’s glorious triumph in Basel came as a result of every England player being right at the very top of their game, and the team nailing their tactical plan, whereas this game showed that, player for player, Spain are superior. Put these two squads through a skills test and Spain would sweep the board.

To be fair, there were some extenuating circumstances around England’s sloppy performance, not least the fact that many of the Lionesses squad had gone 20 days without a game, since the Women’s Super League season ended on 16 May, while the Spanish top flight continued until 31 May. That will have helped Spain arrive on Mallorca with the match sharpness to put on a show for their fans. But this was England’s heaviest defeat of the Wiegman era, eclipsing 2023’s 2-0 friendly loss to Australia, and the margin of victory could – and probably should – have been greater.

Did England’s head coach make some mistakes? There was an understandable logic to Wiegman’s decision to start Ella Toone, given her extensive experience of big games, but it clearly backfired, as the Manchester United midfielder was evidently not match-sharp and was off the pace throughout. But she was not alone. Lucy Bronze, usually a rock that England can depend on, had Spain forwards running rings around her and she gave possession away cheaply for the opening goal. Alex Greenwood, so often a hugely reliable and experienced leader, appeared to play Alexia Putellas onside for the second goal, which Hannah Hampton got two hands to but failed to keep out. The Chelsea goalkeeper had a disappointing night, as did the centre-back pairing of Esme Morgan and Lotte Wubben-Moy who had been immense in April’s reverse fixture, but here they were no match for Putellas, Salma Paralluelo and later the substitute Clàudia Pina.

You might say it is easy to point out failings with the benefit of hindsight but England’s tactical approach to this game should have been significantly more defensive. Wiegman’s side started with a dangerously high line, and while their commitment to their core principles will be admirable to some people, a more pragmatic approach was needed. In the buildup Wiegman spoke of always “going out to win”. But a draw was what was required.

Even losing by only a one-goal margin would have kept England’s chances of automatic qualification very high, ahead of Tuesday’s home fixture against the weakest team in the group, Ukraine, who have lost five from five. If two teams were to finish level on points in this group, their head-to-head records would be the decisive factor, so losing by a goal in Mallorca, and cancelling out England’s impressive 1-0 victory over Spain at Wembley in April, would have been a decent outcome.

This group was always likely to hinge on what amounted to a two-legged tie between these two sides. The mindset England needed in this second game was that they were 1-0 up on aggregate. Dig in, scrap, slow the clock down and maybe consider a five across the back or a more defensively minded, deeper midfield three.

Instead, England played for a win and Spain demonstrated why they will be the favourites for next summer’s World Cup. England will need to search deep within for some solutions.