Phil Neville speaks “I don’t feel it’s a gamble. I would have been letting myself and my players down if I hadn’t made changes. If I don’t trust the players in a game like this, then I can’t trust them in the World Cup. I’m really excited about this game because there’s a freshness to the side. It’s a great opportunity for them and I can’t wait to see them play. I want us to come out of the blocks flying and to enjoy the game. It’s the game I’ve been looking forward to the most.”
There’s still no sign of the players, so it’s probably safe to assume the kick-off will be at twenty-five past the hour. In that case, I’m away for a coffee.
There’s some confusion over the kick-off time. The official site says 5.15pm local time, a few other places say 5.25pm. I’m 4,195 miles away from the Raymond James Stadium, so I’m not in the best position to provide a definitive answer.
Team news
The England manager Phil Neville said he would rotate for this game, and he has made eight changes. The three players who started the 2-2 draw against the USA are Lucy Bronze, who returns to right-back, the captain Steph Houghton and Keira Walsh. Japan have made six changes from the team that Brazil 3-1.
Japan (4-4-2) Yamane; Shimizu, Minami, Oga, Sameshima; Sakaguchi, Matsubara, Sugita, Hasegawa; Ikejiri, Endo.
Substitutes: Takenaka, Utsugi, Ariyoshi, Kobayashi, Momiki, Miiura, Yokoyama, Miyagawa.
England (4-2-3-1) Telford; Bronze, Houghton, Williamson, Greenwood; Christiansen, Walsh; Mead, Staniforth, Carney; Taylor.
Substitutes: Bardsley, Eraps, Bonner, McManus, Stokes, Daly, Kirby, Ubogagu, Stanway, Duggan, Parris, White.
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Preamble
Hello. If you’re going to take part in a World Cup warm-up, you might as well practice lifting a trophy. Japan and England go into tonight’s match in Florida knowing that a victory will ensure they get their hands on the SheBelieves Cup, regardless of what happens in the late fixture between the United States and Brazil.
Victory and confidence are a virtuous circle, and winning this trophy would give England so much, erm, belief going into this summer’s World Cup in France. They will play Japan there, too, in the group stage, a meeting that will bring back a few traumatic memories of the 2015 semi-final.
Tonight? The DeLorean is still at the mechanics, and I can’t find my Grays Almanac, so I’ve no idea what’s going to happen. But both teams have been pretty impressive so far, with a win over Brazil and a draw with the reigning world champions, the United States.
Japan are the team who never go away; an injury-time equaliser gave them a 2-2 draw with the USA and they scored twice in the last 10 minutes to beat Brazil. If Steph Houghton lifts the SheBelieves Cup in a few hours’ time, England will really have earned it.
Kick off is at 5.25pm Florida time, 7.25am in Tokyo, 10.25pm in London.
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