Four WSL players who need to impress to earn Lionesses World Cup call-ups

Remarkably, 2023 could be an even bigger year for the Lionesses than 2022, with a FIFA Women's World Cup taking place next summer in Australia and New Zealand.

The European champions will head Down Under as one of the favourites to lift the trophy, as a talented group of players aim to win two major tournaments back-to-back. Although England's first game of the tournament on July 22 may still seem far away, but with only two more international breaks to come this season, only a handful of chances remain to impress.

Securing a place in Sarina Wiegman 's squad for the Arnold Clark Cup may go a long way to securing a players seat on the lengthy journey to Australia. But with injuries and dips in form always a factor there are no guarantees.

Form throughout the second half of the WSL season will become a factor and several players on the fringes of the national squad will need to impress at club level first and foremost. Talk of who can get themselves 'on the plane' could dominate the second of the half season and with Wiegman never easy to second guess, the final few places in the squad are likely to do down to the wire.

Here Mirror Football looks at four players who need a strong second half of the season if they are to be involved in the 23-player squad.

Beth England

With Beth England set to leave WSL leaders Chelsea for London rivals Tottenham, many have questioned why the talented forward is leaving one of the strongest sides in Europe to join a team struggling at the wrong end of the table. But the forwards' need for game time with the World Cup looming is understood to be one of the main reasons for the big money switch.

England, has 11 goals in her 21 caps for the Lionesses, but fell down the pecking order just prior to Euro 2022 as Ellen White or Alessia Russo led the line up front. White's subsequent retirement look to have reignited her international hopes ahead of a World Cup season and she did score twice in a 10-0 win over Luxembourg at the start of the season.

However, she has struggled for minutes at Chelsea since and wasn't selected for the October or November international camps. Wiegman will need to see her on the pitch and scoring at WSL grounds, if England is to get herself back in the fold ahead of the summer.

If she can adapt to her new surroundings and find her best form at Tottenham quickly, Spurs should be able to get their season back on track. And England will still have a good chance of making the final squad.

Demi Stokes

One of the longest-serving members of the Euros squad, Demi Stokes was dropped for the final internationals of the year against Japan and Norway. Although she wasn't in the starting team at Euro 2022, Stokes did play for Team GB only 12 months previously at the Tokyo Olympics.

She is still a solid option at left-back and when you consider how much experience England have lost in the last few months, due to the retirements of Jill Scott and Ellen White, it is perhaps surprising Stokes wasn't included. But to do so she will have to get back in the Manchester City team.

Stokes is currently having to settle for being back-up to the excellent Leila Ouahab, who has made a fine start to life at City since her move from Barcelona. However a loan-move in January could be what she needs to stake a claim for her England place, and if she can get a run of games together, Wiegman may struggle to leave her out.

England often settle for using utility players at left-back, forward Rachel Daly playing there during the Euros. But if Stokes gets herself in form, it would be a brave call not to take an experienced, natural full-back.

Katie Robinson

Brighton wonderkid Katie Robinson won her first England cap in the 1-1 draw with Norway as an 83rd substitute, a result that ensured the Lionesses went unbeaten throughout 2022. The pacey winger has been one of the biggest positives from Brighton's season so far and undoubtedly has the ability to play at the top of the game.

However, competition for forward places in the current crop of Lionesses is fierce. Even if Beth Mead is unable to make the squad due to her ACL injury, there is still Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly, Lauren James, Ebony Salmon, Nikita Parris and potentially Rachel Daly competing for wide spots, while Alessia Russo and England could vie for the central spot.

Robinson will have to perform on a consistent basis for Albion throughout the second half of the season to get herself near the front of the queue. However, she doesn't have to worry about game time or higher expectations, unlike some of her rivals.

Wiegman is always keen to give youth a chance and if Robinson continues to build on her breakthrough season in January, she has every chance of making the Arnold Clark Cup squad the following month.

Maya Le Tissier

It is unfair to put undue pressure on Le Tissier who was broken through as one of the standout defenders in the league in the last year and is still only 20, like Robinson. Regardless of whether she is selected next summer, many more major tournaments will come in the future.

But having proven herself as a consistent performer for a Manchester United team flying high in the WSL, the Guernsey-born stopper now has a great chance of making the plane to Australia. Le Tissier also won her first cap in the draw with Norway and gave a steady performance at right-back, no mean feat considering she has spent most of this season at centre-half for United.

Barring injury or a huge collapse in form, Wiegman is certain to take Leah Williamson, Millie Bright and Lotte Wubben-Moy as her primary three centre-backs to Australia. Even if Alex Greenwood also goes as cover, the Dutchwoman could conceivably find room for a fourth centre-back.

If so there is no reason Le Tissier can't earn that spot and she could prove impossible to leave out if United were able to win the title. Niamh Charles and Gabby George will also fancy their chances, but if Le Tissier can replicate her form from the last six months in 2023, she will be in pole position.

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