There is a sense of deja vu about the role Kelly and Agyemang are playing.
At Euro 2022, regular substitutes Alessia Russo and Ella Toone featured in six games from the bench.
Toone scored twice – including in the final – while Russo netted four goals, the most of any substitute at a women’s European Championship.
Wiegman has made a point of highlighting her “finishers” – the players she brings on at the end of a game. For the England manager, they are as important a part of the equation as those who start.
Former England striker Rachel Daly said Wiegman has “got it right so far” with her team selection.
“It’s working. Don’t fix what isn’t broken,” she said on the Daly Brightness podcast., external
“People will call out ‘start them’ but there is so much to be said for people who can come on and make a difference. It’s really difficult to do.”
Agyemang’s statistics at Euro 2025 are impressive.
She averages 6.1 shots per 90 minutes, compared with Russo’s 2.9 – although the magnitude of the difference is partly explained by England chasing games against tiring opposition when the young forward has come on.
Her 15.17 touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes are also the most of any England player.
Daly’s thoughts have been echoed by former Lionesses goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain, who said Wiegman “loves to stick with what she knows”.
“I don’t think Sarina Wiegman’s going to change her team at all. If those 11 players are fit then those 11 players will start the final,” she said on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.
“England play the game for their substitutes – Alessia Russo and Ella Toone were the ones in the last Euros. This year she’s got the same.
“She’s got her trusted 11. There have been a couple of tweaks but not much, and she knows she has talent to come off the bench and change the game when she needs it.”
