There's always going to be chitter-chatter about who misses out in a squad announcement, especially when the stakes are as high as a World Cup.
The small clubhouse at Boldmere St. Michaels must have been host to a huge gasp when the squad announcement came through on Wednesday afternoon, but as we are witness to this paradisiacal tenure under Sarina Wiegman, surely the doubters have no reason to be coming out this early?
Although she features on the small standby list, there is no doubt that Maya Le Tissier is the one name that almost had to be in the 23 selected. Many pundits, fans and experts put it as a 'given' that the 21-year-old would be on there, and despite making only two appearances for the Lionesses, she has had a stellar campaign with the Red Devils.
Esme Morgan is the name on the sheet that people maybe didn't expect. The Manchester City defender has also been brilliant, but their noisy neighbour's consistent performances and 2nd place finish was because of their backbone, and the commitment by the back four that Marc Skinner has become accustomed to using.
In fact you could provide an argument that Hannah Blundell and Millie Turner could've had their tickets to Australia booked in addition to their defensive partner. Their partnership at left-back and left centre-back would've been a perfect combination in the starting lineup, let alone the selected 23, having kept out countless goals in the WSL for Manchester United.
If it was an argument on who has had more experience with the Lionesses, then it would've been a call that lingered long in the mind of Sarina Wiegman. Le Tissier made her debut only one month later than Morgan, both featuring in the early winter of 2022.
Very tight margins.
What do the stats suggest?
Stats-wise, Le Tissier has been arguably much better. The centre-back pitched in with four goal contributions and has had more playing time than Morgan. She boasts an astonishing 74.92 passes attempted (Pa) per 90, with an 85.3% pass completion (Pc) rate. However, Morgan is not so far behind, with a slightly lower tally of 70.70 Pa per 90 but a marginally higher 85.5% Pc rate.
In my judgement, it's way too close to call. I had Le Tissier penned down, but we have learned in recent times that we can never judge Wiegman's selection. Her versatility at centre-back and full-back is needed in a knockout tournament, and if Lucy Bronze is to pick up a recurring injury, Le Tissier would naturally slot in to cover.
With many key players out to injury, she has had to make some hard choices, and the inclusion of Beth England as an extra striker may be crucial in the latter stages of the tournament. Striker over an extra defender is the clear priority, and while it may not go down a fan favourite, we are not the experts. As long as Wiegman has been in charge there hasn't been one mistake that we can hold her fully accountable to. After all, her first loss came in April 2023, maintaining an undefeated rate of an incredible 30 matches.
So while the likelihood of Maya Le Tissier featuring for the Lionesses this summer is marginal, reliant England hopefully not having the spate of bad luck that Arsenal received in the winter and towards the end of the season, there's no valid reason to turn on Wiegman or even Morgan.
Stopping the stress and enjoying what is left of the post-season break will be beneficial rather than contemplating on the 23 like an aspiring lawyer in their Bar Exam, that is until the 22nd July when the Lionesses hit the ground running against Haiti at the SunCorp Stadium.