da bet sport： The reigning WSL Player of the Year continues to be shifted around by her international manager, which is neither benefitting the player nor the team

da dobrowin： England will be under no illusions of how tricky this UEFA Women's Nations League campaign is going to be after a late defeat to the Netherlands on Tuesday evening blew their group wide open, with a Belgium side that has never before qualified for the Women's World Cup sitting in pole position after two rounds of action. The Lionesses had started the new competition strongly with a win over neighbours Scotland last Friday, but a dramatic loss in Utrecht just four days later has raised several questions.

Thirty-three days after losing the World Cup final to Spain, Sarina Wiegman's side looked commanding and exciting in the first half of their opening game, scoring two good goals after being unlucky to have another ruled out for offside. The second half of that match was concerning, though, with England fortunate not to concede an equaliser. They would not get away with such sloppiness against Wiegman's home country, the Netherlands scoring a well-deserved 90th minute winner to bounce back from a shock defeat to Belgium in their opening match.

There is a lot at stake in the Nations League. The winners of the four groups in League A – one of which features England – will qualify for the competition's finals and have the chance to win a trophy. On top of that, the two teams that reach the final (unless one is France) will qualify for the women's football tournament at next summer's Olympics, to be hosted by Paris, something which is a big goal for England, Wiegman and Great Britain. Oh, and there is a place at the 2025 Euros to secure, too.

It wasn't a disastrous start to the competition by the Lionesses – after all, they've got a win on the board – but there is plenty to consider ahead of a double-header with table-toppers Belgium in October.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from England's September fixtures…

GettyLOSER: Rachel Daly

When Wiegman made it known that Alessia Russo would be rested for England's first game in this international break, it gave Rachel Daly a huge opportunity to impress. The Aston Villa star is still struggling to get game time as a No.9 for her country, but that is where she started against Scotland and she played well, unlucky to have a goal ruled out for a controversial offside before creating the Lionesses' second of the night with a brilliant assist.

However, in the second half of that win, she was moved back into the wing-back role she occupied for most of the World Cup and it limited her offensive threat. It was something of a surprise, too, because Daly and Russo are England's only centre-forward options in this squad while Bethany England recovers from surgery. If Daly was going to play 90 minutes, why not make them all as a No.9 and bring one of the versatile defenders off the bench to play at wing-back?

Four days later, Daly started in that wing-back role against the Netherlands as Russo took her place up front and she was picked apart by the lively Victoria Pelova, who ran rings around her as the Dutch went on to win the game. Indeed, Daly was booked for bringing the Arsenal star down and taken off at half-time as England changed shape.

Wiegman is still struggling to get the best out of last season's Women's Super League Player of the Year and Golden Boot winner, and it's not only a hindrance to the player but also to the Lionesses, who would certainly be better if a goalscorer like Daly could be integrated effectively into the team.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWINNER: Alessia Russo

Out-scored by both Daly and England last season, Russo's form has been a hot topic of discussion for some time now, but the signs going into the new season are good for her, the Lionesses and Arsenal, who she has joined after leaving Manchester United this summer.

Yes, she missed a penalty in the Gunners' decisive Champions League shootout with Paris FC earlier this month, but she also netted twice in that match from the bench, and she got another goal on international duty this week, too, with her strike against the Netherlands a wonderful finish.

Wiegman's decision to rest Russo for England's first match was a wise one and hopefully she will reap the rewards of the week away with her country, having had a little bit of time to recover and got on the scoresheet before Arsenal's WSL campaign starts on Sunday.

It's clear that she is still the first choice centre forward for the Lionesses, too.

GettyLOSER: The back three

One of the biggest questions going into this international window was about the formation that England would use. Wiegman has long set the Lionesses up in a 4-3-3 system, but she changed to a 3-5-2 during the World Cup and it helped the team reach the final.

Indeed, it was the latter that the coach opted for in these September games and that meant the second fixture, against the Netherlands, was going to be a big one. The Dutch are well-versed in three-at-the-back systems and so would be the toughest test of Wiegman's new set-up to date – too tough a test, it turned out.

With wing-backs Pelova and Esmee Brugts causing tons of problems for England in the first half, the World Cup runners-up came out for the second period in a 4-3-3. It's clear that there's still a fair bit of fine-tuning for Wiegman and her team to do if the Lionesses want to improve in the 3-5-2.

Getty ImagesWINNER: Mary Earps

England might not have kept a clean sheet in these two games, but goalkeeper Mary Earps certainly did her reputation as one of the best in the world in her position no harm. The Manchester United shot-stopper spoke openly this month about the struggles she'd endured while having her body language and facial impressions scrutinised amid transfer interest from Arsenal, but it was clear from her performances for the Lionesses that even that hasn't distracted her from putting in top performances.

A fantastic save to deny Caroline Weir in the win over Scotland caught the eye and Earps made a couple of great saves in the defeat to the Netherlands, too, most notably a low stop to thwart Pelova.

With the new WSL season starting on Sunday, United will be encouraged to see that their No.1 is laser-focused despite finding the attention on her difficult as of late.