Kelly Smith Women’s Euros column: England can edge Germany to glory
England legend Kelly Smith returns with her final column of Women's Euro 2022 as the Lionesses face Germany in the final at a sold-out Wembley Stadium.
I can't wait for the final and it was some way for England to get there by beating Sweden 4-0. Being honest though, if you look at the match itself it wasn't a 4-0 game.
Sweden could easily have been 2-0 up but just weren't clinical enough and Mary Earps made a brilliant save inside the first 30 seconds.
But you have to give England so much credit because once Lucy Bronze scored the second goal just after half-time they really took control of the game.
That confidence and belief is probably something we've not seen from an England team before.
They'll still want to learn from the start they made as they were definitely nervous and it was a little bit too open early on. I think Sarina Wiegman will be telling them to keep it tighter defensively in those early stages, especially the first 10 minutes.
That being said, keeping it tight is important but England have still got to commit to their style of high pressing, front-foot football to do themselves justice.
Sunday's match itself is a dream come true. England v Germany, the history of that rivalry, at such an iconic stadium as Wembley with 90,000 fans there was something I couldn't even have imagined was possible when I first started playing football.
I played in the 2009 Euros final and we crumbled in the final half-hour to lose 6-2.
I know Germany have won it eight times but there just isn't that same fear factor as there was back then. If I have one regret it's that we were in the game but we didn't believe.
That won't happen on Sunday.
Popp the obvious German threat
England's biggest focus has to be on stopping Alexandra Popp.
She's scored in every round and leads the Golden Boot race alongside Beth Mead with six goals in total.
Four of her goals have been with her head. Stopping that supply line, especially the connection she has with Svenja Huth, will be vital but if England can't do so then it's going to be a huge game for Millie Bright in central defence alongside Leah Williamson.
Bright was brilliant against Spain and she'll have to be just as good here.
Those two will have to know where Popp is at every moment because she's so aggressive and lethal in the air.
Mead vs. Popp
The match could ultimately come down to a moment of quality from the two players battling it out to win the Golden Boot in Popp and Beth Mead.
Whoever scores probably wins it - if they finish level then Mead's five assists would be the tiebreaker - and that could win the whole thing for their team.
I actually think the Player of the Tournament award should be between those two as well, although I probably would always say that as a former striker.
For Mead to have registered 11 goal involvements in the tournaments is pretty astonishing.
But we have to mention Alessia Russo too. She's been phenomenal, with the impact she has had off the bench in every match difficult to overstate.
She must be the first person ever to truly be in contention for Player of the Tournament having never started a game.
Earps an unsung hero
Someone who deserves a lot of praise and could play a huge part is Mary Earps.
She's come up big when England have needed her, making key saves at key times all tournament which isn't easy when you're not involved for long periods.
If it does go to penalties (which hopefully it doesn't!) then it's huge to have a keeper in such great form.
What you can also be sure of is that Sarina will have her as prepared as she possibly can be for the shootout. The same goes for anyone taking a penalty.
England to edge it?
Like England, Germany have only conceded one goal all tournament so they will take some real breaking down.
If they can get into their flow - quick, incisive passing and third-player running - then I do think they can get through what will be a stubborn, well-organised defence but it wouldn't be a huge surprise if it ended goalless given how good both sides have been defensively. If the history of England v Germany is anything to go by then there's every chance we could end up with penalties...
While they do have strong defences, more than anything it's the creative, attacking flair that has got both sides to this point so I just can't see them doing anything other than sticking to their principles and going for it.
Possession could be the key. Germany are so well-organised, defend from the front and press in the right areas but England must try and play through that press.
If they can get Keira Walsh on the ball, who has the quality and composure to pick the right pass, that could make the difference.
She dictates the tempo of the match, threads passes to Fran Kirby in the number 10 role, who has really grown in to this tournament, and can spread the ball wide to Mead and Lauren Hemp who ought to cause damage - I think the key battles will happen on the flanks.
But it really is such a hard game to call. Up to this point I've been so confident with England against every team they've played but Germany have impressed me so much through the whole tournament - they mean business.
Neck on the line, I think I'm going 1-0 England in 90 minutes.
I just really hope it doesn't go to penalties. Please.
More from Sporting Life
- Women's Euros best bets and analysis
- Fixtures, results and live scores
- Expert xG analysis and features
- Transfer news and done deals
- Football and other sports tips
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.