Lauren James is the most naturally gifted footballer in the country. Those were the words of Chelsea manager Emma Hayes last month when James scored a hat-trick against Liverpool.
Hayes was right. James does so many good things on a football pitch and she can be a joy to watch at times. At the age of 16 she was told she could be the best player in the world by her then Manchester United boss Casey Stoney. But on Sunday we saw the petulant side of James which threatens to hold her back from fulfilling that potential.
With Chelsea trailing 3-1 away at Arsenal, James was penalised for a foul on Lotte Wubben-Moy. The referee’s whistle had gone and Arsenal’s Lia Walti had picked up the ball. But as James continued running forward, she deliberately stamped on Walti’s foot. James was lucky to escape a red card.
If VAR was in-use in the women’s game, then she would have been sent off. The incident was not dissimilar to when James saw red for England when she deliberately stepped on Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie at the World Cup.
Writing in her column for The Times during the World Cup, Stoney said: ‘I’ve seen that element of emotional immaturity from her in the past, so I wasn’t overly shocked, but she’s come so far, she’s matured so much.’
Lauren James was shown a yellow card for a stamp on Arsenal’s Lia Walti during the Blues’ 4-1 defeat by the Gunners at the weekend
If VAR was in operation during the game, James’ sanction could have been upgraded to a red
The Chelsea forward currently sits second in the Women’s Super League top scorers rankings, having amassed six goals so far this season
People have suggested that James is somebody that plays on the edge but that is not the case. The likes of Georgia Stanway and Katie McCabe play on the edge. They are aggressive and fly into tackles that sometimes cross the line. That is not James.
What both stamp incidents have in common is that they came in games where James was struggling to make an impact. Her actions are born out of frustration.
James’ talent has never been in doubt. You need only watch the first half of England’s recent win over Scotland to see that she can play football on a different level to everyone else. But there have been times when she has not started in big matches for both club and country.
This is partly because there have been question marks over whether she will put in the hard yards off the ball. But there have been signs recently that she was improving this side of her game.
After her hat-trick against Liverpool, Hayes said: ‘What she did out of possession was outstanding – the way she back-pressed, counter pressed, dominated her duels, she did it for 90 minutes and was very selfless in her work.’
Because football is so effortless for James it can, at times, look like she is not trying. This and the acts of petulance feed into the notion of a poor attitude, which is not the case. It is because James cares so much that these moments of madness occur. They happen when she is frustrated with herself. This is where she needs to learn and mature.
James has been lucky to have supportive managers in Stoney at United, Hayes at Chelsea, and Sarina Wiegman with England. She is a player who does not enjoy the spotlight and has been protected from an early age. But if you want to be the best in the world, it is very difficult to hide.
It is important to remember that James has been through a number of challenges. She spent a year out of the game with an injury and has regularly suffered abhorrent racist abuse on social media.
Hayes has been a mother figure and it is clear that James took the news of her departure hard. After her hat-trick against Liverpool, she insisted that everything she does between now and the end of the season will be for her manager. But Sunday’s act of petulance was not that.
Hayes will not be with Chelsea beyond this season and Wiegman will not be with England forever. They will not always be there to protect her.
James is still only 22 but in football you have to grow up quickly. If she does that, there is no doubt she can be the best player in the world.
The 22-year-old has impressed at the start of the new campaign, notably scoring twice in England’s recent 6-0 victory against Scotland
James’ former coach Casey Stoney told the Chelsea star when she was younger that she could go on to become one of the best footballers in the world
Emma Hayes has also lauded the forward as being one of the most naturally gifted players in the country
Women in football need more men like Chris Wilder
Football can be an intimidating place for women and in the last week we have seen why. But it is important to remember the people who have made us feel welcome over the years.
The first press conference I attended was while I was a student at the University of Sheffield. It was a top-of-the-table Championship clash between Sheffield United and Leeds. There were no other women so it was hard not to feel slightly intimidated.
I also got lost trying to find the room which did not help. Chris Wilder was the Sheffield United manager and after he had done his radio and TV interviews, he came over to the writers table.
He made a point of saying hello to me and smiling – he was actually the first person to say anything to me that morning. After he had answered about 20 minutes worth of questions, the club press officer brought things to a close.
Wilder stopped him, looked at me and said: ‘did you want to ask me anything?’ It might seem like a small gesture but he did not have to do that and it instantly made me feel more comfortable.
It is nice to see Wilder back at Sheffield United and I’m sure any students attending his press conferences will be made to feel as welcome as I was.
Last week, Chris Wilder was appointed as Sheffield United manager and guided the Blades to a 1-0 win against Brentford on Saturday
The Scottish FA have handed Pedro Martinez Losa a new contract, with the Scotland women’s side’s manager now set to stay in charge until 2027
Questions mount over Scotland boss’s new contract
There are questions to answer at the Scottish FA as to why they handed manager Pedro Martinez Losa a new deal until 2027 earlier this year.
The new contract came after Scotland had lost a World Cup play-off against the Republic of Ireland and since then they have finished bottom of their Nations League group.
Scotland have gone backwards since qualifying for Euro 2017 and the 2019 World Cup. Martinez was a strange appointment in 2021 but giving him a new deal was an even more baffling decision.
Scotland were woeful against England and should probably have lost by more than six goals.
It is not just Martinez who is the problem. There has not been enough funding into women’s football in Scotland post 2019 and we are now seeing the effects of that.
