Jodie Taylor is hoping that France will underestimate England in their Women’s Euro quarter-final clash on Sunday.

Old rivalry

The Lionesses have failed to beat France since 1974 but this time Taylor reckons Les Bleues could have met their match.

“It’s a great time to play France,” the striker said.

“If they underestimate us, great.

“France are fantastic technicians, but we’re technically great as well.

“We’re also physically great and mentally strong. And we have total belief.”

England have been running rampant during this year’s Euros. The Lionesses won Group D with an 100% win record after beating Scotland (6-0), Spain (2-0), and Portugal (2-1).

Taylor is the tournament’s top scorer with four in just two appearances.

France, on the other hand, have drawn against Austria (1-1), beaten Iceland (1-0), and drawn against Switzerland (1-1).

At the last Women’s Euros in 2013, the Lionesses were sent packing after failing to qualify past the group stage.

In 2009, they finished in second, which was the highest they’d come since 1984. Right now, England are in the best position they’ve been in for a long time and are boasting some of the best talent in women’s football at the moment.

Whether France underestimate them or not, England should be able to grab something from the tie.

From an Arsenal perspective, hopefully our women do us proud, as they already have been, and bang in some goals.

England v France kicks off on Sunday 30 July at 19:45pm (UK time). You can watch the action live on Eurosport.

Next  Jodie Taylor profiled –
‘Like Giroud but with pace and a great goalscoring record’

Jodie Taylor profiled – ‘Like Giroud but with pace and a great goalscoring record’

by Sylvain Jamet

Jodie Taylor recently hit a brace for England, so we thought it was about time we took a better look at her.

Arsenal’s 31-year-old forward, Jodie Taylor, is a strong and powerful striker with the same qualities as Olivier Giroud but with extra pace and a great goal scoring record.

She signed for the Gunners back in March 2016 but made her debut late in the season due to a recurring injury problem. She is a proven goal-scorer and had quite a nomadic career taking her across three different continents.

Her strengths and weaknesses are well known. Her main weakness is she unfortunately tends to pick up lengthy injuries that take time to heal and you do wonder if she properly recovered from her last one as she rarely completes 90 minutes for Arsenal Ladies or England.

When fully fit, she is the complete centre forward.

She can lead the line as a lone striker, holding the ball to bring other players in. She can win headers for midfield runner, like Jordan Nobbs, who arrive for the second ball. She can also play on the shoulder of the last defender due to her pace, and run behind any defence and outpace them.

Taylor can adapt to any team tactical configuration. If the team dominates possession and play high up the pitch, she will be roaming in the penalty area to poach a goal and finish chances.

If the team plays a counter-attacking game with a lot of space in front of her, she will be able to run at defenders.

Taylor’s club career is interesting because she does not seem to settle for a long period at any club. Most of her stints at clubs seem to last no more than two years. In that time, her record is between one-in-two to and one-in-three goals-per-game, a strike rate that any striker would be proud of.

At international level, Taylor spent many years outside the international scene despite her form as Hope Powell did not seem to be interested in accommodating her. Since Mark Sampson took over the job, Taylor has become a regular for England, playing and scoring at the World Cup 2015.

Next Nobbs curler & Taylor brace as England beat Switzerland [with goals]

Nobbs curler & Taylor brace as England beat Switzerland [with goals]

by Sylvain Jamet

England Women were comfortable as they cruised to a 4-0 win over Switzerland during their friendly fixture on Saturday afternoon.

Jordan Nobbs’ curling effort from 20 yards broke the deadlock after half-an-hour. Chelsea’s Fran Kirby doubled their lead shortly before the interval. Then, Jodie Taylor’s 12-minute brace helped extend the Ladies’ commanding cushion as Mark Sampson’s side prevailed with another impressive victory.

Ranked third in Europe, England were excellent and ruthless with their opportunities on-goal as they came close on a number of occasions. Manchester City forward Toni Duggan, as well as Kirby, both hit the crossbar during a dominant display by the Lionesses.

https://twitter.com/Lionesses/status/873583973280227330

https://twitter.com/Lionesses/status/873586828108017664

https://twitter.com/Lionesses/status/873594527604498433

https://twitter.com/Lionesses/status/873597335821066240

These types of results are important ahead of a tricky European Championship tournament, set to start next month. England are unbeaten in their last three games and will go into their warm-weather training camp with renewed confidence that they can surprise a few by going all the way in Euro 2017 this summer.

Alex Scott completed the full 90 minutes, Taylor herself was replaced shortly after the hour mark by Manchester City’s Nikita Parris while midfielder Fara Williams was introduced as a second-half substitute.

Their next friendly fixture is against Denmark on July 1 and they’ll no doubt be keen to extend their unbeaten run with tougher opponents to come in future.