England face Greece away in Crete on Friday in the first leg of a two-legged Women's World Cup qualification play-off, and Lauren James has made the situation very clear: there is no point dwelling on what has already happened now. England finished second in Group 3 behind Spain on goal difference, so this tie is simply about staying alive on the road to next summer's World Cup in Brazil.
Four days after Friday's match, England host Greece at Leicester's King Power Stadium, with the margin for error reduced to almost nothing across the two legs. If England get through, they will face the winner of the Slovakia vs Ukraine tie, with the team that comes through that play-off also booking a place at next summer's World Cup in Brazil.
James: England must look forward
James said: "We can't change what happened and that's where we are now," and added that England must "just try to look forward to win these games."
That is the reality of a play-off. England cannot rewrite the qualifying table, only respond to it. The message from James was not about regret, but about purpose: the task now is to win when it matters most.
She also underlined the scale of the challenge. "The World Cup's a massive tournament that you always want to be a part of and it's everyone's dream from a little kid," she said. "So, to go there and get another opportunity again, it's obviously something we're all trying to aim for."
Why the first leg matters
The first match in Crete will shape the entire tie. England know they will still have home advantage four days later, but the away leg is the one that can settle nerves or create them. In a two-legged play-off, control matters, but so does composure.
James said she is "always looking forward to coming into camp with England and getting another opportunity to play games for the country," and that club form can help her rhythm. "I think it always helps massively when you're doing well with your club, which obviously is why you get called up for your country. Hopefully I can just build the momentum and keep going," she said.
That fits England's wider need as well. They do not just need to qualify; they need players who can arrive with confidence, rhythm and the willingness to take responsibility in a high-pressure tie.
England's route from here
If England beat Greece over the two legs, the next step will be the winner of Slovakia vs Ukraine. The team that comes through that tie will qualify for next summer's World Cup in Brazil, which gives these play-off matches even greater weight.
James summed up the mentality simply. "Every time I put on a shirt, whether it's for club or country, I always want to just show what I'm made of," she said. "The more you play, the more you have rhythm and I like to just play free. And I think the best is still yet to come."
For England, the task is now straightforward if not easy: win in Crete, finish the job at the King Power Stadium, and keep the World Cup dream moving forward.
