CHRIS SUTTON: James' volley is the goal players DREAM of scoring

CHRIS SUTTON: Lauren James’ spectacular volley against China is the goal players DREAM of scoring… she has sparked England into life

• What was most impressive about Lauren James’ volley was how she cushioned it 
• Doing it in training is completely different from a match scenario under pressure 
• There may have been a temptation for her to lash the ball but she stayed cool 

Lauren James’ volley for her second goal against China was spectacular – the kind of strike most players dream of pulling off at a World Cup.

Hitting the ball when it is coming across your body and dropping from height is one of the most difficult techniques in the game.

She will have done that hundreds of times in practice and tinkered with slightly different techniques. I know from the hours I put in as a youngster that you try volley after volley, make a mess of it and then suddenly you find something that works for you and it clicks.

But doing it in training is completely different from a match scenario when you have a defender breathing down your neck.

What impressed me most was the way James cushioned the volley with her left foot. There is always a temptation to lash at the ball but she kept her cool and directed it exactly where she wanted it to go.

Lauren James scored a spectacular cushioned volley during England’s victory over China

There may have been a temptation to lash at the ball but James stayed composed to tuck home

She had already scored a cracking goal with her right foot against Denmark, so straight away she has defenders unsure of which way to show her down the line because she is clearly good with both feet.

 James’ big strength, though, is carrying the ball and players who are comfortable at doing that in one-on-one situations are worth their weight in gold. They strike fear into the opposition with the way they drive their team up the pitch and create openings in the final third.

I think of Ryan Giggs at the beginning of his career. He had the pace but it was his ability to take the ball past defenders and then deliver a moment of quality which set him apart from the rest.

James has sparked England into life. The Lionesses lacked ruthlessness in the final third leading into the tournament and in their opening game against Haiti, but she has given them a completely different edge in attack.

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