While the Lionesses got off to a slow start at the tournament with a 2-1 defeat to France, the Chelsea forward believes the two subsequent performances are more indicative of what England are all about.

James has started all three of England’s matches so far, scored a brace against the Netherlands and has been a constant threat on the right-hand side of the attack.

Her versatility and unique skill set have proven to be vital for England, and it seems like the Chelsea star is just happy to be playing after three months out with injury.

‘For me, wherever I am on the pitch, I always feel comfortable,’ LJ said after the win over Wales. ‘Sarina always allows me to be free and run, so I’m in a good place.

‘One game at the start doesn't define the players or the team. What we did against the Netherlands shows everyone watching that this is who we are.’

A look into James’ performances throughout England’s first three matches at Euro 2025 shows that her contributions to the team are not just about goals, either.

Of 84 total passes attempted against France, the Netherlands and Wales, she found a team-mate with 77 of them, leaving just 7 occasions where she failed to connect in those three matches. The graphic below shows how James made 28 accurate passes from 29 attempts against Wales.

Yet the task is about to become tougher for the Lionesses as they enter the knockout stages with a quarter-final game against Sweden.

While England like to keep the ball, their opponents play direct football. Sweden made 474 fewer passes than England in their three group stage matches, but put in nine more crosses and made 18 more dribbles.

With Blues defender Nathalie Bjorn in the backline, Sweden only conceded one goal in the group stages as opposed to England’s three, even though they faced an extra shot on goal.

Despite the tough task ahead of them, James has high ambitions with this England side as she takes part in her first European Championship.

‘It'd be massive [to lift the trophy],' she continued. ‘It's obviously a dream of mine and the seven or eight others who are now in the team as well.

‘Hopefully, we can just take it game-by-game from here and keep progressing. We all have belief, and it's just about focusing on the next game.’

England’s match with Sweden is shaping up to be a fascinating contest, and all eyes will once again be on Chelsea’s Lauren James.