HOUGHTON: England's Lionesses will need cool heads to see off Nigeria

A lot of the girls have spoken about the physical challenge which awaits them against Nigeria. We know Nigeria will be aggressive and that they are a talented side — especially in attack — and England need to be prepared for that.

At the last World Cup we played Cameroon, who play in a similar style, and it was one of the craziest games of my career. We were winning 3-0 and it was carnage on the sidelines. Their coach came on and at one point they threatened to walk off.

They were trying everything — there was a lot of pride involved. We got through it by being focused, not retaliating and concentrating on the bigger picture. It’s important England have a similar mindset now.

Georgia Stanway and Lucy Bronze being one booking from a ban is difficult. If you have a suspension at the back of your mind, it can make things worse. You might become hesitant in the tackle and, if your timing is off, you’re putting yourself at risk of getting another yellow and missing the next game.

In the 2017 Euros, Jill Scott and I were booked against Scotland and in the next match we were second-guessing what we should do. After the first 10 or 15 minutes, we realised we just had to play our own game.

Elsewhere, it’s great to see what Lauren James has been doing. Because she’s young, you want to protect her. You don’t want to put all the expectation on her — but some people thrive on that.

A free role suits her. The best players love that space, drawing fouls, taking players on.

I think of Jack Grealish at City and his control, which is out of this world. He seems to love the pressure of being the player who makes something happen.

Hopefully we’ll get to see Lauren celebrating on an open-top bus in a hi-vis jacket at the end of the World Cup!