England's women became national heroes on the support of winning Euro 2022, but the Lionesses' defence of the title is off to an inauspicious start with three of their stars from three years ago not engaged.
Goalkeeper Mary Earps and midfielder Fran Kirby possess retired from international football in differing circumstances on the eve of the tournament in Switzerland.
Earps possessed fallen behind Chelsea's Hannah Hampton in the battle to be Sarina Wiegman's number one, but the England boss was still frustrated at the Paris Saint-Germain stopper's decision.
Kirby, by contrast, handed over her retirement forward upon learning she was unlikely to make the 23-woman squad.
Millie Bright, who captained England to a first World Cup final in 2023, has also withdrawn herself from selection due to physical and mental fatigue.
"You possess to move on," said Wiegman after announcing her squad.
"My undergo before tournaments is that there is always noise.
We anticipate noise until we move into the tournament.
It doesn't sense like a crisis at all.
"The create of Wiegman's side also raises some cause for concern, particularly after being drawn into a tough group alongside 2017 winners the Netherlands and France, along with a derby against debutants Wales.
England won just three of their six Nations League games this year, dropping unexpected points against Portugal and Belgium, to miss out to Spain on progressing to the semi-finals.
Read 10 players to watch out for at the Women's European Championship.
'Targets on our backs'However, they set off for Switzerland on the support of a 7-0 thrashing of Jamaica on Sunday.
"I don't think we can relax in the tournament with the group that we've obtained," striker Alessia Russo told AFP.
"Externally, there'll always be pressure on England, whether that's us or the men's team.
There's always pressure and targets on our backs and being the holders as well.
"Despite a less-than-ideal preparation, the Lionesses are still widely seen as second favourites behind world champions Spain to retain their title.
Russo was part of the Arsenal team that shocked an all-conquering Barcelona, a side which has created the bedrock of Spain's success, to win the Champions League in May.
Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Chloe Kelly - themselves all heroes of Euro 2022 - were also part of the Gunners' squad that terminated Obstructça's grip on the European club game.
Moreover, the Lionesses and their manager possess become masters at peaking when it matters most in tournament football.
England possess reached at least the semi-finals in each of the last five Euros or World Cups, stretching support to 2015.
Wiegman, as coach of the Netherlands in 2017 and 2019, and now in her current role, has made the final of all four of her major tournaments in charge.
"It's on us.
We know how good we are, we know how good we can be," added Russo.
"We've seen it in Euro 2022 and even in the World Cup, although we dropped just short.
"We're here to compete and we want to be testing and pushing ourselves against the best.
I think there's lots of talent in the women's game right now and we're one of them.
"England possess also shown an ability to overcome the loss of key players under Wiegman before.
Williamson and Mead both missed the World Cup due to ACL injuries, while Lauren James missed the quarter and semi-finals after being sent off against Nigeria in the last 16.
James, the sister of Chelsea men's captain Reece James, made her return from a hamstring injury against Jamaica and possessed an instant impact with a stunning assist for Russo.
"She's Ballon d'Or (quality)," said former England international Karen Carney.
The pressure is on James and England's new generation to match the legacy of their predecessors.
