SYDNEY – Even on a run of luck as miserable like England’s, nobody could have foreseen a turn of fate as cruel as Keira Walsh’s injury.
Walsh immediately turned to the medical staff and mouthed “I’ve done my knee” towards the end of the first half of the 1-0 win over Denmark in the Lionesses’ second World Cup match. The FA are continuing to assess the damage, though immediate fears that she has torn her ACL may have been mistaken.
Even if the midfielder’s injury is not as serious as first thought, as it stands her participation in the rest of the tournament is still in major doubt. Sarina Wiegman was adamant there is a back-up plan in that scenario, in response to former striker Ellen White’s suggestion that at last summer’s European Championship there had been “no Plan B” without Walsh.
“Everything came through Keira,” White had said in the BBC studio. “I dreaded to think of the idea of us ever losing her because she was one of our best players. Beth Mead was scoring all the goals but all of our play came through Keira. She was the key cog, everything moved through her.”
“You’re talking about the Euros, we’re now in a World Cup,” Wiegman told reporters. “You saw the Plan B. You saw what we did, Georgia Stanway dropped back and Laura [Coombs] came in.”
Coombs, as a short-term fix, is England’s most natural fit as an alternative but has made just six international appearances and until this year’s Arnold Clark Cup, none since 2015.
Using Stanway in a deeper role would risk losing her attacking threat, not to mention she is walking a tight rope on a booking and risks a suspension for the round of 16 if she were to receive another yellow card in the China match.
Like Coombs, Jordan Nobbs was only expected to play a minor role at this World Cup, but she knows better than any of Walsh’s teammates what it is like to battle the frustration of a major injury.
The Aston Villa midfielder, who forced her way into Wiegman’s plans after making the bold decision to leave Arsenal after 13 years, offers more creativity but the major question will be how much freedom Walsh’s replacement can be given. The same goes for Katie Zelem, who was not picked for last year’s Euros. Trust will be key for Wiegman, as with no conventional defensive midfielders whoever comes in will have to fulfil unfamiliar duties.
England will need a holding player to sit tight, particularly if Lucy Bronze and Rachel Daly are playing as roaming full-backs.
Bronze created more chances than any other England player against Denmark and Daly has only just been moved to left-back again, a means of ensuring she is on the pitch without having to choose between her and Alessia Russo.
It worked to great effect in the early stages against Denmark when England had so much of the ball (largely because Walsh was still on the pitch), but there is the prospect of Millie Bright and Alex Greenwood being left exposed by too much space around them with no-one in the holding role.
There may be an easier fix, where centre-back Lotte Wubben-Moy is used in midfield as she has occasionally been deployed there for Arsenal. Of course, once upon a time there would have been an even simpler solution of the same model, had Leah Williamson not torn her ACL months before the tournament.
History has shown Wiegman will be reluctant to make more changes than are strictly necessary. Lauren James was the card up her sleeve before Denmark and the Chelsea forward has done enough to warrant another start, with an effervescent performance and a spectacular winning goal.
Even her positioning will not be straightforward; starting in place of Lauren Hemp, Walsh’s absence meant she was later drafted into a No 10 role to replace Ella Toone. Some would have liked to see that change from minute one but the balance of the midfield is so up in the air, and lacks so much familiarity, it is unclear how much room for manoeuvre Wiegman has.
Longer term, the problem will not go away. Once the prognosis is known, it will become a little clearer how long England will have to operate without their most important player. In the meantime – after Mead, Williamson and Fran Kirby – England will depend on yet another Wiegman masterstroke.
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