Niamh Charles has had a flying start to this WSL season, having the most goal involvements of any player so far. And with two must-win UEFA Nations League fixtures on the horizon for England, the defender is the perfect candidate to start at left-back.
Charles has earned her plaudits just eight games into the WSL season: scoring once, assisting three and creating five other chances from her wing-back role with Chelsea. It is these stats that now make her Sarina Wiegman’s first choice left-back.
In the coming days, England face arguably their two most important fixtures since World Cup final defeat to Spain in August as Netherlands visit Wembley and the Lionesses then head to Scotland.
Since returning from Australia, England, once near unbeatable under Wiegman, have lost two of their last four games. Their Nations League campaign started well with a 2-1 win over Scotland but went off track with a defeat to the Netherlands by the same score-line.
Following a further defeat to Belgium, and with progression – or even salvation – in the Nations League at stake, as well as Great Britain’s qualification for the 2024 Olympics, these next two fixtures are must-win games for England. They need to beat the Netherlands by two goals in order to get ahead of the Dutch on head-to-head record and hope Belgium, who sit first, also drop points.
With such high stakes, England need a left-back who is reliable, proactive and creative. It’s not a postition that was nailed down during the World Cup or since amid changing tactics and formations. But in-form Charles, who has started each of the last two international games there, is the perfect fit.
The 24-year-old, once arguably a victim of her own versatility after starting out as a winger, is excelling for Chelsea. She has started every WSL game this season, making critical contributions to each fixture. Charles even scored her first European goal in the Blues’ recent 2-2 draw with Real Madrid and would have got a late winner but for a questionable offside flag.
“She’s a top pro, she really looks after everything and the one thing that doensn’t get said enough is how much work these athletes put into themselves and Niamh Charles has done absolutely everything she can to be where she is,” Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said of Charles.
“This is no accident, this is no luck. This is unbelievable work on her part.”
Hayes took Charles to Chelsea…
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