Chelsea star's return from injury could prove spark to ignite England's season
When the dust settled on England's World Cup run this summer the overriding feeling was one of pride.
After all the Lionesses reached the final where they were only narrowly beaten by an top class Spain team, losing 1-0, all achieved without three of their best players. Captain Leah Williamson and Euros Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament winner Beth Mead were both denied the chance to go to Australia after suffering ACL heartache last season.
But after going down to Olga Carmona's goal, the post-match inquest of what England were missing that night instead centred around the other member of the injured trio. As she had been throughout the summer, Fran Kirby's absence was keenly felt by the Lionesses.
Kirby was forced to miss the tournament after undergoing knee surgery in May. The issue hit harder in the final, perhaps because for the first time England were trailing and chasing a game. They needed creativity, someone to pull the strings, who could generate chances with laser like precision.
Without Kirby that proved tricky. By the end of the game England were resorting to playing a very direct style. It was a reasonable approach at the time but it didn't work, Spain held out relatively comfortably. A creative spark was missing.
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This is not to say that either Williamson or Mead wouldn't have also given England a much better chance of lifting the trophy. Or that the team who did take to the pitch Down Under didn't do themselves incredibly proud.
But Kirby's worth to this team is almost immeasurable. Sarina Wiegman doesn't really have another player like her, which is why she will have been delighted to able to recall the Chelsea star last week for the forthcoming double header with Belgium.
Announcing the squad, Wiegman said: "It's very nice Fran is back on the pitch and she's fit and healthy. I thought she played very well when she came back.
"She's been building up to those moments in the summer. She has shown enough quality in her performance that I think it's good she comes back into the team. She was really happy when I called her and she's good to go."
Based on how highly Wiegman values Kirby, it wouldn't be a surprise to see her in from the start against Belgium on Friday at Leicester's King Power Stadium. But her comeback this season has been managed carefully by club Chelsea.
After appearances from the bench at the hour mark in the Blues first two WSL games, Emma Hayes put Kirby in her starting XI in the wins over West Ham and Brighton. However, on both occasions she was taken off at a very precise point, in the 59th minute.
For a player with a long history of injuries and health issues this is clearly a sensible approach. As Kirby said herself in an interview with The Times last month, the injury was "not her first rodeo," with the troublesome knee.
Kirby is back for Chelsea"I'm so happy for Fran," Hayes said after her first start against the Hammers. "She had not played more than 45 minutes before, now 55 minutes and we will keep on building that.
"She had some nice touches and we need to keep building her fitness. She accepts that, whether it is starting or coming from the bench. She won't start every game. We need Fran on the pitch for the later part of the season and to keep her progressing. We need our best players fit and available all of the matches."
A week later after the win over Brighton, Hayes urged more caution: "Fran's still building her minutes," she said.
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Wrapping her in cotton wool is no bad thing. But when she's fit and firing Kirby can link England's play like few others can. Wiegman is well aware of this and how she can open up the game in a flash.
Fran Kirby of Chelsea holds her knee during the FA Women's Continental Tyres League Cup Semi Final match against West Ham United (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)At the Euros, when the Lionesses played on the front foot and overran teams with possession she was sensational. Take the Norway game, an 8-0 win in the group stage. She picked up pockets of space few else could even spot, with her positional unpredictability giving the likes of Beth Mead and Lucy Bronze space to gallop into.
As England marched to a first major tournament glory she was their strongest creative force. England do have other players who can slot into the No.10 role in Wiegman's preferred 4-2-3-1 system.
Ella Toone was a superb option from the bench at the Euros, scoring vital goals against Spain and Germany to help bring football home. At the World Cup, Toone carried a greater workload but grew into the tournament and did a sterling job in the latter rounds, capped with a fine goal against Australia.
Fran Kirby has yet to play 90 minutes for Chelsea this seasonJordan Nobbs is another highly valued member of the squad who can play there, and went on an excellent run of form for Aston Villa last season in the same position. England have players who can do a job in the position, but don't have a player who can create attacking situations like Kirby.
Whether taking the ball on the half-turn, dribbling at pace or playing perfectly weighted passes in behind the opposition defence, the Chelsea No.14 is England's gamechanger. It changes the whole emphasis of the team.
In the 2-1 win over Scotland last month, the Lionesses had plenty of possession but at times didn't really know what to do with it. It was a similar story in the first half of the defeat against Netherlands.
Kirby celebrates alongside Toni Duggan (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)England could still keep the ball, but penetrating and organised opposition block looked beyond them. With Kirby back that should change. Wiegman, like Hayes, won't risk her unnecessarily but expect her to play some part in the must-win double header against Belgium.
Back in the summer while England were embarking on their Aussie adventure, Kirby was putting everything into her rehabilitation. She even refused made sure to only accept World Cup punditry gigs that didn't impact on her programme.
Should she enter the pitch against on Friday night at the King Power Stadium, it will all seem worth it. And hopefully England supporters are reminded of what they have missed.
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