22 February 2024 , 12:05
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The beauty with friendlies is their inherent experimental nature. This is the time to play around with structures, hone dynamics and, importantly, provide opportunities, all without the sucker punch of serious consequence.
And perhaps no player has a better recent track record of making the most of her opportunities than Manchester City’s Jess Park. That’s the good news for the England international ahead of the Lionesses’ friendly clash against Austria on Friday.
Recalled into the squad following a stellar show of form with Gareth Taylor’s title-vying side of late, Park has forged a strong case to be handed an opportunity to show what she’s capable of under Sarina Wiegman.
Park is creeping into that Midas stage, in which every opportunity she touches turns to gold. That is generally the requisite for a player forced to bide their time and parse together a smattering of minutes from the bench for most of the season under Taylor.
The 22-year-old showed her potential last season during a positive loan spell with Everton, scoring five goals and providing five more across 22 appearances, before shoulder injury curtailed the season’s remainder. But breaking into Taylor’s starting XI proved difficult this campaign, with a City side teeming with quicksilver, agile wingers and the centre of the park crowded with talent.
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An unfortunate injury to the club’s record signing Jill Rood meant an opportunity arose. Despite the unfamiliar nature of the position, Park has eased into the position with eye-catching speed, displaying a defensive maturity and awareness, along with her usual creative streaks that belie the newness of the territory.
That Park’s first start of the 2023/24 campaign arrived as late as last week against Chelsea is all the more surprising when juxtaposed with the performance she put on. It was Park who got the better of Chelsea veteran midfielder Erin Cuthbert, nicking the ball off her before careening forwards and neatly slipping a through ball into the path of Khadija Shaw. The moment was as much a show of quality as it was decisive, providing the only goal of the contest.
Jess Park battles with Arsenal's Lotte Wubben-Moy in the FA Cup fifth round (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)Park’s defensive contributions throughout the match, aided alongside experienced heads Yui Hasegawa and Laura Coombs, further highlighted her maturity and progression.
Against Arsenal in the week prior, it was much of the same: a fifth round FA Cup victory punctuated by moments of quality, despite Park’s role as a substitute.
For City, Park’s form in midfield has been something of a revelation, particularly as Roord’s absence was billed as a potential hammer blow to their title hopes. But Park has managed to fill the void and some, with performances against City’s two greatest rivals shows what the rest of the season might have in store for a player quickly becoming one of Taylor's most important game-changers.
As for Wiegman and England, this can only be a boon as another young, hungry English attacker proves her versatility, resilience and increasing calibre. The Dutch coach has long showed her penchant for remaining loyal to her line-ups but when required to twist, she’s more than capable of doing so. A friendly presents the perfect opportunity, and if history is anything to go by, Park will grab it with both hands.
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