Niamh Charles must be England's left back for critical Nations League games
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
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