Fran Kirby shows her maverick brilliance will be key to England’s Euro 2022

I would always want my former teammate Fran Kirby in my England team. Who wouldn’t? It did not look like it would be a possibility in the months leading up to the Euros because of fatigue issues but in the 63 minutes Kirby played of the opening-game victory over Austria she showed how important she is to this England side.

It might not have been the 5-0 or 6-0 victory the 68,871 inside Old Trafford wanted but it is the perfect platform to build on, especially after all the pressure on the hosts coming into the Euros. Tournament football is all about momentum and three points against Austria puts England in a good position going into their second match with Norway. I have had my concerns about England’s goalscoring and this was shown at Old Trafford but when it mattered Kirby made the difference.

Kirby is England’s most creative player in the No 10 role and showed her qualities to make the goal for Beth Mead. Few people in the women’s game would have been able to pick out the pass which allowed Mead to lob the goalkeeper. Mead did incredibly well to control the ball and finish but it was a piece of brilliance by Kirby to find her in a small amount of space.

Kirby is unique and was at the heart of everything England did well going forward while she was on the pitch. She has the ability to break the lines with her running and passing but she also worked hard to win the ball back to put Austria on the back foot. Kirby showed her ability off the ball by making a clever run to help create a chance for Lauren Hemp in the first half.

A No 10 is the team’s maverick. They need to be given the ball as much as possible to express themselves and do the things others cannot. I think Kirby’s teammates need to get the ball to her