After being one of England’s most valuable players during the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, Keira Walsh is something a midfield machine.
Showing her consistency and style under head coach Sarina Wiegman, she is set to make her 50th appearance for the Lionesses against Luxembourg at a sold-out bet365 Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent this evening.
FAWSL Full-Time heard from Walsh in the pre-match press conference where she reflected on the possibility of becoming an England half-centurion.
“If I’m in the team then it’s exciting,” Walsh said. “When I was younger, I didn’t think I’d ever get to 50 caps for my country.
“I’ve still not even had time to reflect on the EUROs because we’re straight back into it but I’m sure after the game, I’ll probably sit down with my family at some point and reminisce on my journey in football.”
As a regular starter under Wiegman, Walsh has found her voice on the pitch and she is quickly becoming one of the most highly-regarded midfielders in the international game. The player said that Wiegman has helped her to develop consistency and confidence when representing the Lionesses.
She said “The first thing that has happened working with Sarina is that I’ve found a bit of consistency. I struggled a little bit with that before she came in.
“She’s given me the confidence to go and play my game. It’s all about decisions and what we want to do on the ball, it’s not one way, it’s the right way, it’s about what the player sees. That encourages me to play forward and try passes that maybe I wouldn’t have done in the past.”
This evening’s game is England’s final FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 qualifier. The Lionesses have already booked their spot at the tournament finals off the back of a 2-0 victory against Austria at the weekend.
“I think we look forward to these sort of games, we want to be playing in World Cup qualifiers,” Walsh added. “Austria are a good team and had a great EUROs as well.
“We are confident in our own ability and we played a good game. It was just excitement to be back together after the EUROs and it was good to get playing with each other again.”
Despite there being nothing on the line, a sold-out crowd of 30,000 will be excited to welcome England home this evening. Another high-scoring affair is expected after England hit double figures in Luxembourg almost a year ago.
Building off the momentum of the EUROs, Walsh is hoping that the attendances for games both internationally and domestically will continue to rise.
She said “It’s massively important. One of our main focuses after the EUROs was to keep the fans coming in. It’s something that we as a team talk about quite a lot.
“We know that we have to keep playing good football and an attractive style of play to keep the fans in and I think that’s what we’ve done so far.
“From where the women’s game started when I came in, the difference is absolutely incredible and it’s just a really exciting time for women’s football. Hopefully, we can keep pushing it forward.”
England’s final FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 qualifier against Luxembourg kicks-off at 7.30pm.
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