SYDNEY — Of all the players England could not afford to lose for this Women’s World Cup, midfielder Keira Walsh is top of the list. The 26-year-old is the beating heart of this team, a world-class operator and indispensable to their transitional game. She’s irreplaceable. So the sight of her covering her face as she was stretchered off with what looked to be a nasty knee injury against Denmark took any gloss off another 1-0 win that has England on the verge of the knockout stages of the World Cup.
It’s no coincidence that Walsh’s injury in the 35th minute kerbed England’s dominance. From a mental point of view, it must be brutal for her teammates to see one of their own in that much pain. From a functional, tactical perspective it completely threw the team.
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To understand Walsh’s importance to England, take note of Ellen White‘s words. Now retired, White started each of England’s matches in the Euros last summer.
“At the Euros everything came through Keira,” White said on the BBC. “There…
