Keira Walsh has long been one of the world’s top defensive midfielders — the engine that helps Chelsea and England control games, break lines and dictate tempo. Even with a cabinet of winners’ medals, she is still adapting her game and adding new dimensions.
This season Walsh has pushed higher up the pitch and her attacking output has risen noticeably. Last term she had one shot in seven WSL appearances; this year she has taken 14 shots in eight matches, including a stunning long-range strike that became her first goal for Chelsea against Tottenham.
The change is partly tactical and partly mental. Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor and assistant Cami Abily have actively encouraged Walsh to shoot more, and she has responded by resisting the impulse to overplay and instead taking responsibility when chances open up. Traditionally inclined to fashion the assist or the ‘‘assist before the assist,’’ Walsh now chooses to pull the trigger more often.
Her core role remains breaking presses and carving out attacking phases from deep, but she is contributing more directly to the final third. Most of her goals have come from distance: all four of her WSL goals since 2020/21 — for Manchester City and Chelsea — have been long-range efforts. Walsh says those strikes often arrive from second-phase situations, drop-downs and set-piece moments.
She speaks playfully about her weaker left foot and cites midfielders such as Moises Caicedo as examples of players who regularly shoot from range. She also downplays individual finishing prowess, likening some of her opportunistic goals to being in the right place at the right time like Sam Kerr.
Walsh reflected on the influence of former coach Gareth Taylor, praising his tactical acumen and the confidence he gave her during big tournaments. Her view of football has also matured: early in her career she chased the idea of the ‘‘perfect’’ or most aesthetically pleasing match, but tournament experience — including the Euros — taught her the value of pragmatism. Winning, she says, sometimes demands grit more than beautiful play.
Leadership has grown into another strand of her development. Walsh captained Chelsea in a Champions League tie versus St Polten and serves as a vice-captain for England. Rather than mimic a stereotype of the loud captain, she leads through tactical instruction on the pitch and by remaining authentic, following advice from Sarina Wiegman and guidance from teammates such as Millie Bright and Leah Williamson.
Small but significant adjustments — a willingness to shoot, more freedom to drive the ball forward and an acceptance that pragmatism is often necessary — have helped Walsh expand her impact. She remains central to Chelsea’s strategy and to England’s continued ambitions.