Arsenal v Chelsea shouldn’t be thought of as Miedema v Kerr: Beth England is in the form of her life
The Arsenal and Chelsea fixture on Sunday is a top of the table clash and the outcome is likely to determine which team will lift the WSL trophy at the end of the season.
But the importance of this weekend’s match has been somewhat overshadowed by the hype around two of the game’s biggest names finally coming head to head.
There’s speculation Sunday’s match could mark the beginning of an epic rivalry.
One that could come to resemble Messi and Ronaldo’s long-lasting feud.
Vivianne Miedema v Sam Kerr.
With good reason, people are hyped to have two of the world’s best strikers in the Women’s Super League.
As the Netherlands all-time top goal-scorer Miedema has 14 goals to her name this season, leading the way by a fair distance.
Kerr, meanwhile, holds the goal-scoring records in both the American and Australian leagues.
The pair are clearly goal-scoring machines and it is fair to hope that it could become one of women’s football’s most iconic rivalries.
Arsenal v Chelsea shouldn’t be narrowed down to Miedema v Kerr.
Not just yet anyway.
In the form of her life, Bethany England could be the one to disrupt the Miedema v Kerr narrative this weekend.
England, with 14 goals in all competitions, has scored in her last five consecutive WSL outings and the Miedema versus Kerr excitement should not distract from her goal-scoring abilities.
Second in the top scoring charts, behind Miedema, England could be the standout player in Chelsea’s title chasing bid.
The Blues’ forward was certainly the star of the show last weekend, scoring two in a 6-1 win over Bristol City.
You would think, being 6-1 up with less than ten minutes on the clock, that Chelsea could have taken their foot off the pedal in anticipation of a busy schedule over the next week with a midweek match against Aston Villa and with a the Arsenal fixture looming closer.
Perhaps some of Emma Hayes’ players did decide they could take it that little bit easier but the same fails to apply for Beth England.
Sprinting to retrieve every ball that went out of play, England has a desire to score goals and her recent upturn in form is likely to give Phil Neville a selection headache for the Lionesses’ No. 9 position.
The England international was frustrated after failing to clinch a hat-trick against Bristol:
“Although I got two goals, I’m still a disappointed because I had about 15 chances in that game and I should be doing better than getting two goals,” England explained.
With three games down, Kerr has been granted time to settle before securing her first Chelsea goal.
If the Australian was to score tomorrow, the Miedema v Kerr narrative will be excused and, along with Miedema, Kerr’s ascendancy into Women’s Super League folklore can begin.
But Beth England deserves more credit as one of the league’s best.
Her exceptional work rate and her ability in front of goal should not be understated, and with another few goals, it could be England’s turn, rather than Kerr’s, to prove herself over Vivianne Miedema as one of the world’s best.
