Takeaways from Chelsea Women’s walloping of West Ham United

Fran Kirby’s poor injury luck comes back to bite

Given the way the English international had been playing, an injury was the last thing she needed. Kirby was one of five CFC players to be called into Sarina Wiegman’s side for the Arnold Clark Cup that begins on February 16. After leaving the game early, it looks like she will not be able to compete for her national team. The only hope is that this is not another long-term injury for a player that has been through her fair share of struggles off the field since she joined CFC from Reading.

From being diagnosed with pericarditis in 2019 to suffering with fatigue, and mental health, Kirby cannot catch a break with her health. The Blues are more than capable, especially this season to overcome an injury to a star player like Kirby, but it is evident how much she is able to affect the game at the No. 10 position with her vision and quality in front of the net. Kirby has fought back from all of it, but what is going to happen if this ends up being something that puts her out an extended period of time?

There is only so much someone can take. Kirby has only played 1,000 or more minutes on the pitch twice for the west Londoners since 2017. She started in just two WSL contests in the 2019-2020 campaign, and nine last season. For CFC fans, it without question put a dent into the result with how much the entire club adores a Kirby for what she has done since her moved to the west London outfit. The worst part about the injury was that is was non-contact.

Kirby was simply running after a through ball, before pulling back as she began to limp around the field to get checked out by the medical staff. There is no rush to come back, but it was quite a somber scene watching Kirby limp off the field after the game she had up to that point.