England manager Sarina Wiegman announced her squad for the Women’s Euros last month, which is set to kick off in two days (6th July) at Old Trafford when England face Austria. Amongst the players who made the final cut is a name who would have almost certainly missed out if the tournament had taken place when first scheduled, in the summer of 2021. The selection of Jess Carter is entirely deserved, after what has been a transformative season for the Chelsea full back.
🏴 @_JessCarter 🏴 pic.twitter.com/BjNUDpr7ZA
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 4, 2022
Carter, who turned 24 this season, has truly come of age. She is now meeting the high expectations that have been placed upon her since she won the PFA Young Player of the Year Award at the age of 19, in 2017.
It is a long way away from the aftermath of Chelsea’s 4-0 humbling by Barcelona in the 2021 Champions League Final, where Carter was run ragged by the Blaugrauna’s irresistible attack. It was a performance which led to genuine questions about whether she was cut out for the game at the highest level.
Jess Carter to GOAL “You can go to Emma [Hayes, Chelsea manager] and ask her what you need to be doing and she’ll tell you directly about why you’re not playing, most of the time, and what you need to do. But we are also very well aware that we have a team with great depth and if you’re not on your top game, then you can be replaced.”
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has kept the faith in Carter – who was Chelsea’s second most-used player in 2021/22, after fellow England defender Millie Bright. Carter had made only three league starts in the 2020/21 season, but has now become a stalwart of a Chelsea defence who conceded just 11 league goals last season, in an eventual title-winning campaign. Such was the quality and consistency of her performances this season, that for many she was a notable omission from the PFA Team of the Year.
Carter’s form in even the early part of the season had been enough for her to be recalled to the England side in November, and earn her second international cap – almost exactly four years after her first. She continued to impress throughout the rest of the year, and her inclusion in the final Euros squad did not seem in doubt by the time the players reconvened in May for their pre-tournament training camp.
Carter is a highly accomplished one-on-one defender, who makes use of her physicality to persistently win the battle against opposition wingers. This is no better exemplified than in her performance against this season’s PFA Young Player of the Year, Lauren Hemp, in Chelsea’s 1-0 win against Manchester City in February.
Hemp was one of the outstanding attacking players in the WSL last season, and Carter shut her down – which went some way to answering the questions raised about her capability against the very best players, following the Champions League Final. Similarly excellent performances in both the FA Cup Finals Chelsea contested this season (against Arsenal and Man City respectively) further quieted her critics.
In that Man City game, Carter also demonstrated her attacking capabilities – providing the assist for Chelsea’s winner. Carter can contribute both in defence and attack – which is an important attribute to have for a full back in this England side, for whom making use of their strength in these areas is a key part of the attacking strategy.
Carter’s versatility is also an advantage, and is something she can bring to the England squad. For Chelsea, Emma Hayes has used her across the defence in full back, wing back and centre back roles this season.
No. 12 – Jess Carter
Chelsea’s Jess Carter has emerged as a standout performer for the club this season and has rightly earned her spot in the national team. Carter is a versatile defender and can play anywhere along the backline.#Lionesses | #WEURO2022 pic.twitter.com/BXBqF4mcHG
— On Her Side (@OnHerSide1) June 29, 2022
It remains to be seen whether Carter will be seen as a starter by Wiegman. However, Carter’s case remains strong – and her ability to play in a variety of positions will likely bolster her chance of minutes.
One Team, One Dream
Carter’s strong season, and its eventual culmination in her first international tournament call-up, has been perfectly timed with the release of the long-awaited Chelsea FC Women behind-the-scenes documentary, “One Team, One Dream”.
The series starts at the beginning of the 2019/20 season, picking up the narrative just after Chelsea had been dethroned as WSL champions by Arsenal, and ended the previous season trophyless. Jess Carter is a prominent early character, with footage of training and conversations had with the coaching staff revealing some of the difficulties she had in adjusting to the club that she had a year previously.
As previously mentioned, Carter had won the PFA Young Player of the Year the season prior to her move from Birmingham, and came to Chelsea as one of the most highly-rated young players in the league. Carter spoke in the documentary of the challenge that stepping up to a club like Chelsea had been – in terms of the intensity of training, and the expectations of fitness and conditioning brought on by being a professional at a club aiming to reach the top of the women’s game.
In a series of frank conversations, Carter, Emma Hayes and the rest of the coaching staff talk pointedly about the need for the then-21 year old to apply herself fully, and to raise the standards she set for herself. Describing herself as someone who can resist authority, it is clear that Carter at first struggled with accepting this – but over the course of the series comes to realise the importance of accepting the challenge being put to her, and subsequently embracing it.
During the second episode, Carter is one of the players left behind at Chelsea’s training ground, whilst others go away on international duty. In a moment of real honesty, when asked about her goals by Emma Hayes, Carter had said it was to play for England – but that she did not want to at that time, because she did not feel she was ready.
Ready to represent
Carter is ready now. She is no longer left behind during international breaks – but is a part of that group who travel to represent their national team. The retrospective provided by “One Team, One Dream” showed that Carter had needed to get serious – and her achievements since are evidence that she has.
Carter’s contract at Chelsea has recently been extended to 2023 – an announcement which was widely celebrated amongst Chelsea fans. The reaction shows how far she has come since the questions over her commitment in 2019, and the doubts about her capability after the Champions League final loss. She has transformed from a player with potential – and who the more unkind labelled as a weak link in the defence – to one of the most important players in a Chelsea side who won a second consecutive Double.
She has proven her critics wrong – and maybe even the doubts that she may have had herself, when she first took that step up to Chelsea. Carter’s improvement has been a triumph of hard work enabling talent to be realised. The emphasis is on the “hard”, as it has not come easy for Jess – she has grafted for her reward, and responded to set-backs and criticism in the best way possible.
Jess Carter’s inclusion in this England squad for the Euros has been thoroughly well-earned – and likely to be the first of many international tournaments for a player who is now fulfilling her potential.
Written by Rebekah Grassby
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