Above: Ellie Carpenter defends against Mexico in June. Image: Genevieve Henry for Impetus Football.
Chelsea defender Ellie Carpenter has started her second Barclays Women’s Super League season with a bang.
Technically, she is still playing her preferred position at right back. However, Carpenter has increasingly resembled a winger for the Blues.
At Chelsea, that attacking freedom is paying off. The question for the Matildas is whether Carpenter’s comfort in the final third could translate to the international stage.
Formation
Australia almost exclusively plays with four defenders. Whether the back four features Carpenter, Clare Hunt, Wini Heatley, Steph Catley or another combination of the Matildas’ newly deep defensive pool, only one is guaranteed: Carpenter at right back.
If Carpenter is fit, she starts.
Chelsea have given her more freedom to push forward, particularly when playing with three center backs or a back four that allows her to advance alongside veteran right back Lucy Bronze. With Bronze providing defensive cover, Carpenter can spend large portions of matches higher up the pitch.
Australia does not have another player with quite the same combination of Bronze’s experience and defensive reliability to provide that same safety net.
That does not mean Carpenter cannot be given more attacking freedom with the Matildas. If she were to move permanently higher up the pitch, Charli Grant and Charlie Rule could provide options at right back. Tori Tumeth, who just received her first Matildas call-up, could also factor into the equation.
Australia could use a back five when giving Carpenter greater attacking license. That would allow her to push forward while maintaining defensive cover and could give the left back similar freedom on the opposite side.
It’s not as if Carpenter has been playing as a stationary right back for her career with Australia. She is already high up the field frequently for the Matildas.
One of the Matildas’ most effective and common ways of progressing the ball has been Carpenter exchanging one-twos with the right winger. For years, Hayley Raso was her partner on the right.
Mary Fowler has occupied that right-wing role recently. The partnership has worked just as well. Despite the change in personnel, Carpenter has continued to find ways to combine with the winger and advance the ball.
Defensive Cost
Carpenter is one of the best defensive wingbacks in the game.
Her positioning is elite, and her decision-making is excellent. She knows when to challenge and when to delay. Her pace makes her exceptionally difficult to beat. These qualities have made her a fixture in the national team for more than a decade.
Giving Carpenter a more advanced role would come with a cost. If she were to focus more on attack, the absence of her defensive responsibilities would leave the Matildas more vulnerable. Situational flexibility in Carpenter’s role is extremely valuable at both the domestic and international level.
Against stronger attacking opponents, it would be difficult to justify moving Carpenter away from right back. Against teams sitting in a low block, there is less reason to keep her in defense. This could mean moving to the midfield or simply letting her loose.
Attacking Benefits
Carpenter has never been known for her goal contributions. Even at Chelsea, where her attacking impact has increased, there is still room for growth in her finishing and crossing.
But her greatest attacking weapons are not her crossing or finishing; they are her speed and tenacity.
Carpenter’s work rate exhausts opponents. Whether she spends 90 minutes or only a portion of the game in advanced areas, her ability to run relentlessly at opponents tires defenders and creates space for the attackers around her.
Her positioning and delivery have also improved during her time at Chelsea. Carpenter is getting into better positions, finding herself around the box more frequently and creating chaos even when she is not the player who ultimately finishes the move.
Despite playing under Sonia Bompastor at both Chelsea and Olympique Lyonnais, Carpenter’s attacking production has increased significantly at Chelsea. She scored three goals across five seasons with Lyon. She has already matched that total in her first two seasons with Chelsea, scoring three times for the Blues.
For Australia, she has five goals in 101 appearances.
The numbers are not those of a traditional attacking player, but it’s positive for a defender of Carpenter’s experience to still have room to grow. Carpenter is adding another dimension to her game and her attacking skillset is consistently growing.
Looking Ahead
The Matildas have no shortage of attacking talent, both experienced and emerging.
But Australia is entering a transitional period. The front line that led the team for years, Caitlin Foord, Sam Kerr and Raso, is aging. If they start at the 2027 Women’s World Cup, it would surely be their last. Many fans are hoping the tournament will give younger players the opportunity to carry the team.
Players like Fowler, Amy Sayer and Holly McNamara are some of the next generation of Australia’s attack. Despite lots of burgeoning attacking talent, the Matildas have yet to find a combination with the same cohesion that made Foord, Kerr and Raso so prolific.
Carpenter will help bridge the transition. The 26-year old already has over 100 caps and often wears the captain’s armband. Wherever she is on the pitch, her leadership will be vital in shifting to the next era of the Matildas.
Moving her into the attack would sacrifice too much of what makes her valuable. But pushing her higher in specific matches could provide Australia with another way to break down opponents, especially against the typical low block of Asian teams. At the World Cup, they’ll face less opponents like this.
The Matildas do not need Carpenter to become an all-out winger, but they should take even more advantage of the fact that she plays like one.
Carpenter’s attacking development gives Australia another outlet when goals are hard to find. Her versatility makes her such a valuable player.
As Australia looks forward to an era of change, Carpenter will continue to lead the charge and her unpredictability will be one of the Matildas’ biggest weapons.
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