Weekend Warm-Up: Waiting for goals, going for broke and all eyes on mid-table
Flo Lloyd-Hughes gets you ready for this weekend's WSL action and highlights some things to look out for.
Welcome back to Weekend Warm-Up, the key to your WSL weekend.
It’s been a busy week for women’s football. If you missed the shenanigans of the WSL/Uefa Women’s Champions League fixture mishap then catch up on Monday’s edition of What Happened or have a listen to Monday’s episode of Counter Pressed.
As a result of that mix up, we’ve lost probably the biggest game of the weekend in Chelsea-Manchester United. But there are still some interesting things to keep an eye on this weekend.
You will notice a theme to this edition of Weekend Warm-Up and it’s probably because Saturday and Sunday’s fixtures last weekend really lacked goals, especially from Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United. Chelsea made up for that with the Friday night 7-0 thumping of Crystal Palace. Fewer goals, tighter games, that’s not necessarily a negative because we want the league to be competitive and not top heavy. My issue with the lack of goals is the ability of the teams that failed to really kill off their games. Read ahead to see what I mean…
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Arsenal need to go big
Arsenal’s stodgy 1-0 victory over Leicester City last Sunday definitely left a few Gooners feeling glum. Here is our very own Max Radwan’s take on that performance…..
This Sunday, Arsenal play Everton at the Emirates and its the perfect antidote to last week’s disappointment. Last season, Everton stumbled to an 8th-placed finish in the WSL and had to deal with tons of injuries. So far, it seems like its going to be more of the same this campaign.
Manager Brian Sorensen has lost midfielder Aura Galli and new signing Inma Gabarro to ACL injuries already. Their luck is non-existent and the first two games have resulted in two defeats and five goals conceded.
Sorensen is a principled manager who wants his team to play out from the back, be patient on the ball and build up well, but its tough to do that against good teams.
This game feels like a free hit for Arsenal to put on a show in front of their home fans. I’ve been critical of Arsenal throughout Jonas Eidevall’s tenure because I don’t think they’re aggressive enough in games. I think they need to show a reaction this weekend and I hope to see it when I’m at the Emirates on Sunday.
Manchester City should go mad
Much in the same way I want to see more from Arsenal this weekend, Manchester City have a free hit with the fixture they’ve been dealt on Sunday.
West Ham look like they’re going to be slumped towards the bottom of the table this season, not because of injuries or a stubborn style of play, but because of a lack of any sort of plan or identity.
I know from having watched Rehanne Skinner’s Spurs and having spoken to her during media opportunities, her plan is to be hard to beat, organised and execute on the ball when they do get opportunities in possession. But what I’ve seen so far from West Ham, and what we saw last season, is a team that feels, to be put it harshly, quite spineless. There’s a lack of leadership, a lack of experience and structure. The one thing a Skinner side should have is structure.
You then combine that with a lack of creativity and clinical finishing, when opportunities do arrive, and it’s a bit of a recipe for disaster. West Ham probably won’t be relegated because Crystal Palace are going to suffer so much, but they’re playing a dangerous game.
So anyway, that means, Manchester City should be licking their lips with this home fixture. City didn’t take their chances against Brighton, didn’t pay for it, but on another day it could have been a vert different story.
Raphael Adelugba wrote about City’s attacking issues and he’ll be at the game on Sunday. Take a read.
Mid-table match up
This week, Jessy Parker Humphreys wrote about Aston Villa and Brighton, their impressive starts to the season and ambitious managers.
On Saturday, Brighton face Villa in an exciting mid-table match up. It’s going to be the first real test of how these teams want to play against the teams in and around them, also a test of where they might finish come May.
The mid-table is looking really interesting this season as we have these fresh and exciting teams like Brighton and Aston Villa and the now established challenger sides in Liverpool and Tottenham. It might not be as eye-catching as the title race or chase for Champions League but it’s definitely interesting.
This game is going to be on the league’s YouTube channel so if you’re in the UK you can watch for free, kick off is 12.30pm.
Enjoy the football you’ll be watching this weekend. See you on Monday for the next edition of my newsletter What Happened.