Impetus had writers in five WSL media conferences this week ahead of another vital weekend of action. Their club-by-club reports of who said what is below (8/12/23)
Arsenal
By Liberty Simons
Jonas Eidevall repeatedly highlighted the impact of his staff, the players, and the supporters of Arsenal Women in the lead-up to Sunday’s London Derby against Chelsea.
Eidevall spoke about the game ahead and how everyone involved at Arsenal has helped to nearly sell out the Emirates for the game, starting by commenting that the club has to “push and make it a sell-out.” He spoke highly of the two main supporter groups of the team’s, the Red and White and Arsenal Women’s Supporter Club, and how their continued support and noise helps bring in the crowds.
He highlighted how the players drive the excitement for the matches at the club’s stadium and continued this praise of the collection of people at Arsenal. He gave mention towards the communications and commercial departments at the club for their work towards selling crowds out and making the most of the games at the Emirates, saying it “can’t only be driven by a few, it has to be driven by many.”
He also spoke about winning Manager of the Month from Sky Sports this week saying it was a “reflection of a really good month” and “credit should go to the wider staff group and the players.” Likewise, he commented on Frida Leonhardsen Maanum’s recent success in winning the Football Supporters’ Association Women’s Player of the Year award, commenting how happy he has been to see her progression since joining Arsenal from the Damallsvenskan.
Eidevall emphasised the dynamics of Arsenal as a club as a whole and the effects that positive results for both first teams are rubbing off across the club. He also commented that apart from the known injury to Lina Hurtig during the international window, the full team is fit and training for Sunday.
He once again returned to the praise of the trio of fans, players, and backroom staff when asked if other clubs could learn from Arsenal’s success in bringing the crowds to the club’s stadium, saying he can’t comment purely because he has “no knowledge of other teams” but Arsenal’s success lies in the triad.
The Arsenal manager also commented that playing all games at the Emirates is not as easy as people would like, due to restrictions outside of the club’s control as well as things like pitch maintenance. He did, however, highlight the fact that Arsenal are playing more games every season at the Emirates, but playing additional matches at the venue is something that is reviewed before the start of every season.
Touching on this weekend’s opponents Chelsea, Eidevall views them as “not unbeatable.”
Aston Villa
By Emily Brown
This Saturday, Aston Villa will travel to Manchester City’s Joie Stadium ready to kick off the first WSL match following the international break.
Villa’s last match before ended in despair as Everton took the win at Villa Park, putting a stop to the Villans’ winning run.
Not only will Ward have to pick her players up from the Everton defeat, but she will also have to manage the differing emotions that are circulating within her team due to events unfolding over the break.
With England, Scotland, and the Netherlands all being in Group A1 in the Nations League it meant that many Villans battled it out against each other in a feat for Olympic qualification.
The dramatic game that played out at Hampden Park earlier this week saw England face an already relegated Scotland, putting six goals past the Scottish, accompanied by a clean sheet. However, this mighty victory was just not enough for England and their Olympic dream, with the Netherlands topping the group by a single goal.
On Rachel Daly’s return after missing out on qualification, Ward said: “I’ve picked up with Rach this morning, she’s obviously gutted, she’s a passionate person that takes a lot of pride in playing for her country and yeah of course it’s gonna hurt…”
She went on to recognise other emotions following the massive hit on Scotland’s Rachel Corsie and Kirsty Hanson, as well as the gritty win from the Netherlands:
“…but there’s not just Rach…You always have to manage when you come back (with) different emotions, and this is probably the biggest one because of the fact that…. some people have obviously come out of their nations group (with Scotland being relegated), some people are on the back of Olympic qualification (with goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar and the Netherlands scoring a playoff spot) …
“…there’s different scenarios so there’s a lot of emotion that we’ve got to manage…”
Due to players only just beginning to arrive back from their respective countries, it is unclear who will be fit to play come Sunday. Ward claims player fitness will “really depend on how people have come back… so we’ll have to (assess) that.”
On having so little time to prepare, Ward claimed: “You have to plan effectively… myself and Gareth (Taylor) will be in the same boat, so we can’t make excuses… we’re used to it in the women’s game, we’re used to having them for one day…It’s a sad reality of the women’s game, it’s what you’re used to but it’s definitely no excuse…”
With the form that City have built up from performances so far this season, it certainly bodes for a tough match for Villa. Gareth Taylor’s side is proving to be a threat on both ends of the pitch, with 19-year-old goalkeeper, Khiara Keating starting all eight matches and achieving the most clean sheets in the WSL so far this season, keeping four clean sheets in total.
Up at the opposite end of the pitch, Jamaican striker Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw has scored the most goals so far (joint with Chelsea’s Lauren James), putting six shots into the back of the net in the run-up to international duty.
After Villa’s defeat against Everton, Ward recognised: “We have to try and take points from both (upcoming matches against City and Brighton) … City’s a difficult place to go and I think they play some unbelievable football, so that’s going to be tough…”
This week she reiterated that Man City manager, Gareth Taylor, “doesn’t get enough credit…”
“….I think he’s done an unbelievable job… they had a big turnover of players last summer and I think what he’s done has been brilliant…. (he) deserves an awful lot of credit, they’re an unbelievable team, they play with a lot of freedom, they play with a lot of quality… it’s going to be a tough game. They’re a team that you don’t want to face on the back of their last two fixtures…”
She further commends City’s position and believes in them going far this season: “… I think they’ll be title contenders… I think for sure, come the end of the season, I think they’ll be up there.”
Brighton and Hove Albion
by Aimee-Lou Caldecourt
Mel Phillips’ Seagulls take on Leicester City at Broadfield Stadium on Sunday, a win would see Brighton soar above the Foxes in the WSL table.
The team news ahead of the game was rather positive after this international break. There is only one concern, and that surrounds the fitness of goalkeeper Nicky Evrard as she came off with an injury in the final minutes, which is currently still being assessed by the Sussex side and her parent club Chelsea.
Phillips praises the ‘’focus levels and professionalism’’ of her squad on their return from international duty after ‘’a really short turnaround.’’
‘’The Liverpool performance was far from our best performance and we’re very clear about the areas that we need to be better in and things that we can manage differently.’’ Some deep reflection of the last game before the break.
Before the international break, Brighton had a tough run of games against the top four. Now focus is fully forward on the upcoming games. Similarly with Leicester, ‘’they score and concede a lot coming towards the end of the first half and beginning of the second half.’’
Charlize Rule was awarded her first cap for Australia over the recent international break, and Phillips was full of praise for her young Matilda. ‘’Charlie’s a fantastic young professional. She’s made a big jump to come across into one of the top leagues in the world and she’s just continued to grow from day one up until now, and I think that the opportunities of the national team are very deserved and show that she’s been very committed.’’
‘’She’s an exceptional technician on the ball, she has real quality under pressure.’’ Overall a lot of high praise from Phillips’ about Rule, ‘’she’s got a massively bright future ahead.’’
Katie Robinson has had success in the England U23s during the break. Phillips’ says that the call up to the U23s rather than the senior squad has ‘’taken a lot of pressure off of her.’’ She often ‘’ has a very different role [in the senior squad] than maybe what she has in our Brighton team.’’ Phillips’ believe she’s on the upward path and that she’s excelled in the U23 setup. ‘’It’s the journey that she’s on.’’
‘’We’re really excited about the likes of Maisie Symonds getting her first call in back to the 23s since a long period away with injury.’’ Symonds was side-lined through illness and injury for most of last season and is now finding some quality form and looks like a really promising young player for Brighton and England.
Usually, the matchups between Brighton and Leicester are close with three of the four meetings between them being won 1-0. This game should be tight and very entertaining for fans and neutrals alike.
Chelsea
by Ava-Marianne Elliott
With their fixture at a packed-out Emirates in front of a WSL record crowd this Sunday rapidly approaching, Chelsea’s manager Emma Hayes’ addressed the media to discuss how her team would face the challenge.
The questions opened with queries about how her side were readjusting after the international break, especially the players like Lauren James, Niamh Charles, and Jess Carter who were fresh off the back of their last-minute UEFA Nations League heartbreak. “Listen these players are professionals and they have had a couple of days to digest it and get it out of their system, and I had no concerns going into training today.”
On Sunday, the battle between the two London sides could be an early factor contributing to the outcome of the season, but Hayes’ focus was insistent that this game was just another match to be played. She iterated that “we’re in December, we’re not even halfway yet, we’re miles away from all that stuff” when asked about the title race, and her role isn’t to treat one fixture differently to the next, as each match is an opportunity for three points. Not one game is to be taken as less serious than another, and mentality played a huge role in the results her side have seen so far.
Their opponents, Jonas Eidevall’s Arsenal who are in flying form, but she further added that her players are used to the pressure, particularly from the Champions League or international football. They know how to remain cool under the eyes of opposition fans, and games where the stadium is packed out with spectators are more enjoyable.
A credit she gave to the Arsenal team is their ability on the counter-attack, and how they can cut teams open of two or three passes. Especially with their squad depth, Hayes commented that the Gunners “have a lot of experience, but they also have a lot of new players that I think are adding different qualities to their team.” It’s something that the Blues will have to be prepared for tactically, especially without Millie Bright’s expertise in the back line.
When the big question of selection rolled around, the Blues boss mentioned that two of her players would not be available for this weekend’s fixture. England’s Millie Bright is still out due to a prolonged knee injury and Serbia’s Jelena Čanković is still recovering from a calf injury that has seen her sidelined for two weeks now. Despite the injury to the side’s captain, Guro Reiten and Melanie Leupolz are available for selection this Sunday. After the news she recently suffered a rupture to her ACL on international duty, Aniek Nouwen is set for a long road of recovery.
Hayes’ was insistent that everything was business as usual for the Chelsea team. The fixture may be a big one in many people’s eyes, but she personally doesn’t see it that way, and nothing has changed because Arsenal always was going to be a huge presence in their chase for the title.
“I understand that to get anybody to perform you can’t think too far in the future and you can’t talk about the past.”
Although the scoreline for this Sunday is unpredictable and this fixture is a big one in the eyes of many, Emma Hayes’ is sure her side will play to the best of their ability and focus on moving forwards regardless of the result.
Manchester United
By Emily Brown and Holly Wright
This Sunday, Marc Skinner’s Manchester United will make the journey down south ready to face Tottenham Hotspur.
Heading into this weekend the Reds are sat just outside the top three in the table with a single point separating them and their fierce rivals Manchester City. Spurs sit in at sixth with 12 points with still a lot more time for them to regain their promising start to the season.
The Lilywhites will be determined to threaten Skinner’s United this weekend, with the side’s last match before the international break ending in despair with a defeat of seven goals to nil against Manchester City.
Regarding team news, whilst away on international duty, Japanese midfielder, Hinata Miyazawa has suffered an injury. On her expected return to the squad, Skinner explained: “Hini (Miyazawa) will probably be out until after Christmas. We are waiting on an assessment. It looks like she will miss these three games.”
United’s manager hopes she will be able to make her return following the next international camp.
Another player who, in November, joined the increasing list of United’s injured is Irene Guerrero, who remains “still in training” and will hopefully make her return after Christmas with her being “likely to miss these three games.”
Looking towards their matchup against Spurs, Skinner outlined that will make no mistake in underestimating the side. In their previous match against Manchester City, the United boss felt his team’s “attacking play was pretty bright” and felt the level of the defeat was unjust in some ways.
“You could see what they were trying to do… I think they will do the same again and I think that they will mark that as something they will not want to experience again… We need to make sure they don’t get chances.”
United will focus on nullifying the chances Spurs create with their clinical attacking players, especially with the potential for striker Beth England to make her return from injury this weekend.
“Beth (England) has a chance to be back, and we all know how good she is….it is going to be a tough game and we have to be at our very best.”
United’s player on loan to Spurs, Grace Clinton will be unavailable this weekend due to her being unable to play against her parent club. Domestically, Clinton has been performing excellently and has recently been rewarded with her first call-up to senior national camp with the Lionesses.
On the 20-year-old Skinner commented: “I think the way Grace performed I’m really really happy with and I’m watching closely… I’m really happy where she’s at and I’m really pleased…”
However, someone who will hope to pose a threat to United this weekend will be former Red Devil, Martha Thomas. On the striker’s recent performances, Skinner stated: “I hope she doesn’t do it against us, but I hope she continues to do it in the league… I’ve been really impressed with her, especially (her) goals against Villa that I thought were… excellent…We’ve got to, have to be, very good against her to keep her quiet for sure.”
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