WSL 24/25 | United v Villa - 6:45 Sun 10 Nov

jojojo

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First of all - 6:45 on a winter Sunday night? What sort of a time is that for a football match? And no, don't remind me that I used to go to La Liga matches at 9 or even 10pm on Sunday or indeed that most of Europe play matches on Saturday and Sunday nights. It's still weird.

Ok. Now I've said that - back to the match.

Villa have had a painful start to the season. It's not even as if they look like they're playing badly when you watch them. At some point they'll stop losing by a single goal (as they did against Chelsea, City and Liverpool).

Rachel Daly is usually key to their attack. They've also got some familiar United players - Kirsty Hanson, Adriana Leon, Ebony Salmon and Lucy Staniforth. They're reckoned to have paid £250k for Paula Tomas from Levante in the summer. At some point their new manager, Robert de Pauw, will be expected to start turning things around.

Marc Skinner says that Leah Galton and Anna Sandberg have returned to first team training. I doubt we'll see them for this one though. He also talked about Hayley Ladd and said they've had discussions about her future.

The match is live on Sky in the UK.

It's also free to view on some countries on WSL YouTube. However it looks like the number of countries where it's free to view has gone down further this season as new broadcast rights contracts kick in.
 
Skinner also said Hayley Ladd is taking coaching licenses. Maybe she’ll transit to the coaching team in the future?
She's already completed her UEFA A licence, so it would be no surprise if she's gone straight into doing a UEFA Pro licence. She's also done/is doing an MBA . So I'm sure she's been thinking about her future in the game for a while.

In fact I did wonder back in the summer if she was looking for a player/coach job somewhere. I got the feeling because looking at our recruitment and the fact that she didn't even get a few minutes in the Cup Final - it felt like she was being eased out.

I'm not convinced we've replaced her yet and I still think she offers an be extra layer of intelligence and resilience to the team when she plays. Whatever happens next, I hope that it works for her. I'd hate for her to be added to the list of players who didn't even get the chance to say goodbye.
 
She's already completed her UEFA A licence, so it would be no surprise if she's gone straight into doing a UEFA Pro licence. She's also done/is doing an MBA . So I'm sure she's been thinking about her future in the game for a while.

In fact I did wonder back in the summer if she was looking for a player/coach job somewhere. I got the feeling because looking at our recruitment and the fact that she didn't even get a few minutes in the Cup Final - it felt like she was being eased out.

I'm not convinced we've replaced her yet and I still think she offers an be extra layer of intelligence and resilience to the team when she plays. Whatever happens next, I hope that it works for her. I'd hate for her to be added to the list of players who didn't even get the chance to say goodbye.
Yea, there are things that are not always too well thought out with regards to the women’s teams relations to the fans.

Ladd has always struck me as a player whonis able to put more into the team than the sum of her athleticism, skill etc in itself. I can well imagine her as a good rome model for a player like Simi Awujo for instance.
 
MESSAGE TO SKINNER: Play entertaining football, less passing around the back standing still and more direct push forward with high tempo and press! We are not going to win the league so might as well make it a good watch for the fans :devil:
 
Forward replacing a defender in the line up is always nice to see... Looks like George/Le Tissier/Turner/Riviere at the back with Malard/Terland/Bizet across the front.

Proper northern drizzly rain here at LSV, decent atmosphere from some Brummies as well. Surprising for a school night!
 
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Rivière for Mannion, and Malard for Naalsund. So it looks like Janssen, Clinton and Toone in midfield with Malard at LW. Hopefully the midfield clicks and we get more out of Toone in a more central position.
 
Malard replaces Mannion in the starting lineup.


That sounds more like Rivière's job.

Naalsund isn't starting or on the bench, so presumably she's injured. Sounds like a bit of a reshuffle that brings Malard in.
 
Rivière for Mannion, and Malard for Naalsund. So it looks like Janssen, Clinton and Toone in midfield with Malard at LW. Hopefully the midfield clicks and we get more out of Toone in a more central position.
Yep. What Maestro said :lol:
 
That sounds more like Rivière's job.

Naalsund isn't starting or on the bench, so presumably she's injured. Sounds like a bit of a reshuffle that brings Malard in.

Yeah didn’t notice Rivière being there nor Naalsund not, for some reason. Anyway looks more attacking, let’s hope it is.
 
Hopefully the midfield clicks and we get more out of Toone in a more central position.
Tooney can only do Tooney things if her teammates get her the ball, which they haven't been doing. Hopefully it'll be harder to miss her if she's in the middle.
 
Tooney can only do Tooney things if her teammates get her the ball, which they haven't been doing. Hopefully it'll be harder to miss her if she's in the middle.

It's the same for England. They don't get her the ball enough.

I reckon all it'll take is a goal or two and she'll have her mojo back
 
Good save from PTJ. Doesn’t look like we’re the ones unbeaten and Villa the ones bottom of the table.
 
Villa still making chances. United still unable to hang onto the ball for long enough to make chances.

And then of course we nearly score with our first actual attack.
 
Signs of life from United finally. Been a weak performance so far - low on quality and slow to respond.
 
Tooney can only do Tooney things if her teammates get her the ball, which they haven't been doing. Hopefully it'll be harder to miss her if she's in the middle.

Playing like this week in, week out isn’t because of her teammates.
 
Villa nearly get through far too easily. Decent recovery challenge from George.

Our passing has been really poor.
 
On the bright side. It's goalless and we've got 45 minutes to fix the problem.

On the other side - most of the first half. Weak from us as individual players, but even weaker when it's been about looking like a coherent team. Where's the possession, where's the passing, where's the coordination. Let's hope it's on its way.
 
On the bright side. It's goalless and we've got 45 minutes to fix the problem.

On the other side - most of the first half. Weak from us as individual players, but even weaker when it's been about looking like a coherent team. Where's the possession, where's the passing, where's the coordination. Let's hope it's on its way.

That reads like a calm version of the Angry Rantman (RIP).
 
Some edge of the seat defending from us. Can't keep giving Villa chances. I know their form had been poor but players like Daly, Hanson, Nobbs won't keep missing indefinitely.
 
I cannot think of one single moment in this game that can redeem this performance so far. Hoping Geyse has the impact needed.
 
How are they struggling so badly against a Villa side that was bottom of the league with only 2 points from 6 matches?
We haven't played consistently well this season. It's been very patchy, with ten minutes bursts of good stuff and the occasional flash of great work from key players.

Today we've not even managed the ten minute burst of good stuff.

That said, as I commented in the OP, Villa really haven't been playing that badly, despite the table. They only lost by one goal margins to City and Chelsea and they've got some really good players.

This is one of those matches now where we've got to demonstrate that we really are a top team and the sort who can win on a bad day.
 
Interesting to see that Miyazawa can’t get any minutes even when we’re crying for someone to change the game.
 
Toone replaced by Williams. Clinton off for Awujo. Rivière goes off injured, Mannion on.

For Villa - Hanson goes off and Leon comes on keeping their ex-United quota up. Some other changes too...
 
Interesting to see that Miyazawa can’t get any minutes even when we’re crying for someone to change the game.
I always want Miyazawa to be given her chance but when she does come on she hardly shines in this team. Not sure she will be at United next season.