In women’s football, where you’re not used to big crowds, mindset can be the difference between winning and losingFrom when I was young the FA Cup final has always been the key date in the diary for women’s football. When I won it for the first time in 2005, in front of 8,500 people at Upton Park, it was long established as the marquee day for the women’s game, and it’s just kept growing since then. When Manchester City play West Ham at teatime on Saturday they are expecting a crowd in excess of 50,000.It’s a very special occasion, and playing in it has always been a huge privilege, but dealing with that kind of crowd at Wembley is a...
Arsenal’s triumph and Chelsea’s demise are proof of the unpredictability of women’s football and the excitement will surely rise with United and SpursA lot has been written about the battle at the top of the Premier League and the likelihood of Liverpool finishing in second place with more than 90 points. That two teams have kept pace and driven each other to the limit is hugely impressive. And as a result many a comment piece has lamented the misfortune of the Merseysiders’ bid for a first league title in 29 years. But when we are discussing teams that have run out of luck, spare a thought for Manchester City women.Nick Cushing’s team are one game from an unbeaten Women’s Super...
Luke Shaw played a blinder but can still improve, Eden Hazard remains central to Chelsea and Deulofeu is coming of ageLuke Shaw’s display at Old Trafford was his best for Manchester United under Ole Gunnar Solskjær, according to the interim manager. To see Mohamed Salah replaced on 79 minutes was all the evidence required. Solskjær said: “[When] they take Mohamed Salah off you know Luke Shaw has played a good game.” The left-back was a blur of defensive obstinacy. Solskjær said Salah’s threat meant Shaw could not attack as much as desired and this is understandable given the forward’s quality. But the prevailing caveat regarding Shaw’s contribution in most games is that he does not create enough when roving forward....
Arsenal are back on top of the table but victory over West Ham papered over defensive issues while Chelsea are back in formArsenal shot back to the top of the league with a 4-2 win over West Ham, but this was a far from perfect performance. The teams went into half-time at 2-2, and the leaders were then given what their usually mild-mannered manager, Joe Montemurro, described as their biggest telling-off of the season. He spent much of the last two weeks training against long balls and set pieces, only to watch his side twice fail to deal with long kicks from the West Ham goalkeeper, Becky Spencer, which released the Swiss forward Alisha Lehmann to set up Scotland’s Jane...