Iwabuchi makes sudden impact for Aston Villa, while transfer activity remains busy and England embark on life after Neville
We all saw the potential impact a January signing can make at Aston Villa on Saturday, when Mana Iwabuchi got a goal and an assist in a 2-2 draw with Reading. She is 5ft 1in and about seven stone, but perfectly fits the mould of the kind of elite player Japan has produced – dynamic, organised, well drilled, technically excellent and personally unassuming. Her run to score the opener from a set piece was so typical of the Japanese national side, whose set-pieces are always perfectly executed. She has agility, poise and composure and is technically excellent – this is just not the calibre of player Villa have previously had, so the move is a real coup for them. Reading dominated the first half and it was only thanks to some poor finishing and their goalkeeper Lisa Weiss that Villa went in at the break trailing by only one goal, but they came out for the second half with renewed intent and got their reward. Drawing 2-2 when your opponents have only two shots on target will hurt Reading but, in Iwabuchi, Villa had the outstanding individual.
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