Gunners need points to stabilize Liverpool
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Highlights of the Women’s Super League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
Arsenal vs Liverpool – Saturday, 12pm, live on Sky Sports Premier League
Not since 2014 has Arsenal had such a poor points record at this point in the season. In the same year, they earned 11 points after nine games, and this season they have 16 points.
They have drawn their last two WSL matches and are already behind the title chasers. They are unlikely to catch up in such a close-knit league and the current Champions League holders are at risk of missing out on European football altogether.
Liverpool will be heavy favorites going into Saturday’s game, but they are beginning to find stability after a difficult start to the season both on and off the pitch. They have also drawn their last two WSL matches, including the one against Chelsea.
West Ham defeated Everton before the international break, dropping them to the bottom of the WSL table, but they still have a long way to go before being relegated. Arsenal are still not at their best and will be hoping for more points this weekend.
Saturday, December 6th 11:30am
Kickoff at 12pm
Why is the first half important in King Power?
Leicester vs Man City – Sunday, 12pm, live on Sky Sports Football
Manchester City will be looking to extend their lead in the WSL when they visit Leicester this weekend, and the opening 45 minutes will be key to winning or losing.
Coach Andrii Jegratz’s side have been the top scorers in the first half of this season (11 games), scoring in the first half in six of their last seven league games.
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Highlights of the Women’s Super League match between Manchester City and Manchester United.
Leicester, on the other hand, scored one goal in the first half against Spurs in this season’s WSL, the lowest in the league, but conceded nine goals before half-time, the most ever.
That’s going to be a big question, but if the Foxes can get to halftime without conceding a goal, it’ll be a big boost for the rest of the game.
But Jegratz’s team is the league’s top scorer and leader and looks downright ruthless. They head to Midland as heavy favorites.
Sunday, December 7th 11am
Kickoff at 12pm
Can the real Manchester United stand up?
Man United v West Ham – Sunday, 12pm, live on Sky Sports Mix
Manchester United’s early form has slumped in recent weeks. Remarkably, they have conceded even more goals, eight in their last two games across all competitions, as many as in their previous 15 games.
Part of that is due to injury to Fallon Tallis-Joyce, who has missed those games and is replaced by Wales international Safia Middleton-Patel. Of course, it’s not just the goalkeepers who are to blame, and manager Mark Skinner will no doubt be scrutinizing his defenders.
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Highlights of the Women’s Super League match between West Ham United and Everton.
Man United have also failed to score in their last two WSL games and have scored 19 goals in their opening seven games this season.
Since the 2018-19 shake-up, Man United have never gone three consecutive league games without scoring, with the last game against Man City being only the second game in their WSL history in which they failed to get a shot on target.
They scored three goals against Wolfsburg before the international break, but further struggles in the Women’s Champions League certainly contributed to their drop in the standings. But in recent weeks, Skinner should have been able to analyze, make adjustments and be ready for the final run-in before the winter break.
Sunday, December 7th 11am
Kickoff at 12pm
Can Villa finally find consistency?
Tottenham vs Aston Villa – Sunday, 12pm, live on Sky Sports+
The elation of beating Man United is long gone since Aston Villa came back down to earth with a particularly disappointing defeat at home to London City before the international break. This isn’t the first time this season that Natalia Arroyo’s team has found themselves in trouble against lesser teams.
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Highlights of the Women’s Super League match between Aston Villa and London City Lionesses.
To make matters worse, Arroyo’s team had about three weeks to consider the outcome due to the schedule. The match against Tottenham, where they lead by one point in third place, will be a huge challenge for them to bounce back, and at the same time it will be a physical reminder for Villa of where they need to be.
Being away from Villa Park could prove to be a blessing in disguise, given that Villa are unbeaten on the road this season and have already picked up points from Arsenal and Man United on the road.
But that won’t deter manager Martin Ho, who held Arsenal to a 0-0 draw in the final game before the international break, taking Villa’s 10 points at Brisbane Road this season, which they have picked up both at home and away.
London City have settled into the WSL, but some issues remain
London City Lionesses vs Brighton – Sunday, 12pm
London City Lionesses have had a successful start to life in the WSL. After nine games they have an impressive 15 points, just one behind Arsenal. Not since Sunderland in 2015 has a newly promoted team picked up more points at the same stage of the season.
They make Hayes Lane a difficult place to get to. They have won their last three games there and this weekend they face a struggling Brighton side on the road who have only picked up one point this season.
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Highlights of the Women’s Super League match between Brighton and Leicester City.
But London City needs to be careful. No team in the WSL this season has made more mistakes leading to goals than the Bromley-based side (level with Everton in fourth place), conceding two goals and four shots following their mistake in November.
Initial thoughts of a possible relegation battle have certainly subsided, but now it’s time to work on refinement to establish themselves as a feared WSL team.
Should Chelsea already win?
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Highlights of the Women’s Super League match between Liverpool and Chelsea.
Chelsea vs Everton – Sunday, 2:30pm
3 points left for first place without a game? It’s not very similar to Chelsea, but that’s where back-to-back draws mean they’ll be playing a Manchester City team in full flow.
Sonia Bompastor’s side may have surpassed their unbeaten record in the WSL, but that alone won’t bring the Blues back to the trophy this season. We were lucky to get one point at Arsenal, which was fine in the circumstances, but dropping two more points against Liverpool last time out was a wake-up call.
There are problems with both boxes. Center back captain Millie Bright was dropped in the recent Champions League draw with Barcelona and the Blues were unable to capitalize on their chances. Even just fixing one of them will start.
In theory, an Everton team that scored 19 goals in nine games is the perfect tonic. Manager Brian Sorensen will obviously be hoping that doesn’t happen, but given that the Blues have won their last 16 meetings since September 2018, scoring three or more goals in 12 of those, it looks like they’ll have a good chance of winning even if they’re in good form.
