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WSL team of the week: gameweek 12
It was a weekend of impressive defensive performances during gameweek 12 in the WSL, with Manchester United and Arsenal both left frustrated by Everton and West Ham.
Chelsea saw off a spirited Tottenham and there were also wins for Manchester City and Liverpool over the course of the six fixtures.
But which players stood out? Here’s 90min’s WSL team of the week for gameweek 12.
GK: Janina Leitzig (Leicester) – Although the Foxes slipped to a 2-0 defeat to Man City, the Sky Blues’ margin of victory could have been so much more had they not come up against Leitzig in inspired form. The Leicester goalkeeper made a full 15 saves, with her second half stop to deny Bunny Shaw from point blank range the pick of the bunch. In a weekend of superb goalkeeping displays across the WSL, Leitzig takes the number one spot.
CB: Grace Fisk (West Ham) – West Ham turned in a heroic defensive display to earn a hard fought 0-0 draw with Arsenal, and Fisk was pivotal to that. The centre back popped up time after time with blocks, clearances and headers to help her side preserve a clean sheet.
CB: Hawa Cissoko (West Ham) – Cissoko was instrumental alongside Fisk in West Ham’s mammoth defensive effort, helping to halt wave after wave of Arsenal attack. Her strength and reading of the game helped her to keep Stina Blackstenius under wraps, and she produced a huge block in the first half to shut out a goal-bound Caitlin Foord effort. The defender even triggered a rare West Ham counter attack with a tremendous, sweeping switch of play.
CB: Nathalie Bjorn (Everton) – Just like West Ham, Everton turned in a huge defensive performance on Sunday, holding Manchester United to a 0-0 draw. Key to their hard-fought clean sheet was the imperious Nathalie Bjorn, repelling everything that came her way.
RWB: Emma Koivisto (Liverpool) – A very good day at the office for wingback Koivisto – a clean sheet and an assist as Liverpool ran out 2-0 winners over Reading. Helped her side break the deadlock with a low, fizzing cross to Missy Bo Kearns, and came to her side’s aid defensively with a goal line clearance to deny Gemma Evans.
CM: Fuka Nagano (Liverpool) – Nagano has had an instant impact on this Liverpool side after joining in January, and turned in a player of the match performance on Sunday. Classy and efficient in possession, and absolutely everywhere out of possession to win the ball back for the Reds.
CM: Ceri Holland (Liverpool) – Alongside Nagano in midfield for Liverpool, Holland turned in a similarly all-action performance. The midfielder popped up at the back post to add her side’s second – her second goal in as many games – and was at the heart of the action throughout.
LWB: Gabby George (Everton) – George continued her mightily impressive season with a big display against Man Utd, producing a huge defensive performance to help Everton to a clean sheet. The defender was also a source of attacking danger for the Toffees during a few rare forays forward.
FW: Lauren James (Chelsea) – Another top display from James as Chelsea took all three points against Tottenham. The forward gave Kerys Harrop a tough time of it and provided the moment of the game with a fabulous solo goal, slaloming in and out of challenges before passing the ball into the bottom corner.
ST: Bunny Shaw (Man City) – The WSL’s top scorer extended her lead at the top of the goalscoring charts by breaking the deadlock after an hour against Leicester, planting a looping header past Leitzig to finally break the Foxes resilience.
FW: Chloe Kelly (Man City) – Kelly opened her WSL account for the season with a wonderful piece of individual brilliance, cutting in from the right, driving into the box and finding the corner with a rasping left footed effort. The winger linked up well with the similarly impressive Kerstin Casparij throughout.
US women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski explained the absence of Alyssa Thompson in the 26-player roster for the upcoming friendlies against the Republic of Ireland, revealing “we don’t want to add too much pressure on her.”
Though only 18 years old, Thompson has been turning heads with her form lately, most recently scoring in Angel City’s opening-day 2-1 loss against Gotham FC. With the FIFA Women’s World Cup on the horizon, many believe that Thompson would earn another call-up to the USWNT during their last two friendlies before the tournament starts in July.
However, the latest roster drop sees Thompson’s name absent from the squad.
“Alyssa Thompson, I mean, she’s an exciting player. If there is a person that believes in Alyssa Thompson, or a coach that believes in Alyssa Thompson, it’d probably be me,” raved Andonovski.
“Not long ago, when she was 17 years old, her first cap was against one of the best teams in the world in front of 80,000 people, and that was a decision that I made. So that speaks of how much I value Alyssa and how much I believe in her.”
Thompson was first called into the national last October against England at 17 years old. She was subsequently called to the team again in November but hasn’t appeared since.
“Part of the reason why she was in those camps was that, if that happens, that she has a good season and she does well and earns a roster spot for the World Cup, that is not her first camp with the team, but she already has an experience being in the environment, understands the dynamics in the environment, he explained.
“She’s already played in big matches, good opponents, so the transition, or coming in, it’s not as hard for her.”
Andonovski went on to say that Thompson has tons of potential and that the young winger will make a case for a roster spot” for this summer’s tournament in Australia/New Zealand, but that largely hinges on her club form with Angel City FC.
“I do want to point out one thing about Alyssa at this point: for her, the most important thing is that she enjoys the game that she plays. She enjoys her market, her club environment, because we don’t want to put too much pressure on her.”
“She’s a young player, talented player, good player, and all she needs to do is just enjoy the game that she plays, focus on what she does best and allow the people that are making the decision to make the decision for her,” he continued.
The USWNT kicks off the first of their last two friendlies before the World Cup with a showdown in Austin, Texas, against Ireland on April 8th.
The general manager of Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle has confirmed that the club are close to striking an agreement to sell 15-year-old wonderkid Kendry Paez.
90min reported in February that Paez had attracted significant interest from a number of Premier League clubs, with Chelsea understood to have moved closest to striking a deal by lodging a bid for the teenage midfielder.
Chelsea have remained in talks with Independiente del Valle ever since, looking to finalise a deal for a player who is widely seen to be one of South America’s brightest young prospects.
Now, Independiente del Valle chief Santiago Morales has confirmed that a deal has almost been reached to sell Paez, although he declined to mention with which club he has been speaking.
“There are no pre-contracts,” Morales told Mach Deportes. “The interested clubs continue to find out how to negotiate with Kendry Paez.
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“There is a club with which we are in advanced conversations and we agree on the value of Kendry Paez.”
Morales also backed Paez to make a significant impact in this season’s Copa Libertadores, with the Ecuadorian starlet’s stock continuing to rise.
“Surely Kendry will play in the Copa Libertadores and don’t be surprised if he plays a great game against Corinthians,” he added.
Chelsea have made an effort to recruit a number of the game’s top youngsters this season and have not shied away from paying significant fees to land their targets, with the likes of Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesar Casadei costing close to £40m combined.
Paez is a key target for Chelsea’s new recruitment team and it appears as though they are close to getting a deal done.
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On this edition of Son of Chelsea, part of the 90min podcast network, Daniel Childs examines what Thomas Tuchel’s move to Bayern Munich could mean for Chelsea.
If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!
It’s not just the Premier League that has a tantalising title race on its hands. Over in the Women’s Super League, the current top four are separated by just three points.
Emma Hayes’ Chelsea have long been considered the favourites to win their fourth consecutive title, but they were leapfrogged in the table by Manchester City after they beat the Blues 2-0 in Manchester last weekend. City’s first victory over Hayes’ side since 2017 ignited their title hopes and they currently sit level on points with Man Utd at the top.
Chelsea, however, are just a point adrift having played a game less, while Arsenal aren’t out of the running either. The Gunners, who have also played one less game than the two Manchester clubs, are three points off the summit in fourth.
FiveThirtyEight uses its Forecasts and Soccer Power Index (SPI) ratings to predict every fixture throughout the WSL season. Here’s who they think will end the 2022/23 season as champions.
|
Position |
Team |
Current points |
Projected points |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Chelsea |
37 |
53 |
|
2. |
Man Utd |
38 |
50 |
|
3. |
Arsenal |
35 |
49 |
|
4. |
Man City |
38 |
49 |
|
5. |
Aston Villa |
29 |
36 |
FiveThirtyEight don’t expect the table to expand too much before the end of the season, but they do project Chelsea to win the league by a three-point margin.
The Blues are expected to claim 16 points from their last seven outings with their only remaining fixture against a fellow title rival arriving on the penultimate matchday of the season against Arsenal.
The two London clubs also have the Champions League to consider, but the supercomputer doesn’t believe their European ventures will derail their domestic campaigns. Arsenal are projected to finish level on points with Man City in third.
Despite their huge win over Chelsea, the computer predicts City to claim just nine points from their remaining six games. They do have the disadvantage of playing both Arsenal and Man Utd away from home before the end of the season.
As for the current leaders, the computer projects a bright enough end to the campaign (12 points from six games) but that won’t be enough to stave off Chelsea’s threat.
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The WSL title race will take its next twists and turns at the start of April, with Man Utd the first on the contenders in action when they visit the south coast to face Brighton.
The clash between Arsenal and Manchester City in Sunday’s early kick off is undoubtedly the game of the weekend, while Chelsea will be hoping to make up some lost ground when they travel to Aston Villa.
Vlatko Andonovski explains absence of Alyssa Thompson on recent USWNT roster
Independiente del Valle chief makes major admission over Chelsea target’s future
Supercomputer predicts WSL title race after Man City’s victory over Chelsea
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