Liverpool 1-1 Spurs: Spurs lucky to escape with a point

Spurs flat against a dangerous Liverpool side

Sometimes if things aren't broken, then they don't need fixing. This seemed to be the approach that Spurs head coach Martin Ho looked to implement by naming an unchanged starting XI against Liverpool today. On paper this made some sense with how well Spurs played against West Ham last week, but this time Spurs looked fairly comfortably 2nd best against a dangerous Liverpool side. I think it also goes without saying that Liverpool are better than their league table position from last season would suggest when you factor in the context of them basically having to learn a completely new system while they didn't initially invest the Olivia Smith money particularly well in that summer.  

Positives 

I kind of struggled to think of many positives from this game, but I think the box defending from Koga & Nildén was largely quite good even though they were called into action quite frequently. Signe Gaupset looked lively again and forced the opening goal as her cross/shot deflected over Khiara Keating just before half time. The Norwegian starlet looked threatening when she was able to get on the ball in the final 3rd but she got on the ball less than she would've liked, which limited her overall game. 

Shekeira Martinez also looked really energetic off the bench after Cathinka Tandberg had to be substituted early on due to a dead leg. The German is a very different profile to her Norwegian counterpart as Martinez is less of a hold-up target player (which is more of Tandberg's game) as she put her head down and ran at the defence more than Tandberg did, while also carrying more of a threat to make runs off the ball. 

Negatives

I'm choosing to focus more on what didn't really work for Spurs rather than highlighting Liverpool's positives just because I think it will be what they're going to look at to improve themselves anyway. Going into the game I had hoped that Spurs would be the dominant team, in part due to my own expectations going into the season but also I guess I've bought into the hype that Spurs could be a challenger for 4th or higher this season. 

Last week I pointed out that Caitlin Dijkstra had a tricky first game having to play in a position that she's not really used to, and that against better teams she'd have an even worse time of it. I think it's fair to say that for as positive as it was that her aggressive approach to the game often saw her follow Ceri Holland into her own half, that she got targeted by Holland & the eventual player of the match, Alejandra Bernabe. It's not really her fault that she struggled because she did what Martin Ho wanted her to to cover the wide areas and be aggressive, it's just that she doesn't really have the recovery pace and she's not used to the role.

Because of how often Liverpool targeted Spurs' right flank, it got to the point where Kirsty Hanson's game suffered as a consequence of this as she spent most of the game pinned back as a de-facto right wing-back. The flying Scot was much less of a threat this game compared to her league debut for The Lilywhites and I somewhat hope that she will eventually get a shot as a number 9 soon or just that Ho might become a bit more willing to change things more radically in games.

Where I'm a bit less willing to be forgiving is the fact that this is the 2nd game in a row that Olivia Holdt was a late substitute. Maybe that's harsh but it's another similar theme to last season where she didn't always start in the first half of the sesaon, and even then she didn't always play in the 10 often being restricted to the wing. When she did come on in this one (as the Lw) she fairly quickly had one of the best chances of the game when she cut in on to her right foot to see her bending shot saved well by Keating.

As much as I like Matilda Vinberg, I thought she slowed play down in instances where she could have sped play up and her turning on the ball in space seems to be problematic. I still would rather see her on the right where she can cut inside more but I understand the logic of having her start on the left where she can allow Blakstad to hold the width behind her. 

Wrap-up

This last part isn't so much of a negative but more of an observation. I think this Spurs looks like it can compete to a high level and has a decent range of profiles in each position, but they do lack one really tall player (or at least an absolute aerial monster in the box). Liverpool brought Aurélie Csillag off the bench who looked an absolute unit in the Spurs box, coupled with them having the equally very tall Jenna Clark in their backline. This is an archetype, which admittedly is rare, is something that Spurs kind of lack as this could also be a benefit in games like this where they couldn't consistently build through the thirds. 

Finally, I think this game was a really good test to see what level Spurs at right now. This all goes back to just having a reliable plan b for when plan a doesn't work (sound familiar?) which is admittedly something I value highly in a manager. This game should give the squad plenty to work on ahead of the Palace game next week who will be feeling confident after they picked up a point against title favourites Arsenal away from home.

Some thoughts post Spurs 3-1 West Ham

 

Some thoughts post Spurs 3-1 West Ham 

There's the famous expression that "comparison is the thief of joy." In this case couldn't be further from the truth when you compare Spurs 1st game of the season this year compared to last year. Today Spurs came out winners once by 3 goals to 1 against West Ham at home in a very confident display compared to the same fixture last season where Spurs narrowly squeaked a 1-0 win. In a way it was kind of perfect that they got the chance to play the same team for the first game, two seasons in a row. This game was the kind of performance that shows how a team can improve when you invest smartly and early so that players have the chance to have a full pre-season. 

The player of the match today was Kirsty Hanson on her competitive debut for The Lilywhites. Maybe somewhat surprisingly she started on the right wing of Martin Ho's base structure of a 4231, which saw give West Ham's back-line hell for the entirety of her time on the pitch as she caused havoc on & off the ball in behind, going down the line and cutting onside on her stronger(?) left foot (which was on full display for her 2nd goal). Compare this to last season where, honestly for half of the season, that right flank was a problem without Ella Morris at Rb & with there not really being a natural right-sided winger (Jess Naz, Olivia Holdt & Olga Ahtinen all got minutes there early last season where they were either not great or serviceable at best) and Spurs look so much more dangerous down that side now. 

The actual starting lineup took most by surprise as one of Spurs' best players from last season in Olivia Holdt was left on the bench to allow Signe Gaupset (who had an involvement in the first 2 goals with 1 goal and the assist for Hanson's first) to start in the number 10 role, which allowed her to flourish today. Gaupset is so confident bringing the ball up the field and receiving between the opposing midfield & defensive lines and her being allowed to be the player that Spurs really look to get the ball to in the 2nd phase of possession and transition.

Spurs opened the scoring with Gaupset getting on to the end of Julie Blakstad's knock down after some effective counter-pressing on the right flank saw Spurs awarded a throw, where Caitlin Dijkstra then found herself in a pocket of space on the right to deliver the ball into the box. This goal basically summed up Blakstad's performance as a flying wing-back seeing her basically act as Spurs auxilliary Lw, as she repeatedly looked to get into the box for crosses and she very nearly got on the scoresheet herself. This also allowed Matilda Vinberg to have a floating number 10 role on the inside left where she had a fairly underwhelming game but still picked up an assist. 

Spurs on-ball structure looked more of a 325, which is really what Martin Ho tried to implement last season with starting Rb Caitlin Dijkstra tucking in as a wide Cb in a back 3. This has a built-in rest defence structure when Spurs have the ball higher up the field with 5 attackers and 5 deeper players. Martin Ho's philosophy involves retaining most of the ball, baiting the press in central areas to move the ball upfield and exploiting gaps between the lines. This also allowed Spurs to make use of the wide areas now with Blakstad and Hanson being incredibly dangerous out there with the help of Gaupset & Vinberg who were able to play in the inside-wide/half-spaces channels and link the play.

Record signing Alice Sombath missed out today due to Martin Ho taking a cautious approach with her due to her injury history but because she can play either as a Rb or at centre-back, she should suit that role quite nicely. Drew Spence and Eveliina Summanen anchored the midfield well as the double pivots ahead of the defensive unit, as they were able to shuttle the ball to the front line and they were generally solid defensively. Cathinka Tandberg was the starting 9 today and had a quiet game but with a seemingly increased emphasis on crosses this season, she should still be ok as the season goes on.

For as well as Spurs played today there are still some defensive concerns which will need to be looked as they will get exploited against bigger teams. Due to Spurs playing with a high defensive line and pressing player-to-player aggressively, West Ham did exploit the Spurs right flank as Dijkstra and, to a lesser extent, Toko Kōga got spun a few times which allowed West Ham into the final 3rd a bit too easily. The goal they conceded came from Asseyi receiving a through ball from newly signed Saki Kumagai, who had too much time and space just ahead of the centre circle to pick out a pass, allowing the Frenchwoman to slot past the onrushing Lize Kop to pick up a consolation goal. 

Overall this was a near perfect start to Spurs' WSL campaign and they'll be looking to continue this momentum next week against Liverpool in St Helens.

 

Under the radar WSL fantasy game picks

Defenders

Ella Morris

This maybe shouldn't come as that much of a surprise because she is one of the best right-backs in the top tier even though she doesn't get the pr that the top 4 teams get. At 4.5m for a starting right back that plays as more of a wing-back, that can score, assist & beat most opposition for pace. Her starting price of 4.5m is largely based on her injury record which, of course, is something to consider, but she has had a full pre-season this summer for the first time in her Spurs career.

Spurs' defence improved last season as they conceded 6 less goals than the season before and the team overall scored 11 more. On a more personal note, Morris was the first women's footballer I wrote about on this blog, and she is one of my favourite players in the Spurs squad, so there is a decent amount of bias in this pick. But if you've ever watched her I don't think she's ever failed the eye test, and she is probably the most important signing of Vilahamn's first season.

Paige Peake

Ipswich's 2nd half of the season was much improved to such an extent that they finished fairly comfortably above the relegation zone having 9 points more than relegated Portsmouth. The key difference in Ipswich's uptick in form was that they managed to shore up their defence in the final 11 games of the season only allowing 12 goals compared to the 30 they conceded in the first half of the season.

Paige Peake is probably the standout pick from their defence due to her (in the case of last season) being on penalties and deep set pieces. 5m is a decent price for player that's likely to start most of their games, has set piece threat with her height and she has a tendency to launch the ball into the box when Ipswich have a free kick near the halfway line. 

Midfielders 

Wilma Leidhammar

Leidhammar is a really priced midfielder that is likely to be involved in most good things that Birmingham will do this season. I've written about her more in-depth recently, so I'll try to avoid re-hashing too much from that. At 6m she's very fairly priced for an exciting number 10 that can contribute to both goals and assists. 

If you like players that can find space in between the opposing midfield and defensive lines, finish on either foot and someone that has an eye for playing the final ball then Leidhammar is a great pick, just maybe not straight away as she has to face last season's champions in Manchester City.

Beth Hepple

I actually changed my mind part way through writing this as I was going to include Mollie Lambert who made a big move to fellow North East team Newcastle. But when I dug into the numbers a bit more, it was hard to ignore just how impactful Hepple was for Durham last season. Hepple is priced at a premium 7.5m but is a massive differential (like everyone on this list) at just 2% ownership at the time of writing.

Last season she put up a very impressive 8 goals & 4 assists as the team's primary source of creativity and joint set-piece taker next to Michaela Foster. Hepple and the aforementioned Lambert, were the best players in what was a pretty dour season for Durham and Hepple is likely to be their main source of goals again this season.

Forwards 

Beatta Olsson

This one is kind of a surprise to me that she has such little ownership since she was an absolute goal machine for Liverpool last season. Beata Olsson managed 6 league goals from 13 league starts in her maiden WSL campaign in what was a slightly injury hit campaign for the Swede. She can pretty confidently finish on both feet, carry the ball to a good level & she has elite movement in the box to find space for herself to finish cutbacks.

6.5m for an established goal scorer, with a near guaranteed starting spot in a team that has recruited well and quickly this summer, should make Olsson an appealing differential for any fantasy manager in need of a mid-priced forward. Her first match this season is against newly promoted Charlton who, for as good as their defence was at times last season, are fairly blunt going forward and a portion of their starting defenders are somewhat untested at the top level.

Poppy Pritchard

This pick is a little more of a wildcard given that Poppy Pritchard hasn't actually scored a league goal for 2 seasons but I am fairly confident that she will show her goal-scoring talents for recently relegated Leicester City. Leicester as a club are a bit difficult to predict this coming season as they have lost an alarming amount of players this summer, but Pritchard looks like a fairly low risk gamble for a young forward. 

Priced at 5m in the game, with a good chance of being a starter & less than 1% ownership at the time of writing (although also at the time of writing she's still listed as a Man City player) Pritchard could be a sleeper hit this season if she's allowed some stability as a starting 9. One of her better games for Durham actually came on the left wing against Southampton which, maybe strangely, showcased just how good her back to goal play is/can be when she was out wide. This aspect of her game could also add to her assist potential if her Leicester teammates can put up better attacking performances in the WSL2.

The WSL2 winger who could be in for a breakout season

Ava Baker

I try to limit highlighting loan players in the WSL2 as there are plenty of players at the clubs who don't always get the spotlight they deserve. But I do have some exceptions. Ava Baker is one of the youngest players to have ever scored a top flight WSL goal and has been developing since leaving Leicester in 2024 at last season's WSL2 champions, Birmingham City, with her also having a 6 month loan spell at a resurgent Ipswich Town. I think it's pretty fair to say that because she doesn't play for one of the biggest clubs, that she maybe doesn't have the same amount of hype (outside of Birmingham and Ipswich fans) that some other players in her age group have.

The Birmingham City loanee has returned to the Tractor Girls after a very bright loan move in January. Baker still got fairly limited minutes last season as she played just over 400 league minutes for the second season in a row. It's not really a surprise this past season as she had a resurgent Veatrikki Sarri & former PSG starlet Océane Hurtré This season it seems that she has a clearer path to a starting spot as I'd imagine new signings, Megan Hornby (signed from relegated Portsmouth) will take over the starting Rw slot from Brighton's new winger in Sophie Peskett, and Tegan McGowan (also signed from Birmingham but her contract ran down) will compete with Baker for the starting Lw role under David Wright.

Baker has got a real air of confidence and a direct approach to her game. She always looks to stay wide when the ball is on her side in order to facilitate 1v1's against her fullback. Her pace makes her a threat on and off the ball as she can be a target for balls in behind to get her in the final. I think she's a bit inconsistent in tighter spaces but this is still something that she can improve on with more chances to get into those scenarios. This is also influenced by her turning circle being some she can improve on as it can sometimes look a little stiff when she turns 180 degrees.

As a traditional winger that holds the width which can allow her fullback behind her to stay inside like when she would come on for Birmingham, her carrying is at a really good level as she often looks to take lots of small touches to keep the ball close to her and allowing her the time to choose to go down the line or cut inside. She keeps a very upright posture when she carries the ball which is really noticeable when she first receives the ball. This can then play into her change of speed when she often looks to push the ball ahead of her to really take her fullback on in a battle of pace.

One aspect of her game that really stands out is her defensive work rate. It's not just that she's a willing presser from the front, but she tracks back very well and will put her foot in when she's deeper on the pitch. Her being a willing defender and a hard worker will only continue to endear her to her coaches and the fans.

Her weaker left foot is actually better than I remember since I've gone over her match footage again. It's not at the level of comfort where she can comfortably carry on her left, but her passing and in particular her ball striking on her left foot is at a pretty decent level that still has plenty of room to grow with increased game time. This is still a big help for her since she has shared minutes across both wing slots and her only goal from last season came on her left foot after a nice flick to get past her defender.

The ball is played into space near the box w/Baker having her back to goal.

She then gets the ball with her body parallel to the goal.

She then drops her shoulder and pushes the ball on the outside of her right foot past the defender.

She's created the space to push into the box.

Baker then has enough time and space to place the ball low into the far corner in her left.

 

On the whole, Baker is a really exciting prospect that has a good chance to make a name for herself in the WSL2 this coming season. There are aspects of her game that will get smoothed out with reps such as some refinement to her first touch. But I have very high hopes that she will continue to develop with Ipswich. Her goal against Sunderland was very good, and I can also recommend her performance against Charlton (for Ipswich) where she was one of the best players on the pitch in the first half.

 

 

 

 

Looking into Charlton's mid-season slump

Last season Charlton were only 1 point away from getting promoted behind champions, Crystal Palace and coming into this season they looked poised to make another push for promotion. They started this season in strong form picking up 4 wins in their first 4 league games in the Championship. In this span they only conceded 1 goal from 20 total shots, while scoring 8 times. Ever since their 2-1 loss in the league cup against Spurs - Charlton have slid all the way down to 8th place in the table, failing to win a single game since the 2-0 win over Blackburn at the end of September.

It's also worth pointing out that - at the time of writing - the parity in the league is pretty strong, as only 5 points separate 1st place Birmingham City (19)and 8th placed Charlton(14). This is in part down to clubs like London City Lionesses and Newcastle investing smartly in the summer window. The quality of teams they have faced in this 5 game stretch have all overtaken Charlton and they all look quite strong in terms of personnel. 

Charlton themselves recruited fairly smartly, picking up ex-Spurs forward, Ellie Brazil as a free agent. Sheffield United defensive pair Charlotte Newsham and Jodie Hutton and midfielder Melisa Filis from West Ham were also brought in over the summer. The losses of full-back, Rebecca McKenna and forward, Tegan McGowan to Birmingham as well as goalkeeper, Sian Rogers were the main departures over the summer and all three positions were replaced. Since fully committing to a 5 at the back defence at the start of the season manager, Karen Hills has largely selected the same players in, Beth Roe, Elisha N'Dow, Kiera Skeels, Charlotte Newsham and Jodie Hutton with Gracie Pearse being brought in at CB in some games.

In the 5 games they have dropped points in however, they've only allowed more than 1 expected goal in 3 separate games, being the losses against London City and Southampton, as well as the 3-3 draw vs Newcastle. The main outlier of those 3 was the London City loss in which they conceded 17 shots compared to the Southampton and Newcastle games where they allowed 8 and 6 shots respectively which - particularly against Newcastle - showed the sorts of chances they were giving up. 

One of Charlton's biggest defensive problems is dealing with attacks down their wide channels. For Bristol's opener in the 2-1 home loss, Hutton is left behind the play as some nifty inter-play between Mari Ward and Emily Syme set the former down the right flank unchallenged, before blowing by Beth Roe (at LCB/LB for this game) to cross the ball in to find Lexi Lloyd-Smith at the near post - who smartly nipped in front Elisha N'Dow - and head past Sophie Whitehouse. Against Newcastle, the first goal they conceded came from a knocked down long ball that let Amy Andrews in behind N'Dow who, along with Skeels, wasn't able to keep up with Andrews' run. This coupled with Newsham not picking up Hayles, who was hanging back in the centre of the box for the easy tap in from a cut back, highlights that Charlton's defence - particularly the centre backs - finds it difficult against wide players. 

Ellie Brazil isn't the be all and end all for this Charlton front line, but her presence was missed for the 2 full games she missed with a minor injury. Her pace was a real factor in stretching opposition back lines, along with her tendency to float across into the wide channels to take on full-backs. The team as a whole poses a decent threat from set-pieces with Melisa Filis and Jodie Hutton being the primary corner and free kick takers. The first two goals against Newcastle both came from corners delivered from Jodie Hutton on the right which saw a Charlton player get a touch on the ball from the initial delivery. 

Jodie Hutton in particular has had a good offensive season so far with 2 goals and 2 assists in the league including a fantastic cross to assist the first goal against Sunderland. The 24 year old has a wand of a left foot and it'll be important for the team that she continues to improve her offensive productivity down the left flank in order for them to get some sort of form back. 

This team certainly has the personnel to regain their early season form, but it does seem like teams have worked them out to an extent and have been able to capitalise on some gaps that are left at the back.