A conversation about Werder Bremen's women's team with @comradedarth.bsky.social

The Frauen Bundesliga is a highly entertaining league that maybe doesn't get the plaudits it deserves amongst non-German fans. The title race from January until a few weeks ago between Bayern, Wolfsburg and Frankfurt, was one of the only close races in the top 5 leagues in Europe. From a personal standpoint, I've found watching Werder Bremen a really interesting experience this season. This is due to their young squad with some very promising young players including Swiss number 2 goalkeeper, Livia Peng, as well as Germany u-23 internationals, Larissa Mühlhaus, Sophie Weidauer and Tuana Mahmoud. @comradedarth.bsky.social was nice enough to answer some of my questions about what it's like to be a fan of Werder's women's team.

How long have you been a fan of Bremen's women's team?

I was aware of them for some time, but actively in 22/23 when they played a "highlight game" at weserstadion and "I watch every game" levels after they signed Cata Perez during world cup 23.

What's it like being a Bremen fan?

Sometimes good, sometimes painful, i watch very analytically so I often become annoyed because of subpar decision making or easy mistakes, even though overall we have been on the rise.

Have you got any players that you particularly miss who used to play for Bremen?

Nina Lührßen. Hands down the best wingback in germany, she had 8 goal contributions in 23/24 and we have been struggling to replace her.

Can you recommend any young Werder players and any other Frauen Bundesliga players that people should watch in future?

Tuana Mahmoud from Werder is still under the radar a bit, made an insane jump this year. If HSV manages to go up: Lisa Baum, Mia Büchele, Lotta Wrede. Anna Marques from VFL Bochum had a breakout season this year in 2nd fbl. Feli Sträßer and Mariella El Sherif from Jena, Loreen Bender and Cornelia Kramer from Leverkusen.

How do you feel about how this season has gone?

Torn. Started out really well. I was hyped because of Mühlhaus. Now annoyed because it feels like they threw the towel during winter break (letting Ulbrich, our best defensive player and leader) and not renewing Horsch contract marked a big break.

Do you think the owners do a good job of running the women's team?

Not really. It has been improving, and they are talking about wanting to achieve more but Union Berlin's rise shows whats possible when the club ACTUALLY means it.

If Bremen could sign 1 realistic, and 1 unrealistic player in the summer, who would you want them to sign?

Realistic: we are really lacking in defense and defensive midfield. so a good replacement for Ulbrich would be nice. Landenberger of RB Leipzig or Ihlenburg from jena.

Unrealistic: Georgia Stanway.

Do you follow any other Women's leagues in depth?

Loosely follow WSL and NWSL, but not nearly to the level of Bundesliga.

Do you think the DFB does a good job of broadcasting top league games? 

No not really. they could do and support a lot more.

Do you have any interest in the lower leagues of Women's football?

2nd bl yeah, even though its a pain to watch. Below that I only check results occasionally.

What would you say is the general level of interest in women's football in Germany?

Low-ish especially compared to england and the wsl. But the nordderby or revierderby show that there is interest and its rising. like if the clubs did more to promote it like Union Berlin does there would be more awareness.

How changing to a 442 diamond structure could improve Spurs in 2025/26.

Part of the initial appeal of Vilahamn's 4231 set-up was the balanced width that would be provided by having wingers and 2 deeper midfielders in the buildup while ideally (in theory) being able to quickly play through the thirds with quick short passes. This season has seen Spurs regress both offensively and defensively. They've looked especially poor in defending wide areas as players lose their markers far too easily, and aerial balls continue to be a problem against top strikers. Offensively Spurs look like they're running out of ideas in the final 3rd and are still having trouble in progressing the ball into the final 3rd against top half sides.

On the surface, it might seem a radical change to completely remove wingers from the team after a down season for Spurs. Spurs adapting to a 442 diamond could be a difficult process initially, but would allow Spurs more options centrally when building through the thirds.

My two ideas for how Spurs could use the 442 in and out of possession (the top drawing is out of possession and the bottom drawing would be one version of an in-possession structure.)

Going position by position in the current squad, Spurs already have plenty of players that would suit this set-up.

. In goal, Lize Kop in goal is good enough on the ball, around top 5 league average for cross claiming and - at time of writing - has been about neutral in terms of shot-stopping with her 68% shots saved this season. Eleanor Heeps has shown promise in the few appearances she has made this season and has clearly become 2nd choice keeper as Rebecca Spencer was allowed to leave on an emergency loan to Chelsea. 

. At RB, Ella Morris has been one of the brightest players for Spurs in what's been a really dim 2025. Her speed, ball-carrying and stamina on the right flank would have to facilitate most of the wide threat on that side. Charli Grant hasn't made much of an impact in the year that she's been a Spurs player but could probably do a decent job in this role with her pace off-ball. 

. Right-sided CB is a contentious position for the future. Luana Bühler has put in the best performances on that side, but is on an expiring contract (which is probably likely to be renewed). Clare Hunt was initially the starter in this role for the opening half of the season but failed to instill much confidence. Josefine Rybrink hasn't really had much time in that role and almost certainly won't stay beyond the summer. Amy James-Turner has only made one appearance from the bench this season and hasn't made a teamsheet since playing against Aston Villa in the Conti Cup in late November for unknown reasons. Spurs may look to bring in a starting quality player here in the summer to stem the defensive rot from this season.

. Left-sided CB is a bit easier. Molly Bartrip has been this season's iron woman for Spurs, having played every game in the WSL so far. She's Spurs' best ball-playing defender and one of the vice-captains, who will probably get a new contract in the summer. Piggybacking off of the previous section, it'd be a help if spurs did bring in another defender that could play either side of the CB pairing. It'd also help if they're capable of winning aerial duels at a decent rate and strong enough to not get out-muscled by the stronger 9's in the league.

. The LB slot doesn't have an immediate need for improvement as Amanda Nildén and Ash Neville are both serviceable on that side, even if both are in down seasons. Nildén has been able to pose a decent enough threat overlapping in the final 3rd, and Ash Neville's defensive numbers have been as good as ever, seeing her make a ridiculous 3 successful tackles a game at over 75% success rate. One tweak that Spurs could make is to look to bring in a left footed CB/LB that could create a back 3 to allow Morris to have a higher starting position in settled possession.

. The 6 role would be taken up initially by Eveliina Summanen. She's been one of the most consistent players during Vilahamn's time in charge as the deeper pivot in the midfield 2 so far, and her presence was sorely missed in the games she was absent for due to her injuries. Olga Ahtinen initially formed a good partnership with Summanen in 2023/24. Unfortunately, after her injury early on in her Spurs tenure, she found herself slowly frozen out of the starting XI and even the subs bench. I think it's pretty unlikely that she'll be with Spurs next season, especially after she nearly joined Hammarby in February/March time. Bringing in a backup 6 in the summer would take off some of the initial load the Finn has to carry and, provided Spurs look at u-23 holding midfielders, could get a chance to develop a player for the long term in that role. Someone in the mould of a Katrina Gorry type 6 would actually be ideal to disrupt opposition midfields/forwards and quickly carry the ball upfield.

. The outside 8 roles are where I've had a bit of fun in interpretting. Partly inspired by her performance away against West Ham, Olivia Holdt could fulfil a half-winger role by providing some width but allowing either Morris or Nildén the freedom to stretch the pitch horizontally. She's also shown that she's press-resistant in tight spaces and creative enough to make chances in half-space channels. Maite Oroz would fulfil a deep-lying playmaker role aiming to get the ball up to the forwards and number 10. Whereas Holdt specialises in carrying the ball, Oroz's passing is her main form of press-resistance as she's able to put great disguise on her passes and her passing vision is arguably the best in the current squad. I'd also like to see Matilda Vinberg in the type of role described for Olivia Holdt but on the left side. Drew Spence and Anna Csiki could also play as 8's, as well as the 10, and would be good options on the ball. Kit Graham's contract runs out in the summer, but she has been quite an important player in recent seasons and I'd have no problem with her getting a contract extension so she can hopefully get some minutes when she's finished rehabbing her ACL. 

. The player I want to see for Spurs at number 10 is where I'm willing to put my name on a non-spurs player coming in this summer.

Werder Bremen's Larissa Mühlhaus would be my pick to come in as a 10/9 option for Spurs. At 5'10 she'd give Spurs a good out-ball if they end up needing to play up the pitch directly, as she's good at linking up play both aerially - an area that's a real problem for Spurs at the moment - and in tight spaces. The 22 year-old is capable of scoring from creative areas and can take free kicks, as she's scored 6 goals while providing an assist this season for an up and coming Werder Bremen team. Holdt, Drew Spence and Anna Csiki (although the Hungarian has mostly played as a double pivot this season) can all play the 10 role. 

. The 9 roles would see Jess Naz going into wide channels and looking to run in behind to provide a threat from long balls and knock downs, whereas Beth England would be able to focus solely on getting in the box to get on the end of cut-backs and finish chances. As mentioned earlier, Larissa Mühlhaus can also play as a 9 in a front 2. Young forwards, Lenna Gunning-Williams and Araya Dennis also would be able play as 9's to fulfil the role that Jess Naz would be asked to play. Martha Thomas, Rosella Ayane and Hayley Raso look unlikely to get contract renewals - in the case of the first two - and Raso would struggle to find a role in this system.

This 24/25 version of Spurs' team looks unconfident and a shell of the previous season's team. It's pretty clear that following runners has been a serious problem for quite a bit of the season and should be a fix that Robert Vilahamn could make. As already stated, the initial transition into the 442 diamond could take some time, but I believe it could be a long term solution that could rejuvenate the squad and better fit the Swedish coach's style of play.

Liverpool opposition report vs Leicester City.

General:

They have started most league games as a 352 (7), but have also tried a 3421 twice and have also used a 433 twice. In terms of substitutions they have tended to use at least 3 subs per game which suggests Matt Beard doesn't wait around to try and change games. They have had quite a few injuries this season with Sophie Roman Haug and Marie Höbinger being the main players out before the Christmas break, but both are likely to be back against Leicester as Höbinger came off the bench against Brighton. They try to play their own way against all opponents by playing out from the back and to put the forwards in behind to middling effect this season. 

Some of their best play will come from triangles they form out wide such as their first goal against Aston Villa. 

Marie Höbinger playing the ball up to Leanne Kiernan.

Kiernan laying the ball off to Grace Fisk on the right flank.

Fisk playing Leanne Kiernan through for Taylor Hinds' 1st goal against Aston Villa.

Kiernan pulling the ball across the box for Taylor Hinds.

Hinds' right footed finish past D'Angelo.

In possession:

When they had Rachael Laws and Sophie Roman Haug in the starting XI they were able to play route 1 at times due to R.Haug's aerial presence winning 6.2 aerial duels per 90, winning 63%. Their final passes, and generally their best play, tends to come from the right flank, especially since Grace Fisk has come back. Here's an example of how, despite the ball going out for a goal kick, they can use the right flank to try to get the ball in behind.

Lucy Parry plays the ball inside to Olivia Smith who has dropped deep to receive the ball.

Smith looks to take the ball on her left foot and then turns her body to face towards the left touchline to play the ball on her left foot.

Smith's ball in behind doesn't find Ceri Holland but the intent was to get the ball in behind CJ Bott at right-back.

Holland trying to run onto Smith's ball.

The wing-backs have been underwhelming in terms of chance creation from crosses. Fisk does tend to play very early/deep crosses (36% success rate on less than 1 per game which is something she really underutilised) and doesn't really attack opposing full-backs off the dribble. Hinds, by contrast, is less likely to cross from deep, preferring to get the ball in closer to the box. Her cross % is down heavily this season at 9% success rate. One benefit to Hinds however on the ball is the angles that she can use to play the ball off for teammates due to her being very comfortable on either foot. 

They don't create enough chances from open play per game at all (they average 1.1 big chances per 90) and have averaged 11 shots per game across the first 11 games. Breaking these shot numbers down even more, they average 7.25 shots a game against the big 4 and 13.1 shots against the other 7 teams in the league. They have lacked much of a connection between the midfield and attack for a while which is part of the reason they signed Sam Kerr from Bayern and Julia Bartel from Chelsea on loan deals until the end of the season to improve their ball retention and progression in the middle 3rd.

Out of possession:

They usually set up as a 352/532 defensively so the forwards will usually match up against the opposing CB's player-to-player. Their midfielders and wing-backs will be quite high as part of press as well to try to narrow gaps vertically in the opponents first phase and can lead to turnovers near, and above, the halfway line.

Grace Fisk (the rwb in this game) goes to press Katie McCabe out wide to narrow her passing angles.

McCabe's only options now are to play the ball towards Alessia Russo near the halfway line (which she does)or play back to Daphne Van Domselaar as Clark and Enderby have tightened the angles into Catley and Mead.

A better look at the 343 shape that's been created by Fisk pressing McCabe. Bonner steps up to contest the ball into Russo.

Bonner gets to the ball first to send Mia Enderby down the right flank.

Enderby is able to then get in behind McCabe and Catley.

Their defensive line isn't as high as a Manchester City but it is still fairly high to try to create high turnovers. Gaps do appear frequently between defensive and midfield lines which teams such as Palace and Arsenal really exploited. 

Mille Gejl spots the run of Annabel Blanchard in behind Gemma Evans. 

Blanchard is able to get a shot off after running into the space in behind the defence. 

They've not been very good at defending/clearing set-pieces and open play crosses in the latter stages of the year. Here's an example of how they conceded from open play against Aston Villa.

Lucy Staniforth's cross to the back post is poorly contested in a dangerous area near the box.

Gabi Nunes' far post header from Staniforth's cross beats Laws in the Liverpool goal.

They also look vulnerable against balls in behind as defence isn't filled with quick defenders and Hinds in particular gets caught out in narrow positions during the times when she pushes inside in build-up. The defensive line can also be exploited when the whole team ends up being pushed over to one side allowing for opposition wingers to be in acres of space. Chelsea were really able to take advantage of this as shown below.

Maika Hamano pulls away from the defensive line to receive the ball from Reiten on the left flank. Mayra Ramirez is pinning Gemma Bonner on the right side of the box. Johanna Rytting Kaneryd is wide open on Liverpool's left side.

Taylor Hinds is narrow on Sjoeke Nüsken meaning that when Ramirez challenges for the ball, Rytting Kaneryd can exploit the empty space on the left side of the box and shoot at goal relatively unchallenged.

After some pinball in the box, Ramirez is left with a tap in.

Set plays:

Höbinger is the designated set-piece taker when she's fit and will take out-swinging as well as in-swinging dead balls. They generally defend corners zonally and have 2-3 players in the 6 yard box as well as 3-4 on the penalty spot to deal with the taller/aerial threats further out. 

As mentioned before they really struggle clearing the first ball despite their height. The goal they conceded against Arsenal showed how they were unable to clear the ball.

Katie McCabe's low corner into the box.

Caitlin Foord challenging for the ball at the near post creates chaos as Liverpool struggle to clear the ball.

Bonner clears straight out to Russo on the 6 yard line.

Russo hits the ball past Bonner for 1-0.

Individual players:

Olivia Smith and Marie Höbinger have been their best players this season. Smith can do pretty much everything you'd want from a forward in terms of getting in behind, dropping deep to space to connect play into the final 3rd, and her sheer strength allows her to hold players off when she's running with the ball. Her strength and and speed means that she's managed over 2.3 successful take-ons per game with a success rate of 66.7%. She's also in the 99th percentile for tackles and interceptions, compared to attackers, with a combined 3.06 per 90. 

Höbinger is crucial for Liverpool when progressing the ball into the final 3rd and setting up chances. Her 0.29 xA (expected assists) and 2.17 key passes per 90 is in part due to her being on set-pieces, but her open play creativity is also decent as she completes 5.18 long passes and 5.6 progressive passes per 90.

Summary:

Leicester ceded 61% of possession to Liverpool in the reverse fixture, but were able to cause problems on the counter which I think is where they'll get success again this time round. Missy Goodwin and Jutta Rantala started as the wide players in that fixture alongside Noemi Mouchon as the 9 and Yuka Momiki as the 10. Mouchon is still out for the season and, while it's possible that Rantala will be back, Leicester should look to start Hannah Cain as the 9, Missy Goodwin on the left and Nelly Las on the right to make the most of their pace in behind out wide and centrally. This would also allow Saori Takarada to pair up with Ruby Mace in the pivot and give some much needed ball retention in their own half. 

11 Women's footballers that I've looked into during the first half of the 2024/25 season.

Here's a quick roundup of some of the players I've found especially interesting to watch this season. 

Goalkeepers:

Rafaela Borggräffe (24): SC Freiburg

The 24 year-old shot-stopper is one of the brightest goalkeepers in the Frauen Bundesliga. She is assertive in coming off her line to narrow angles and claim 50/50's. Her cross claiming numbers are low at only 4% claimed, although at 5'9 w/ long arms I can see this number improving. She has shown that she won't be bullied on corners in recent weeks by towering above players in the box to punch crosses away. She plays an average of 40 passes a game which is important in the modern game as long passes can also get Freiburg out of jams, especially since she's so comfortable using her weaker left foot which helps clear the ball when she's on the left side of her box. In my opinion she's one of the most overlooked keepers in Europe right now and with an expiring contract at the end of the season (according to Soccerdonna), I'd hope she stays at Freiburg to continue to make a name for herself. Failing that she'd probably do fairly well for any recently sized club that needs a competent sweeper keeper that's not even in her prime yet. 

Livia Peng (22): SV Werder Bremen

This is Peng's 2nd year at Bremen after moving from Häcken and has cemented her starting spot at just 22 years old. Her save % numbers aren't amazing this season (63%) and has had shaky games this season. That said I think she has very good box presence, especially when you consider that she claims 10% of crosses which puts her in the 90th percentile among top 5 league keepers. Peng also ranks very highly in sweeping metrics with over 2 actions per game outside her box on average which is apparent given that she's often outside her box when Bremen are in settled buildup play. I personally rate Borggräfe higher than her right now, but given that Peng is 2 years younger than her German counterpart, and that Bremen are a fairly comparable club to Freiburg, I can see Peng being a very solid keeper with room to continue improving. 

Defenders: 

Ella Morris (22): Tottenham Hotspur FC

Morris is a player I looked into previously around the time that she signed for Spurs . The 22 year-old has suffered an injury-hit first few months in lilywhite and is currently out with an MCL injury at the time of writing. Even in her limited minutes however she's had no trouble showing off her explosive pace down the right flank. This was especially prevelant in her first league start against West Ham when she was often able to carry the ball down the right flank in the first half. Against Aston Villa, her defensive instincts were on show as she was able to continually get on the end of Aston Villa crosses in the box. Going back to her Southampton days it was evident that Morris really suited playing as a right-sided wing-back as she could motor up and down the right flank for 90 minutes and this also saw her play further forward as a defensive winger in some games. She's also shown glimpses that indicate that she's comfortable enough inverting into central spaces on the ball to help create midfield overloads in possession.  Although these moments have been fairly infrequent, it's definitely a tendency that I hope she continues to use as it'll be a massive help for Robert Vilahamn's spurs team going forward.

Neve Herron (21): Birmingham City FC 

Herron has been part of the best defence in the Championship having only conceded 5 goals before the winter break. At points earlier this season, when I first looked into her, she really struggled defending wide left in isolation but has improved and is taking the mistakes out of her game as she continues to solidify her defensive game. Herron still has a lot of scope to improve that side of her game, e.g getting more comfortable defending using the left side of her body when on the left flank. Her sense of timing has got better and is pretty good when covering across the right flank. She takes a lot of touches per game as Birmingham tend to dominate possession, which inevitably means she's pretty involved in build-up, whether that's through long diagonal passes or shorter play with either foot to get the ball into midfield. She is one of the best ball-carrying CB's in the Championship which figures since she also played in midfield quite a bit earlier in her career and adds another element to Birmingham's build-up play as she can be press-resistant. 

Jodie Hutton (23): Charlton Athletic

The 23 year-old wing-back/LW has really impressed in what's been a down first half of the season for Charlton. Her crossing is probably her best attribute (on show for assist against Sunderland) despite her accuracy being quite low at only 33%. Part of this is because she's on inswinging set-pieces on the right and she's not the fastest off the dribble in isolation. Typically her best play comes when she finds space on the lw to take down long passes from the centre-backs and either link-up with the midfielders/forwards, or play a ball in behind the defensive line/cross in from the left. Charlton can switch between a back 4 or back 5 during the game fairly fluidly meaning that she's given licence to stay higher up the pitch to give an option higher up in transition. She's had a fairly underwhelming first half of the season defensively as she gets dribbled past fairly easily, although she has recorded an impressive 5 interceptions per game so far. 

Midfielders: 

Ashanti Akpan (19): Birmingham City FC

The Chelsea loanee is getting her first meaningful run of games at table-topping Birmingham in the Championship. Primarily being played as a number 6 in a midfield 2, Akpan isn't needed to make a massive defensive contribution, seeing as Birmingham average 58% possession per game, which is 2nd only to London City Lionesses - who average 59%. You'll often see her winning the ball back high up the pitch when Birmingham have a lot of players in the opposition's half, allowing her to get in the way of clearances that are underhit and create high turnovers. The 19 year-old mainly gets involved in the 2nd stage of buildup and will look to get the ball further into the opposition's half and does have a decent eye to break lines with her passing on either foot. 

Katharina Piljic (21): Bayer Leverkusen 04

Piljic plays as part of a double pivot in a midfield 4 for Leverkusen where she's typically the midfielder that stays further back and can be quite a big part of Leverkusen's build-up. The game against Frankfurt in particular showed off, when given the licence to be the main player to build out from goal kicks, how she could play a big part in carrying the ball into midfield and starting attacks. Her proficiency on both feet is a big plus (as with quite a few others on this list) as it opens up a lot of angles when passing or carrying, and also plays a big part of why she's attempting 2 take-ons per 90 and winning 50% of those take-ons. Piljic's 2.9 tackles per 90 - with 1.8 of those coming in the middle 3rd and placing her in the 91st percentile among top 5 league midfielders in that category - is impressive for her age at 21, and given that she tends to be on the left of the pivot, she can double up on wide players with her wing-back and narrow angles for opposition wingers. 

Leverkusen are a solid team in possession which makes her relative lack of touches as a midfielder (50 per 90 minutes which is very low for a number 8) an aspect she'll need to look to increase for the foreseeable future by being more demanding when off the ball in build-up. She's a competent scanner offensively and defensively which will continue to be a big plus in her career and will also help improve her awareness and decision making as she continues to gel with her Leverkusen teammates.

Jemima Dahou (19): Blackburn Rovers FC

After signing on dual-registration from Man City in 23/24 , Dahou signed permanently in the summer. Getting starting minutes at this point of her career is important and she has started most games this season as a right-sided number 8. Dahou is fairly tidy on the ball in the midfield and has a good passing range in order to play Blackburn's strikers in behind with long through balls. She's crafty enough to be press resistant in tight spaces by using drag backs and doesn't mind using her left foot to open up angles to either pass into teammates or carry the ball into. A similar theme throughout the other players on here that I want to see her get more involved in the game and register quite a lot more touches, especially as a midfiedler. The next big thing for her to improve is her defensive contribution as she often gets left behind play as one of the 8's, when tracking back more could make a difference and isn't strong in the tackle at all yet. 

Lucia Kendall (20) Southampton FC

Lucia Kendall is probably my favourite player that I watch (and I've been very high on since I started watching her)that doesn't play for Spurs. Kendall has been given licence to move from a double pivot number 6, earlier in the season and for a big part of her career, to an advanced number 8/number 10 role where she's able to press as part of a front 2. The biggest attribute of hers - that's been able to influence the game more now that she's been given more freedom further up the pitch - is her use of space in the middle and final thirds. 

You'll often see Kendall pull away from the ball carrier to give her teammates good angles to pass into her when bringing the ball up the field. This space creation allows her and her teammates more chances to break midfield and defensive lines with runs in behind. Now that she has been given a more offensive role, you would hope that her goal and assist numbers would start to increase as 0 goals and 3 assists seems underwhelming on the surface. Taking those numbers purely at face value does a disservice to her offensive threat as she has gotten shots off in high xG areas this season, but she just hasn't been able to put the ball in the back of the net. 

Forwards: 

Shana Chossenotte (19): Leicester City FC

Typically playing as the rw in a 4231, Chossenotte offers Leicester a way to go down the line or she can cut inside on her left foot. Leicester don't tend to hold onto the ball for that long - mostly due to all of their recognised number 9's being out with injuries in the first half of the season - and only average a measly 38% possession. Consequently the French winger ends up spending a lot of time in her own half defending as almost an extra rwb, which she does fairly well by the standards of wide players, averaging about 2 tackles per 90 in the league. She's managed 1 goal and 1 assist in 9 appearances in all competitions which is an okay return given Leicester's current situation. 

Her attacking stats really don't jump off the page at the moment but as soon as she's able to continue to string together more starts and minutes - seeing as she's missed the last 2 league games due to a recurring injury that's being managed - you'd hope that also having a number 9 presence would help give her a reliable pass target when she's in the box. She's still a very raw talent evidenced by how often she turns the ball over in isolation situations against full backs, but I'm fairly confident that her decision making and footwork will continue to improve with more minutes. 

Maria Farrugia (23): Sheffield United FC

In a summer window where Sheffield United lost a lot of key players, Maria Farrugia has emerged as the Blades' new talisman. In all honesty I'd been meaning to look into another forward seeing as the rest of this is very midfield heavy and after seeing her recent purple patch, I became curious. Farrugia is a 23 year-old LW/number 10 who represents Malta internationally. Her goal catalogue this season has been nothing short of phenomenal, with her left-footed rocket shot against Bristol City winning October's goal of the month in the Championship. Her right foot is her dominant foot but, as referenced before, she's very capable of scoring - as well as dribbling and carrying - and crossing on her left foot, which gives her an advantage on defenders who would try to force her down the line. A very common action when Sheffield build-up from goal kicks is for Farrugia to drop deep to offer the centre-backs an option in the inside left channel, where she can either turn into space and carry up the field, or she can lay the ball off sideways to a teammate to take her marker out of the play.

Farrugia is good enough on the ball to beat her full-back in isolation off the dribble but struggles to actually get her cross into the box as she doesn't have explosive pace. She's fairly average defensively comparatively to other wingers as it's not especially difficult for her opponents to dribble past her, but she fairly frequently nips in from behind to steal the ball from behind when play has slowed down. 

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. 

Leicester's tough start to the season

Leicester have so far played four times in all competitions this season and have scored a grand total of 2 goals. In one sense, having 1 point in the league after playing Liverpool and Arsenal while looking pretty solid in both games is not the end of the world. But against Crystal Palace,(a team that shipped 11 goals in their first two games)the Foxes only managed 7 shots and barely tested Palace keeper, Shae Yañez. In all fairness to Palace they were very defensively disciplined throughout most of the game, forced Leicester into their sloppiest performance so far and really limited the amount of time Leicester were able to be in the final 3rd while only giving up 2 big chances in the second half. In terms of the two big chances in the second half, Leicester's first saw Jutta Rantala slipped in by, half time substitute, Shana Chossenotte inside the box only for her right-footed, far post, shot to be cleared by Yañez's right foot. The second involved Noemi Mouchon deftly finding Ruby Mace on the edge of the box, where she was able to ghost in front of Katrine Veje, but her left-footed shot was tame and left the American keeper untroubled. 

The Foxes' only league goal came against Liverpool from a quickly taken free kick in their own half where some quick-thinking from Yuka Momiki managed to play Rantala through from a cross-field switch(and some good fortune after Taylor Hinds got a slight touch on Momiki's long pass). The Blues were arguably unlucky not to pick up all 3 points against the Reds as Ruby Mace's header from a pinpoint Jutta Rantala cross was judged to be offside. Against Arsenal they actually played pretty well when they had the ball and really could've come away with at least a point if either Rantala and/or Chossenotte been able to put away their big chances in the 2nd half.

I think there are definitely reasons to be hopeful that Leicester can turn around their winless form, which extends back to a 5-2 win against Bristol City in February who were later relegated. For one the average age of the six summer signings was 21, with Ruby Mace being the early standout. The team certainly has very good technical players such as Jutta Rantala, Yuka Momiki, Saori Takarada and the aforementioned Ruby Mace. In terms of wing options they can either use inverted wingers with Rantala and Momiki or to be more direct they have Chossenotte, Missy Goodwin and Deanne Rose. Last season's talisman, Jutta Rantala, who got 11 goal contributions(6 goals and 5 assists)in the league, still looks she could be a game-changer with her threat on both feet.

I'd like to see Amandine Miquel tinker with the formation and personnel in future games to maximise the players on the pitch. I think there's real potential in shifting the in-possession structure from a 4141 to a 4231 so that there'd be more options in the early build-up allowing the back line another central option and it would still be easy to transition to press in a 442. The holding midfielders could be any two of Mace, Takarada or Tierney which would create a good balance of combative defending in midfield and good ball progression. 

In front of the double pivot, moving Rantala into the 10 would probably suit her skillset and would get her into more effective central areas where she can either slip players through, take the ball in half-space channels to then get crosses into the box. As much as I'd like for both wingers to be very direct, I'm not sure Chossenotte is ready to start and I think it'd be hard to fully drop Momiki so the Japanese international should be the starting rw alongside Missy Goodwin on the opposite flank. Like her French compatriot, Chossenotte, Noemi Mouchon still looks quite raw and has been fairly starved of service in the final 3rd. I think Mouchon should still start but replacing her with the pacy Deanne Rose during the 2nd half would be a good opportunity to play balls in behind.

All in all, this Leicester team has some decent potential, and if they can improve their finishing, as well as stamp out some of the sloppy play that has cost them then they could improve and pose more problems to other teams.

Neve Herron and Lucia Kendall profiles

The Women's Championship has now been back for three weeks as of writing. Here are two of the many players that have stood out to me so far in the early weeks of the season.

Neve Herron 

Neve Herron (21) joined Birmingham in 2022 from hometown club Sunderland and has been played as a left-sided CB this season. In the 23/24 season she was voted as Birmingham's young player and player's player of the season.

Defensively, Herron is very proactive in pushing out of the defensive line to intercept passes into the player she's marking. She's also got solid positional sense, which sees her track across horizontally when Birmingham are defending transitions. She's made some really important blocks already this season such as this one against Bristol City . Aerially, Herron is pretty solid although I wouldn't necessarily call it a strength of hers as her positioning helps when dealing with off-target passes to head the ball on, and she has got good timing, but her standing leap isn't especially noteworthy. 

She possess a real comfort on the ball and is often the first pass that goalkeeper, Lucy Thomas, looks for when building up from the back. She's very capable of carrying the ball out from the back and uses her very proficient, non-dominant, left foot where necessary, which is a big plus for helping her avoid opposition players pressing her.

One of her best/most used actions is when she carries the ball near the left touchline to play the ball down the line for Tegan McGowan (or another forward running down the left channel) to run onto while catching out the opposition's defence, which has seen her complete 4.0 accurate long balls per 90 at a completion percentage of 40%, meaning that there's still definitely room for growth in this area. 

Herron has also previously played as a central midfielder when she was at Sunderland and it really shows by her confidence on the ball. I think being a left-sided CB is a good fit for her right now in her career. 

Lucia Kendall

Lucia Kendall (20) came through Southampton's academy and has been a regular starter since 2022. The young midfielder has also captained the side on multiple occasions and has also appeared twice for England's u-23 squad. 

Typically playing as a number 8 in a double pivot, Kendall has a keen sense for recovering loose balls in midfield by moving into the passing lanes in front of her marker. This keen defensive sense has seen her put up 7.0 interceptions and 12.7 ball recoveries per 90 in the first 3 games of the season. 

Playing alongside former Leicester City player, Aimee Palmer, in Southampton's midfield this season, the 20 year-old's role in the midfield is to push higher up the pitch than her midfield partner in build-up. She's got a very keen sense for moving into space off the ball to create better angles for the ball carrier, and is technically secure enough to play the ball of with one touch to either bounce it to a third player or complete the 1-2 and carry on her run into another space. When she is the ball carrier she can quickly switch direction and which foot she's using to protect the ball. She possess decent strength to hold off opponents and will play with her back to goal in deep build-up.

While her final third presence hasn't been too threatening this season, I wanted to highlight this sequence against Blackburn. In this clip she's able to play a big part in Southampton getting the ball into a dangerous position out wide with a perfectly weighted through ball on her weaker left foot to Aston Villa loanee, Freya Gregory. Even in the first few seconds you can see how aware she is of her surroundings by her scanning five times before receiving the ball for the second time. 

Kendall's off-ball movement, ball progression and defensive nous could probably see her do a good job of being a lone number 6 if a team ever needed her to play that role. I can definitely see Kendall ending up in the WSL or another top league in the not too distant future.