WSL 19/20 | United women v Bristol City | Sun 5th Jan at 12:00

jojojo

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Bristol are currently on 3 points, which puts them at the bottom of the table. Liverpool are on the same points but with better GD. Fair to say: we're supposed to win this, which is always a bit of added pressure. Hopefully we'll be up and raring to go.

 

jojojo

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Ebony Salmon had been having a good game, and makes it 0-1 to Bristol with a good solo goal.

United have been a bit shoddy in the final third today. They've had enough of the ball to be ahead really.
 

jojojo

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Salmon scores for Bristol against the run of play but shows the pace we are lacking up front.
Funny game today. Groenen is starting to look good for us, but Galton has scarcely seen the ball, and James is finding no space. Our best looking chances have been from Hanson's crosses really, but no one quite getting on them.

Decent shot there from Groenen, but wide. Keeper hasn't really had enough to do today. Some poor setpieces from us as well, but that last corner was a bit better.
 

Lightbringer

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This performance was abysmal, just no urgency or effort whatsoever until the last 10-15 minutes, in which the intensity picked up somewhat.

Earps with shocking goalkeeping on the goal, should have had that easily.

James looked nonchalant and slowed down the play, we need more pace up front. Martha having all sorts of troubles with her lack of speed, Okvist would have been a better option today as we needed speed and offensive support.

The only two players who showed the necessary desperation was Sigsworth and Toone. They should have come on both at half time or after 55 minutes at latest as nothing was happening at all. I think Stoney dropped the ball today.

Overall the team seemed to think they could just show up and cruise to 3 points. We created a few chances, but the overall play was so bad and lethargic we could not expect 3 points. Have to match the other teams desperation level.

Next game, start Jess and Toone without a doubt, and change a few other players as well.
 

jojojo

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Disappointing defeat.

Ebony Salmon and the Bristol keeper played well, but mostly they were just very disciplined - and a bit lucky when it mattered.

We didn't seem to know what to do about their 5 at the back formation. Of course it didn't help that a couple of our key players looked below par.

Good sign was that Groenen is starting to look like the kind of force that we'd expect her to be.

Of course if the Arnot chance had gone on and Ella Toones shot had gone in rather than hit the post, I probably wouldn't be so bothered. Over the course of the match we did do enough to wear them down, we just didn't actually finish them off.
 

Lightbringer

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Well that referee was an absolute disgrace. Let Bristol get away with lots of off the ball contact and time wasting.
Yes. And she did not add enough time for all the time wasting either, if you are going to let them waste time for 70 minutes, then make sure to add enough. Whats even worse were som Bristol players pretending be injured all game long. Even laying just beside the sideline and refusing to be attended off pitch. The referee got the clean up these things, the crowd dont come to witness 90 minutes of time wasting and fake injuries. If the referee would book people from the start, it would be so bad. I am not just saying this because United was on the wrong end of it today. Its a problem that needs to be looked at in all games. The priority should be to encourage entertainment and not protecting the side thats there to run down the clock without any football being played.
 

Rolandofgilead

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That was one of the first times I’ve gotten really annoyed with our women’s team. Really poor day at the office today.
 

jojojo

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This performance was abysmal, just no urgency or effort whatsoever until the last 10-15 minutes, in which the intensity picked up somewhat.
Yeah, it's difficult to know what happened there. We started the game with some urgency, then seemed to get more complacent - despite the fact that we hadn't scored.

I'm not sure about our tactics either, we didn't seem to expect or deal with 5 at the back properly. James and Galton misfiring didn't help either - I know they were defending in numbers, but we weren't doing much with the space when we did get it.
 

Lightbringer

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Yeah, it's difficult to know what happened there. We started the game with some urgency, then seemed to get more complacent - despite the fact that we hadn't scored.

I'm not sure about our tactics either, we didn't seem to expect or deal with 5 at the back properly. James and Galton misfiring didn't help either - I know they were defending in numbers, but we weren't doing much with the space when we did get it.
Ageed. The quick start could have won us the game. But when Bristol scored, I anticipated a powerful response from United, maybe even a more entertaining game than if United had been up front. And then like you said it looked our intensity dropped instead, which is mind boggling. I was confident it would be re-solved at halftime, but no.

Also, I thought Bristol would tire in the end and maybe the did a little, but not to the extent I expected. Of course they were aided by all the breaks they created by cheating.

When Arnot hit the crossbar I was left dumbfounded, that goal would have given us a boost and probably 3 points.

Oh well, maybe I should stop writing in affect :D I let myself get riled up. It reminded me of when the mens team were top dogs and chased goals against a bottom side and you got all frustrated.
 

Lightbringer

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Final thought:

The thing I have liked most about the womens team is that have always given 100% and more, and absolutely left it all on the pitch. When I started watching the womens team I was shocked by the amazing effort that the players gave every game. I remember observing Ella Toone and just feeling so happy to have such fighters that were relentless in their effort. And that did not happen today at all, with exception of Toone and Jess. Thats what troubles me the most!
 

buchansleftleg

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There was an awful amount of off the ball aggro going on that the ref allowed to escalate. All our players were getting pushed, kicked or elbowed ahead of the ball arriving to them.

The time wasting was just ridiculous, with the ref even penalizing us on three occasions for trying to take a quick free kick.

I don't blame Bristol for playing that way, they are in a scrap to avoid relegation. However the ref should have stopped it right away. I enjoy watching Women's football because the emphasis is on skill and guile rather than brute force and speed. If refs allow these negative tactics to take hold it will turn off the casual viewer.