WSL 20/21 | Reading v United - 12:30 Sun 13 Dec

Gordon S

Full Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2018
Messages
3,524
Happy for Haley, she quietly does a very good job in our midfield
 

Gordon S

Full Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2018
Messages
3,524
Don't know. It wasn't obvious how it happened and she looked bad coming off. Worrying that.
Something happened when she tried to cross it to Galton i think. Does not look good, the tears indicate she knows it could be long term
 

pacifictheme

Full Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2013
Messages
7,666
Zelem has been on the bench for a while. I follow but don't watch the woman's team, has she just been surpassed by people like toone?
 

Ubik

Nothing happens until something moves!
Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
18,761
Casey doesn't like the ref :D
 

jojojo

JoJoJoJoJoJoJo
Staff
Joined
Aug 18, 2007
Messages
38,145
Location
Welcome to Manchester reception committee
Zelem has been on the bench for a while. I follow but don't watch the woman's team, has she just been surpassed by people like toone?
Combination of things - we've more depth in midfield now and Ella Toone has been in excellent form, plus our attacking options are so good that we're playing 3 forwards more or less every match. Unfortunately Katie got covid a while back which basically knocked her out of the team for a month. We've not played enough matches since then for her to really get the chance to play herself back into the starting lineup.
 

kundalini

Full Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2004
Messages
5,750
Leah Galton played well. Most of the rest of the team seemed to struggle to get the ball under control and pass it to a red shirt. Kirsty Smith and Ella Toone were especially random in their play.

We didn't have an attempt on goal in the 2nd half until 80 mins when Tobin Heath and then Jane Ross tried to force the ball into the net after Galton's cross.

That Amy Turner minute was extraordinary; initial mistake, super recovery tackle inside our area, terrible pass, blocked the 2nd shot.
 
Last edited:

Maestro14

OHKO'd a shiny Electrike
Joined
Dec 30, 2011
Messages
4,425
Location
No worries
Huge result for us! It looked like it was slipping out of our hands in the second half, but Ladd with a crucial goal for us. Their right back is very lucky she didn't get sent off. Again, still top of the league!
 

Lightbringer

Full Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2016
Messages
1,800
SWEET WIN! With all the missing players, I take this any day! Well done! But we need to get back players soon!
 

Himannv

Full Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2017
Messages
5,728
Location
Somewhere in the draft forum
Zelem has been on the bench for a while. I follow but don't watch the woman's team, has she just been surpassed by people like toone?
Toone plays as an AM while Zelem is a CM. As a CM, Zelem doesn't offer enough defensively when compared to Ladd (who I think is the only one in the squad who can play that DM kind of role). The other CM slot is taken by Groenen, who is fantastic from a creativity perspective.

What I think might work is Zelem and Ladd at CM and Groenen as an AM. The issue with that is that Toone is better at pressing from the front than Groenen and is playing quite well at the moment and scoring some important goals.

So, on the whole, I guess it's a case of team balance more than anything else, but also a case of good performances from others.
 
Last edited:

Van Piorsing

Lost his light sabre
Joined
Feb 10, 2006
Messages
22,525
Location
Polska
Galton's goals this season looks more and more fundamental for the title race, especially that steal of points from Chelsea at the beginning.

If she can raise her goalscoring rate just a bit more, then perhaps Casey was 100% right when saying 'She's the best left winger in England.'
 

Sean_RedDevil

Twitter bot
Joined
Sep 12, 2004
Messages
21,364
Location
NYC (Before Manchester+Hamburg)
@ImmortalJoker66 and @SuperLJ were right with their prediction in the last matchday thread that it will be a tough match......i thought Reading wouldn't give us serious problems and we will get easily the 3 points.

I have said after our last match that "ugly wins" are important too to reach the next level but our performances must improve in 2021.
 

ImmortalJoker66

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Nov 6, 2020
Messages
121
Location
Trinidad and Tobago
Supports
Trinidad and Tobago
@ImmortalJoker66 and @SuperLJ were right with their prediction in the last matchday thread that it will be a tough match......i thought Reading wouldn't give us serious problems and we will get easily the 3 points.

I have said after our last match that "ugly wins" are important too to reach the next level but our performances must improve in 2021.
Like I said to someone on one of the Women's Instagram posts, Reading have been our Bogey team since our reformation, they beat us in the League Cup at our first sold out home game of the season, then we had a poor game against them in the FA Cup where they scored instantly after we took the lead and won it in Extra time. We beat them on our turf last season thanks to goals from Hanson and Sigsworth but the return fixture was tarnished by the ref which cost us 3 points. They were never going to be an easy team to beat just like Chelsea, Arsenal and City.
 

Dudu

Full Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2012
Messages
4,943
Missed this one but delighted we got all 3 points. I swear we always struggle against Reading.. thank goodness we got over the line here.

Hope Lucy is okay!