Section:GDN 1N PaGe:45 Edition Date:190906 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 5/9/2019 19:07 cYanmaGentaYellowbl
Friday 6 September 2019 The Guardian •
45T
he Women’s Super League starts this
weekend in explosive style, with
a Manchester derby at the Etihad
Stadium, a London derby at Stamford
Bridge and clear ambition to carry on
the momentum from the World Cup.
Scheduling big games in big stadiums
shows it is not just words – everything
is being put in place to help the domestic game capitalise
on the extraordinary interest attracted over the summer.
The FA Player, which will broadcast every game of the
WSL season for free, and deals to show matches on TV
in Mexico and Scandinavia, show a more professional,
commercial outlook which should help women’s football
in the UK progress even further.
With men’s football on an international break, there
should be plenty of attention on the season’s fi rst games
tomorrow afternoon, including the match between
Manchester City and a newly promoted Manchester
United. Both teams have had busy summers in the
transfer market, with United’s business particularly
important before their fi rst season in the top fl ight.
Their most eye-catching signings have been the Dutch
midfi elder Jackie Groenen, a top player who attracted
a lot of interest from clubs across Europe , and the
defender Abbie McManus from City. They were two
strong statements, and though I’m not sure they can put
up a genuine challenge for a place in the top three , with
their improved squad they will fancy their chances of
taking points off anyone. City meanwhile have bolstered
their forward line with the England striker Ellen White ,
after her amazing World Cup, and Lee Geum-min. The
Korean is not a player I know well, but she has plenty ofinternational experience and in their recent past City
have rarely signed players from outside the EU so Lee’s
arrival suggests they feel she can add real value. But last
year’s runners-up have also suff ered a bit of an exodus,
with Nikita Parris’s move to Lyon the most high profi le,
and it is hard to say that their squad looks stronger
overall than it did a year ago.C
helsea, champions two years ago, have
signed only one senior player, the
Norwegian forward Guro Reiten. I am
not particularly concerned by this: when
their challenge faltered last season there
was some talk about tiredness, as they
combined their WSL eff orts with a run
to the Champions League semi-fi nals.
The absence of European competition could allow
their squad to push that bit harder domestically and
perhaps get over the line. Arsenal, last season’s runaway
champions, are in exactly the opposite situation, having
to cope with the Champions League after adding only a
few players. I am sure after their absence from Europe
they will be keen to do well, and they face Fiorentina
in the last 32. They are boosted by the return of Jordan
Nobbs after long-term injury but on the other hand have
lost Danielle Carter to an ACL injury.
The Gunners still have an extremely strong squad,
so I’m sure many would expect Joe Montemurro’s
side to retain the title, but though I also make them
favourites I don’t expect their progress to be so
straightforward. T here should be more close games,
and a few more shocks.
Not only are there a couple of clubs – Reading, perhaps
United – who might fancy their chances of breaking
into the top three, there is also nobody as obviously ill-
prepared as Yeovil, who won only two of their 20 games
last season and fi nished on -3 points. Tottenham’s priority
will be to establish themselves after their promotion –
they provide Chelsea’s opposition this weekend, and
will fi nd it’s a big step up from the Championship – and
Brighton are in a similar situation in their second season
in the top fl ight. I can see all these teams taking points
off each other, making the division a lot more interesting
than it was last season when the eventual winners and
losers were obvious from pretty early.
If there’s one team I worry about it’s my hometown
club, Birmingham. Player turnover there this summer
has been massive, enough to make
me wonder if their players don’t
believe in the project, or if something
has gone on behind the scenes. After
losing their outstanding goalkeeper,
Ann-Katrin Berger, midway through
last season they have also now lost
their best striker, White, and probably
their best defender in Aoife Mannion- both to City, where Mannion swiftly
got her fi rst England call-up – while
their promising young forward Charlie
Wellings has gone to Bristol City.
They have been punching above their
weight in recent seasons, but I really
hope this is not the year they fall away.
Looking at the clubs’ business this
summer, Birmingham is the one that
sets the alarm bells ringing.
After the summer the game has had, and the brilliant
viewing fi gures we saw during the World Cup, this
season will be a true test of the nation’s appetite for
top-level women’s football. Kicking off with a couple
of high-profi le games in high-profi le stadiums is a good
way to start, but the proof of the clubs’ commitment
will be when these are not just one-off s. I played for
Juventus at a sold-out Allianz Stadium last season, but
these matches need to happen more frequently, allowing
the clubs’ fans to get into the habit of going to games
and to get to know their players. We might have to wait
for that, though hopefully not for long: a lot of positive
work has been done off the fi eld in recent months to raise
awareness of the WSL , and now I’m expecting to see
interest and attendances rising once again.
United’s
most
eye-catching
signings
have been
midfi elder
Jackie
Groenen,
and Abbie
McManus,
from CityGame on
High-profi le matches
and players give
new WSL season
a perfect platform
Eni Aluko
Rugby union
Toyko cyclone
raises fear of
World Cup havoc
Page 50 Football
Bale: I’m happy
to be known
as ‘the golfer’
Page 49 Big things
are expected of
Jackie Groenen
(main), Lee
Geum-min
(top left), Guro
Reiten (middle
left) and
Jordan Nobbs
this season
SOCCRATES IMAGES Big t
are exp
Jackie
(main)
Geum-
(top lef
Reiten
left) an
Jordan
this sea
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