Susanna and Graham returns to discuss shock wins for Liverpool and Spurs as they both come out victorious from their local derbies. Can Liverpool make the top four and just how under pressure is Manchester United boss Marc Skinner?
We also look at Panini's new WSL sticker collection as we look at what small changes like sticker books do for the world of sport.
We also look at Panini's new WSL sticker collection as we look at what small changes like sticker books do for the world of sport.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 talk about like how it inspires little girls, like it inspires little boys. That's like for me,
00:06 that's a big thing like and I think what it does it doesn't just inspire girls to let them know
00:10 they can do it and there's a career path if they want to choose that. Across football all sorts of
00:16 different things you know we're talking actually being a footballer, designing sticker books,
00:21 working in a women's media team, all that kind of stuff but I think it's good for like young boys
00:26 as well because it just normalizes it for young boys. I think you're going to see you know kids
00:30 of who are born now and five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, they've grew up in a world that's
00:37 normalized where women play sport but I didn't know they could play it as well when I was like
00:41 six, seven, eight and like if there was a girl on the school football team you'd be like oh that's
00:46 a girl. That's going to happen less and less and little things like sticker books have been on TV
00:50 and everything. Welcome back to the Women's Super League show with myself Susanna Sealy and
00:58 Scotsman and National World Voter Graham Faulk. As the WSL comes to a close at the end of this year
01:04 we still have some results to talk about and last week I don't so any listeners of our show will
01:13 know we are not usually the best at predictions however Graham I will hand over the mic straight
01:19 to you because there is one prediction you got right straight away. So I said last week that
01:26 Liverpool would beat Manchester United and everyone was like oh shut up no, no, not going to happen
01:31 like United have not been amazing this season but come on like they beat them in pre-season,
01:36 they beat them 6-0 last season, 6-1 or whatever but I had a feeling that Liverpool were going to
01:42 do all right this season fairly early on after their really good start and I felt like their
01:47 crowning glory just before Christmas would be beating Man United at Man United in a massive game.
01:51 At Old Trafford as well yeah. Yeah well LSV. Who was it? Why did I think it was? Oh I apologise
01:58 everyone. It was LSV but either way I'm sure they'll take it. Looking at the first goal I'm
02:06 sure we'll get into it I think there's a suspicion of handball there but I honestly think like
02:10 fantastic win for Liverpool but I think they've really got a good team this season like I know
02:14 everyone thought I was just biased because of Jenna Clarke. I was going to say yeah. I've been
02:21 proven right I think you know I tend to get things really really wrong with my predictions because I
02:26 said Spurs would struggle this season that's another conversation we need to have today as
02:29 well they are not struggling but I honestly just think you know you look at the stats and stuff
02:34 like that it was fairly even I think 60-40 possession, 527 passes for United, 365 passes for
02:43 Liverpool, 79% pass accuracy, 69% for Liverpool but if you look at the shots it was 11 shots each
02:49 Liverpool had three on target so you know we talk a lot about Man United and Mark Skinner talks an
02:54 awful lot about possession and kind of what Man United do with the ball but I think it's getting
03:01 to a point where sometimes you watch Man United and they have a lot of the ball but they're not
03:05 creating much with it. Liverpool created about the same amount and did more with it so yeah and
03:11 with fair play at Liverpool I honestly think Liverpool are going to have a fantastic season.
03:14 I don't think they're going to drop off and they've got a really good team. The team sort of
03:18 picks itself you know who's in the side they've got enough players off the bench to come and make
03:22 a difference if they need to and I think the way that they set up with the three at the back and
03:27 the midfield with the wing backs and I think the fact that they've got Sophie Roman-Hogg up front
03:35 for me like I said when they brought her in that was going to be a fantastic sign-in
03:40 and I think it's proven to be so. She's totally changed stuff and you know the other players that
03:44 they brought in like Hobbinger and whatnot have really made a difference as well whereas
03:48 for United that's I think another conversation isn't it but fair play Liverpool and I'm so
03:53 delighted I got something right. Well firstly congratulations on a correct
03:58 I can't think of the word prediction however secondly do you think so obviously a lot of
04:07 chat in the men's game about what is happening at United and this sort of very disgruntled team
04:12 that's happening it's been there for quite a while you can see players looking relatively unhappy
04:17 obviously that's not overtly the case in the women's team but do you think there's an element
04:23 of that potentially creeping in? Obviously last season we saw an incredible Man United side
04:31 and we're all quite excited for how that might that battle to happen again this year.
04:36 They are slightly slipping do you think that that's a cause for concern especially where
04:41 Mark Skinner is concerned? Yeah I do to be honest you know I like Mark as a person he's
04:49 he's kind courteous and funny to be honest in his own little way but there was concerns last
04:55 season with Manchester United fans and you know a lot of the podcasts and the fanzines like I know
05:00 a lot of them on a personal level and you know listen to their their content and stuff and
05:07 there was concerns there sort of last year with different elements of different things where
05:12 people just felt like Skinner wasn't the right person but the backdrop to that always was
05:15 all the winning games they've got the best defence in the league they've still got a chance of winning
05:20 the FA Cup they've still got a chance of winning the WSL and they went into the last game of the
05:24 season with that and that that's not backing it up this season and I don't I mean he's been a bit
05:32 unlucky with injuries but I'm sure that you know you look at Man United's lineup for me there's
05:38 still enough there you've got Mary Earps you've got Riviere who's been really good this season
05:41 Meyer and Millie at the back Hayley Allard, Katie Zillon same as last year Nikita Parris has had a
05:48 great season this season so far Mallard is like a real number nine Tooney's had a really good season
05:53 this season Leah Goulton's not maybe been hitting the heights she hit last season but she's still an
05:57 excellent player the bench you've got Lisa Nardzund, Garcia, Jacey, Rachel Williams like there's plenty
06:06 players there that can make a difference but they're not picking up results like I think you
06:11 know if you look at the table and you see how far behind Chelsea they are already they're seven
06:16 points behind I can't see Chelsea dropping seven points this season and Man United making a seven
06:22 point gap up and even if they do that's only 11 points and their goal difference is further off
06:28 they're conceding a fair amount of goals you know City have only conceded seven this season
06:35 for example Man United have conceded 11 which is the same as Chelsea but Chelsea have scored 32
06:40 where Man United scored 25 they're just not there should have been a progression from last year and
06:45 it's not there and I think for me you're starting to see the questions were being asked a little bit
06:53 last year for specific reasons but the results and the performances backed up that what Mark
06:59 Skinner was doing was working out these stats what people who you know felt Skinner was the right
07:04 person to lead the club whereas this season draws against Leicester literally last minute draw
07:10 against Brighton lose against Liverpool lose quite convincingly against Man City sorry Old Trafford
07:17 look at a club like Manchester United there's always going to be pressure
07:22 regardless of how many games you win regardless of how many games you lose but there's a pattern
07:28 this season where they're not really producing much I think they only had one touch in the
07:33 opposition's box in the second half of the game or something like that it was a that's crazy don't
07:37 quote me on it but it was bad it was very low and you have to ask questions of that I mean I know
07:43 Mark's got a certain way of playing but at the moment they don't look as penetrative as they did
07:47 last season they just don't and they look a little bit shakier at the back and that's got to be a
07:53 cause for concern you you can't go backwards and I think people touch on the loss of Alessio Russo
07:59 for me honour was the bigger loss I said that last season yeah I think Russo's reason but I think
08:05 I think Mallard's been a really good replacement just scoring plenty of goals just like a proper
08:10 number nine you know a Johnny on the spot if you prefer they miss honour an awful lot we always
08:17 knew that we're going to miss honour an awful lot but Jade Riviere has come in and done quite well
08:20 anyway I think she'll want to be a very very good player once she gets you know a lot of experience
08:25 in this league and she's already shown the quality she has but it's just not clicking
08:30 for Manchester United at the moment and you know for them to be seven points adrift at Christmas
08:34 is poor so last um the sort of concern that we had last season as well was on the sort of
08:41 managerial front is what was going to happen potentially with Gareth Taylor at Man City and
08:47 everyone's saying once again he's sort of leading a fairly mediocre or not mediocre side because
08:53 they had the players they just like it's quite similar to Manchester United they just weren't
08:57 getting the results this season however um that is sort of completely shifted and they are now
09:03 second sort of level on points with Arsenal um and they've just beaten Everton 4-1 do you think
09:10 that they might now be sort of one of the closer challengers for Chelsea? No I really do um
09:17 I think in many ways it's quite wide open this season but I feel
09:22 I worry that Manchester United are going to become last season's Man City and go backwards a bit yeah
09:29 I think it's really benefited City having zero pressure on them yeah like I don't think anyone
09:36 expected City to be anywhere near because they only signed Joe Rude and that that was it really
09:41 don't get me wrong pretty pretty good signing yeah yeah yeah um but like to be fair to Gareth
09:49 Taylor he said last year he said like look I want to keep most of the squad together like I don't
09:55 want to I don't want to change too much I don't want to bring loads of different signings in I
10:00 want them to get used to it then he loses the first two games of the season everyone's like
10:03 oh get him out get him out finishes fourth they didn't really catch fire last year apart from
10:07 certain games but I think you're probably seeing what he said last year come to fruition this year
10:12 like the team outside of Gilles is pretty much what they had last year I mean I think Yui Hasegawa
10:19 is a gift from God yeah an incredible player lover um Chiara is doing really well in goal
10:25 um but the back five kind of picks it sorry the back four so it picks itself and then you've got
10:31 Chloe Kelly, Gill Rude, Lauren Hemp, Bonnie Shaw up top. That is a dark squad once again Bonnie Shaw
10:38 is just killing the game I mean that rig again but you look at the look at the bench here right
10:45 Steph Houghton, Mary Fowler, Esmé Morgan, Jess Park, Ruby Mace, Demi Stokes, Dana I can't even
10:52 pronounce her surname but Dana Castellanos I think I believe it is, Julie Blackstead and Sandy McGeever
10:56 it's not bad yeah having all that just on the bench that's pretty insane work I have to say
11:04 um I think they'll do I think they'll do well this season but I think you've also got
11:08 you know Arsenal outside of the game on Saturday but you know what's nice it's wide open this year
11:13 I think 100% yeah and I definitely want to touch on um the Arsenal game as well so we will briefly
11:19 mention it now um but obviously Tottenham they were another one last season all cause for concern
11:27 and we're thinking once again that there might be another you know touch with a relegation battle
11:33 they were never actually going to get jobs but there were moments where we really thought that
11:36 was going to be the case now suddenly they've just beaten Arsenal 1-0 I mean what a crazy result
11:43 um so we are going to have to head to a quick ad break now but when we come back we will carry on
11:48 talking about the Gunners result