Lisa Naalsund, Atlético Madrid and why "Lorneball" has helped Chicago Red Stars make a bright start - your women's football roundup
It may now be April and many teams might be looking forward to a break and a chance to reset over the summer, but there are no signs yet that any side is looking to slow down, with matches still being played at a very high intensity as everyone pushes hard to achieve their pre-season aims.
With that in mind, it was another very exciting week around the globe with plenty for fans to get into, and this newsletter will bring you the best of the action and a look at what others have been writing and talking about, ensuring that you are kept right up to date with all of the very latest from on and off the pitch.
3 key talking points….
Why Lisa Naalsund will be a Manchester United Player of the Year contender
Many Manchester United fans will agree that 2023/2024 has been a year to forget on the whole, with the team taking several steps back after the positivity of last season and being both unable to repeat their WSL title bid and seeing their hopes of competing in a second consecutive Champions League campaign all but ended.
This article was written before the season for Total Football Analysis on if Manchester United could challenge on four fronts - you can find it here:
What has really undone them has been their insistence on playing out from the back, with it leading to constant errors inside their own third and handing opponents plenty of chances to score goals in cheap circumstances, with the one that Everton netted at the weekend being the latest to result from a mistake at the back.
Things have been more positive at the top of the pitch, with the impressive form of Nikita Parris in particular giving fans plenty to smile about. However, there is no doubting that their ability to keep testing opponents in the final third has been down to the influence of those behind her, with Lisa Naalsund in particular offering a lot as the season has gone on.
At the weekend, the Norwegian was the best player on the pitch and was central to everything that her side did well, with her pressing with intent and making plenty of accurate passes to create opportunities for those ahead of her, and it was a performance that really highlighted what she offers them when on top form.
https://twitter.com/onlyoneutdclub/status/1774750495095017690
It is not the first time that she has shown that amount of quality and a number of strong team performances can be traced back to her ability to affect proceedings. For that reason, she has to be a strong contender for the club’s Player of the Year award (alongside Parris), with there being no doubt that Manchester United have owed a lot to her as the campaign has gone on.
Atlético Madrid should prioritise signing a new creative midfielder in the summer
There were high hopes for Atlético Madrid going into the current Liga F season, with them making some really good signings in Vilde Bøe Risa and Ana-Maria Crnogorčević in the close season and looking to challenge for a place in next season’s Champions League after missing out this time around.
However, despite now having a greater ability to alternate between shapes and systems where needed, their campaign on the field has fallen flat, with them lacking any kind of rhythm and many of their games being bereft of quality, and the fact that they currently sit fourth in the table with eight games remaining is a reflection on how they have struggled to hit the right notes at times.
There is clearly work to do over the summer, and one thing that should be on their shopping list is a new creative midfielder, with Leicy Santos, who had occupied that role for many years, moving on in the summer after agreeing to join Washington Spirit. Given how important she has been in moving the ball through the thirds for the side, as was evidenced against Valencia at the weekend, replacing her has to be a priority.
“Santos is an elite level passer, particularly around the final third….At the World Cup she played attacking mid and both left and right wing, and this year for Atléti she’s been similarly versatile. Given how much wide forwards tuck inside in this new system, Santos seems a solid fit.
André Carlisle, writing for The District Press in March 2024.
One option could be to make Ana Vitória’s loan stay at the club from PSG permanent, with the former Benfica player not really settling at the French side during her move last summer. However, there is a need to fill that profile ahead of next season, and not doing so could see them struggle even more to bridge the gap that has emerged between themselves and the top three.
“Lorneball” continues to produce results for Chicago Red Stars
When Chicago Red Stars ended last season at the foot of the NWSL table, there were many fearing that they would struggle to recover from what was a very trying campaign in a number of ways (with a repeat of NJ/NY Gotham’s bottom-to-top feat seeming unlikely).
However, only a few months later, they look like an entirely different team and that has been restored to full confidence, with new head coach Lorne Donaldson working hard to make the necessary changes around the club as he looks to help them turn a corner.
Since coming in, his policy has largely been on improving the basics and on being tough to beat without the ball before then breaking out at speed as soon as possession has been regained. Dubbed “Lorneball” by some, it has proven to be highly effective during their opening few games of the 2024 campaign, and their draw against Orlando Pride at the weekend was another sign that they look back to their best and are a team to fear once again.
https://twitter.com/wsportsxchange/status/1773873048522826186
There is no doubting that Donaldson is a coach ready-made for the NWSL, with his ability to keep game plans simple and easy to understand really allowing him to unite the squad behind a common cause, and the future looks bright for the Red Stars with him at the helm.
Read all about it….
A tribute to Steph Houghton - when the news broke in the last few days that Manchester City and former England captain Steph Houghton will hang up her boots at the end of the campaign, there were many who felt a tinge of sadness after what has been an incredible career on and off the field. Emma Sanders has written a really nice article on her for BBC Sport, with quotes from many in the English game.
Female players and starting families - also on BBC Sport, there is a really interesting long read from Sanders and Katie Gornall that looks at the ups and downs of female players deciding to start families whilst still playing, with thoughts on how some have gone through it, how clubs can best support them and more.
The under-used loan market in the English game - on his Substack piece, Women’s Football Chronicles, Rich Laverty has written a really nice piece on how some clubs and players have benefitted from making clever loan signings, with players being developed and clubs adding quality to their ranks, with past and present examples of how some have made full use of it and why others should perhaps consider turning to it at times.
Lend me your ears….
Arsenal win 7th Conti Cup | Bunny Shaw scores brace | NWSL Match Day 3 Recap & Power Rankings | Albert's apology - one league that was full of action over the weekend was the NWSL, with so much to enjoy around the division and stories in every game. For a look at some of the main talking points to have emerged from the latest round of matches, as well as some important thoughts on other things that have happened in the last week, have a listen to the latest episode of CBS Sports’ Attacking Third podcast.
That’s all for now - back next week!!