Looking back to our December fixtures, we faced Crystal Palace at home where we won a whopping 5-2 after being 2-0 down in 11 minutes. We then went on to play Southampton in our last group game in the League Cup and won 3-0 to keep our top of the table position.
After two great results, we couldn’t keep it going in the league when we went on to play Aston Villa away and lost 3-1 in a game that we never really got going in. Even though we lost our last game, I am feeling a lot more hopeful for 2025.
As I write this, our next fixtures are home to Liverpool in the Women’s FA Cup, home to Chelsea in the league and away to Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup quarter final. It is going to be a huge month for our season.
I have said since the start of the season that I would love us to have a cup run and if we can win both these games, then there’s a huge chance that we could make a final in at least one cup competition this year.
To keep our slim chances of getting Europe, I do believe we need to make one or two big transfers in the winter window. After losing Kristie Mewis for the remainder of the season, we really need another box-to-box midfielder.
We have moved Katrina Gorry into that position, but it does seem like in most games we are losing the game in central midfield. Another area we are lacking in is a quick and direct winger. We have started playing more of our game about getting the ball back quickly and countering, but apart from Vivianne Asseyi, we don’t really have any quick players to do this job effectively.
I do see us being more effective on the attack if we get someone that does well at tracking back but also will get us up the pitch quickly. If you asked me back in September if I would have taken us being 10th place but still be in the FA Cup in January and be in the quarter finals of the league cup, I think I would have snatched your hand off.
Being 10th is about three or four positions lower than I would have aimed for and I believe with the quality in our team, we should be a lot higher. But when it comes to the cup competitions, I couldn’t have asked us to do any better.
In a quarter final against our biggest rivals at home, where we have a very good record, which will get us into a semi-final is what I would have asked for this season. We are also still in the FA Cup and will face Liverpool at home, where we drew to them 1-1 earlier in the season.
I also have a lot of belief that by February we will still be in two cup competitions. Fingers crossed this belief comes true and in my next article it will be filled with continued positivity.
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