For the first time this season, I am writing a very positive article about West Ham Women. To start with, as I write, we don’t sit bottom of the Women’s Super League table and secondly we topped our League Cup group.
This month we have played; Manchester City, Leicester City, Southampton, Everton and Portsmouth. We have managed two wins in these games, with one being in the league, which has given us some breathing space between us and Liverpool, we also got a draw against Leicester City.
We sit one above the bottom and things are really starting to look a lot more positive, long may this continue. The only annoying thing is that after we finally secured our first league victory of the season, we have been hit with an international break where 20 Hammers are leaving to go to their respective countries. Fingers crossed that none come back injured and are in the same form they left in.
Asseyi: The Shining Light of the Season
On another note, Vivianne Asseyi so far has been the Hammer of the year. With the start of the season we have had, there hasn’t been too many positives but yet again she’s shining a light and we are lucky to have her.
She has scored two and assisted one in the WSL and scored one in the League Cup. Also, the way she plays doesn’t change if we are playing top of the league or bottom which is such a good trait to have.
Anouk Denton: A Lioness in the Making
Another mention has to go to Anouk Denton. She has just been called up for the England national team and is hoping to be given her debut. The defender scored her first league goal for us in the win over Everton and what a perfect time to do it.
She is extremely calm on the ball, aerially dominant and when she can get up the field, you will always see her. The 22 year old is a player to keep an eye on for years to come.
The Midfield Gap: Seeking the Next Dagny Brynsdottir
With the January window coming up I would like us to sign another central midfielder, a box-to-box type as we play well on the counter but I don’t believe we have a CM that can get us up the pitch the way Dagny Brynsdottir used to. We have a very good attack and defence but our midfield is slacking at times and I think this is our main issue and why we have struggled so far this season.
Hopefully a few added in January can change our season. Due to not having a player centrally to carry the ball up the field it has made Asseyi come back on too many occasions, which has meant she’s not in the box. So having a player who can take that role from her will hopefully keep our in form attacker in the box more often.
The Road Ahead: A “Cup Final” Against Liverpool
Before the Christmas break we still have Manchester United away, Liverpool at home and Manchester city at home in the League Cup quarter final.
The Liverpool game will be played as a cup final game, a win here and we can nearly send them down, especially because we are at home and we have to go at them as we are down if we don’t win. This game will be played on the 14th December at 12pm on TV and what a game it will hopefully be.
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