A New Year and a new manager for West Ham Women, Rita Guarino, and I’m writing this ahead of her first game against Chelsea away which is probably the hardest game in the league so I won’t be assessing her too much after that.
In December it was another ‘okay’ month as we still sit outside the relegation zone but after not beating Liverpool at home, when they had 10 players for 75 minutes, may sting us this year.
We also got our first win this season when we beat Everton which felt like a lot of pressure off our shoulders but since then we haven’t really capitalised apart from getting two draws against bottom side Liverpool and Leicester City.
These games are the main reason we had to say goodbye to Rehanne Skinner.
The Guarino Appointment: A Champions League Profile
I never saw Rehanne Skinner as the main issue but it’s nice to have a new face and new ideas going forward and hopefully that keeps our WSL campaign alive.
I do not know much about Guarino but she has managed Juventus women, won the league many times and has also managed in the Champions League, which is a big stand out compared to our recent appointments.
So if we can stay up, even if it is by the skin of our teeth, I think the players she could attract to the club could help us progress further, but for now it is all about staying in the WSL as she is not a manager who will stay with us if we go down to the Championship.
Transfer Window Priorities: Midfield and Depth
As the transfer window has opened I believe we are looking for a central midfielder who can get from box-to-box quickly.
The amount of times Vivianne Asseyi has had to come back so we have a box-to-box runner isn’t great when we need her in the box.
So that is a must needed signing and we need some subs, our main 11 aren’t bad but when they start to tire, we have no one to bring on and there’s no surprise we concede a lot in the final 10 minutes.
Adapting to Change: Tactictal Shifts and Road Tests
Having a new management coming in now may change it up a lot due to potentially not playing the same style Skinner did so if we do make a lot of signings it will be eye opening to see who she drops.
Our next three games are, Chelsea away, Newcastle away in the FA Cup and Leicester City away in the league.
Chelsea will be extremely hard but a win in the FA Cup and at Leicester would be a great start under our new management.
But having three back-to-back away games as a new manager is hard but also I think the pressure is off so hopefully that helps her get the best out of the players.
Our next home game is against Tottenham Hotspur on the 1st of February, now what a first home game that is for Rita Guarino. Hopefully it is a sell out and we come away with a huge victory.
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