It feels like a long time since we’ve had a nice WSL fixture to sink our teeth into, but after the performance on Friday night against Liverpool, it might be fair to question whether the players really are back from the winter break. Sure there may have been some rust given that our FA Cup fixture last week was postponed, and of course the trip up to Liverpool is a long and arduous one, but as Dario said, those aren’t good reason for such a listless performance.

Embed from Getty Images

You can read the full match report courtesy of Bruce Talbot on the BHAFC website HERE, and if you’d like to watch the extended highlights you can head over to the official WSL YouTube channel HERE.

The SheGulls Summary

Brighton & Hove Albion

• Bar the first ten minutes and for a few minutes in the second half, Brighton just weren’t on it. Far too many loose passes, players caught out of possession, inconsistency in the press, lack of out runs in the channels – it was almost a game you watch back to find out what not to do going forward.
• One thing I’ve identified in the past couple of games, and it stood out a mile here, is that we seemed to have switched to a back four, or at least two centre-backs plus Poppy Pattinson and Rachel McLauchlan. Whereas earlier in the season with three central defenders, Poppy and Rachel could roam up and down the flanks, with two, they just look slightly lost, unsure as to whether they should be bombing forward or covering back. Case in point Liverpool’s first goal, scored by Olivia Smith (who we’ll discuss later) comes when she beats Guro Bergsvand for pace, the only other player in a defensive position is Jorelyn Carabali who is marking the other Liverpool runner, so Smith has a clean run at goal. Surely the plan is not to get caught two-on-two there so who isn’t where they are supposed to be? One for Dario to examine I’m sure.
• The Albion’s equaliser was a lesson in the old adage “you don’t shoot, you don’t score” as a very (very) hopeful shot towards the Liverpool goal from Nikita Parris took an enormous deflection which sent the ball looping over the helpless keeper.
• Their second goal was classic Brighton defending of yore, allowing the attacker inside, not clearing the ball properly, and then making a critical error under pressure. It was Jore who scored the own goal, and to be truthful it was a bit of a catastrophe, but there were opportunities to prevent that situation ever happening in the first place.
• I don’t like singling players out, in particular when the team performance was so poor, but I feel like we need to see more from Kiko Seike. She was signed as this dynamic goalscorer, assist provider, all-round attacking force, and beyond her incredible debut against Everton, I’m not sure we’ve seen it. There have been glimpses, but for whatever reason, I sit here wondering if Bex Rayner or Olivia Johnson mightn’t be worth a game ahead of her on the right. When Dario talked about being toothless in his post-match interview, I don’t see that as aimed at Parris – more at the other attacking players in general – and for what it’s worth I could make the same argument about Bruna. It’s still early and Kiko has undoubted talent, we just need her to kick on and show what she can do. We got you!
• There was a few shaky moments developing the ball from the back again, hopefully just rust after a month out of action, but we have to make sure these small issues don’t grow into a wider nervousness in possession.
• Overall it is just so frustrating to be bested by a team who had just 9 points in the WSL and hadn’t scored a goal since the 3rd of November prior to this game.

Liverpool

• As Dario pointed out, Liverpool didn’t do anything that we didn’t expect, which makes it all the more frustrating that we had no real answer to them. Far from them imposing their will, it was the lack of cohesion on our team that allowed the Reds to remain relatively comfortable throughout.
• Essentially the difference between the two teams, with the own goal and deflection cancelling each other out, was the quality of Olivia Smith in creating her own opportunity driving forward from the halfway line. Such fine margins separate points and none, it begs the question, do we have a player who could do something like that?
• Speaking of Smith, Liverpool manager Matt Beard said that she ‘is probably going to get hurt’ should the ‘treatment she is getting’ from opponents goes unnoticed or unpunished by officials. Let’s get this straight – Beard is a master of the so-called ‘dark arts’ of football – and he knows his onions. Smith gave every bit as good as she got in this game, and the one time she went down and stayed down came from a pretty innocuous 50/50. Needless to say after being treated for a period of minutes, not seconds, she went on to score the above goal, running 50-yards seemingly unhampered by the critical injury she’d suffered moments before. Beard is claiming she is being targeted for one reason and for one reason only – to get into the referees heads and portray his player as a constant victim. If every 50/50, or even every challenge, has a bias AGAINST the defender when competing with Smith, that allows her (and by extension Liverpool) an advantage. In a game of small margins, as I said, that could be the difference between a win versus a draw or loss.

Other Business

• Absolutely enormous mega incredible shout-out to all the fans who travelled to the game on Friday night and in particular the many familiar faces who took advantage of the fan-led coach.
• Former Albion player, Fan Advisory Board member, friend of SheGulls and all-round legend, Jo Davis, financed the coach at her own expense, primarily to show that if transport is provided, fans will travel to these games – so the biggest thank you must go to her, not just for investing in us, but for believing in us. You inspire us all Jo!
• Also a massive thank you to our very own Claire, who provided almost all the graphics and social media that promoted the coach and enabled so many fans to find out about it. She’s a star!

Embed from Getty Images

Rather than talk about the inconsistency of the ref and one or two other gripes, I want to concentrate on that incredible effort from our fans – so for a more in depth discussion please do check out the SheGulls Podcast, recording Monday for release Tues/Wed, where Duncan, Ben and Claire will discuss this game, look ahead to Arsenal in the League Cup on Wednesday and Manchester United in the WSL on Sunday!

All three of us are at Arsenal game – in different seats for the cup fixture – so do come and say hello if you spot us!