As we near the halfway point in this years instalment of the FAWSL, it is looking like a three-horse race that could go down to the wire for the title. Arsenal Women, Chelsea Women, and Manchester City Women have all looked to show their strength early on. Arsenal and Chelsea Women each have a marquee win under their belt eight matches in, with the latter coming out victorious in the match between the two London sides. Arsenal Women responded immediately following this loss by defeating Manchester City Women at home.
Chelsea Women come into this match full of confidence. Their statement win against Arsenal sent a message to the rest of the league, and they have followed it up with convincing wins against West Ham, Manchester United, and Birmingham City. Much of their success has come from a tactical alteration from Emma Hayes, lining up her side into a 4-4-2 formation for much of the new season. This system has allowed her to get all of her best players in the side and working well together.
This weekend we have the final match between two of these sides in the first round of fixtures. Manchester City Women travel to London to take on league leaders Chelsea Women.
Nick Cushing’s side began the campaign with a victory in the first-ever Manchester derby. They are a squad built on defensive solidity, keeping a clean sheet in each of their seven wins this season, and only conceding one to defending champions Arsenal. The loss of Kiera Walsh had a massive impact on City’s season early on. The key midfielder was absent in the loss to Arsenal and to Manchester United Women in the Continental Cup. This was compounded by their round-of-16 exit in the Champions League at the hands of Atlético Madrid, a second year running. They have rebounded well, however, with three wins on the bounce, posting an 11-0 aggregate score.
In this tactical analysis preview, we will take an in-depth look at Cushing’s City side. We will discuss the tactics that could be used to exploit Chelsea Women’s system, and a potential trouble area they will need to be wary of. Abdullah Abdullah has previewed Chelsea Women in a separate analysis for this top-of-the-table clash.
General style of play
Cushing’s side is built on the foundations of possession and positional play. Much like Pep Guardiola’s men’s side, who Cushing admits has a massive influence, Manchester City Women look to use possession to move the opposition’s block out of position. While they initially line up in a 4-3-3, the players are accustomed to taking up a variety of formations during matches, depending on different circumstances.
Manchester City Women are likely to try and impose themselves in this match through dominating possession. They excel in looking to force the opposition into deep positions that leave them unable to create meaningful counter-attacking opportunities. Their attacking structure leaves sides with limited space when possession is gained. Often Cushing’s side take up a 2-3-5 or 3-2-5 formation when attacking. This forward line looks to restrict passing options when possession is lost. They look to force oppositions into kicking it long, with Steph Houghton and Gemma Bonner in the heart of defence having great aerial abilities to win these clearances and get their side back into the attacking phase.
City are resolute in their defensive set up. When the initial press is beaten, they drop into a 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1 formation, depending on the opposition. Defensively, Cushings side are the best in the league, allowing one goal in eight FAWSL matches so far. It is this defensive solidity that gives City the foundation to get forward and attack with numbers. Every player has bought into contributing on both the offensive and defensive sides of the game.
