The WSL and Women’s Championship might have finished for a couple of weeks, but there was still time before the international break for the first round of Continental Cup group games to take place, with plenty of teams hoping to make their mark on this year’s tournament and get off to the perfect start.
Whilst a number of Championship teams were taking on WSL clubs in the first match week, there were a number of fixtures featuring two teams from the second tier, and one of those was Bristol City Women against Crystal Palace Women. Given that this meeting was between the current Championship leaders and a team that made huge investments in their squad this summer, many were expecting a closely fought match that would provide plenty of entertainment.
However, whilst it was certainly an interesting game, it was largely one-sided, with Bristol never looking like losing once they had taken control. This tactical analysis will examine why Bristol were so dominant, breaking down their attacking and defensive play and looking at the tactics that helped them to establish an early lead. The analysis will also look at Crystal Palace’s poor first-half performance and the signs of improvement that they showed after the break, as well as why individual mistakes cost them any chance of winning.
Lineups
Bristol City Women head coach Lauren Smith made four changes to her team’s starting lineup following last weekend’s draw at Ashton Gate with Championship newcomers Southampton Women. Goalkeeper Fran Bentley, who made last season’s loan from Manchester United Women permanent over the summer, midfielder Emily Syme and full-back Ella Powell all dropped to the bench, whilst centre-back Vicky Bruce, who was originally set to start, picked up an injury in the warmup. As a result, Chloe Mustaki, who had also initially been moved to the bench, started in the back three, whilst Wales’ former Coventry United goalkeeper Olivia Clark made her debut, Maddi Wilde and Jodie Hutton came in as the two wing-backs and Chloe Bull partnered captain Aimee Palmer in midfield.
Crystal Palace Women manager Dean Davenport also made alterations after his side’s away win against Blackburn Rovers Ladies last time out, with seven new names in total. Former Liverpool Women and Sheffield United Women stopper Fran Kitching, defenders Aimee Everett and Polly Doran, midfielders Coral-Jade Haines, Kirsten Reilly and Shauna Guyatt and forward Annabel Blanchard were all named on the bench, with Natalia Negri given a chance to shine between the posts, Annabel Johnson and Charley Clifford joining former Tottenham Hotspur Women player Anna Filbey in the back three, Hollie Olding, Scotland’s Chloe Arthur and on-loan Reading Women player Chloe Peplow starting in midfield and Molly-Mae Sharpe partnering ex-Everton Women striker Elise Hughes in the forward line. The other change saw Lizzie Waldie move to left wing-back, with Isabella Sibley switching to the right.
