FAWSL 2019/20: Manchester United Women vs Liverpool Women – tactical analysis

Arguably the biggest game of the weekend was the derby between Manchester United Women and Liverpool Women. This highly anticipated fixture had more than just points at stake. Both teams started the season in lacklustre fashion registering no wins or goals in both of their opening FAWSL matches. Manchester United Women had lost the opening two league fixtures away to Manchester City and at home to Arsenal by the slenderest of margins. Liverpool had also been beaten 1-0 by Reading and Spurs, before losing 3-2 at home to Sheffield United in the Continental League Cup last Sunday. Rooted to the bottom of the league, both Liverpool Women and Manchester United Women needed points to kickstart their season and look to leave the other in their wake.

This tactical analysis will look to analyse and dissect the tactics used by both teams and how both managers tried to win the game.

Lineups and Squad

Manchester United Women made a couple of changes from their narrow loss to Arsenal Women last week with Lotta Ökvist and Lauren James coming in for Amy Turner and Jane Ross making way. The Red Devils were without summer signings Jackie Groenen and Jane Ross, due to injury and illness, so this gave a chance to 17-year-old James to make her first start and prove her credentials as worthy to start as the centre-forward for Casey Stoney’s side. Stoney kept faith in her 4-2-3-1 formation with Jessica Sigsworth continuing in her right wing berth. Hayley Ladd and Katie Zelem played as the two defensive midfielders laying the foundations for their more attack-minded teammates.

Liverpool Women made two changes to the line-up that faced Tottenham Hotspur Women with Jessica Clarke and Jade Bailey being replaced by the energetic Rinsola Babajide and Rhiannon Roberts. The two players came in to freshen up the side and provide a solid base at the back while adding more venom in attack.

Manchester United Women: Earps, Smith, McManus, M.Turner, Okvist; Ladd, Zelem, Toone; James, Sigsworth, Galton

Liverpool FC Women: Preuss, Jane, Robe, Bradley-Auckland, Fahey, Roberts, Rodgers, Lawley, Charles, Sweetman-Kirk, Babajide.

Liverpool Women’s energetic wide play

One of the more interesting tactical points of the match was to see how Liverpool Women would attack a sturdy defensive line. Manchester United had shown their ability to keep it tight at the back through a series of transitions and overloads. Liverpool’s main hope came from their forward line where they would rely on pace and dribbling to create attacking chances for Courtney Sweetman-Kirk. The former Doncaster Rovers Belles’ forward had scored 49 goals before making the move to Liverpool in 2018 and has scored nine goals in 17 appearances. The introduction of Babajide was to introduce a winger with a direct style of play and someone who could beat the Manchester United press.

It was an open game with both teams threatening but much of the first half saw Liverpool create dangerous chances. Liverpool held the majority of possession for the first 15 minutes and started to cause their opposition issues. Liverpool looked to build out from the back by looking to their wide players.

Through a combination of working it through the channels going from a wide position to a more central one, they looked to pass it in between the opposition centre-back and full-back. Leah Galton held a narrower position thus allowing Liverpool to consistently get balls down the right wing.

As the graphic above shows, Becky Jane looks to play around Galton and find Niamh Charles who is looking to make a run out wide. Ella Toone recognises this and tries to instruct Galton to follow her run but is ultimately too late.

With no one pressing Charles down, she has a free run into the final third and is allowed to assess her options. Melissa Lawley’s position and run takes the attention of Ladd and Millie Turner, giving Babajide a one v one against Abbie McManus. This allowed Babajide to put herself into favourable goal scoring positions.

Babajide and her blistering left wing runs were a constant threat to Manchester United throughout the match. Kirsty Smith had trouble keeping the Merseyside winger quiet with her pace and burst of speed causing her issues. Even with Sigsworth doubling up and dropping back to help curtail Babajide, she still found ways to penetrate Manchester United’s defence.