FAWSL 2021/2022: how Man Utd’s “exciting” attacking intent spoiled Leicester’s home WSL debut – tactical analysis

Last season was Leicester City Women’s first as a fully professional club, having been taken over by men’s team owners King Power International, and they rewarded that financial backing by securing promotion to the WSL for the first time in their history. During the summer, it was announced that they would play the majority of this season’s home games at the King Power Stadium, with Manchester United Women the first to travel to the newly-promoted side. They came expecting a difficult afternoon against a Leicester team hoping to secure their first points of the season, but this tactical analysis will demonstrate how the visitors’ clever attacking play helped them to defeat the home side, as well as detailing the positives and negatives of Leicester’s performance.

Lineups

Leicester City Women made four changes from last weekend’s loss at Aston Villa Women, opting to deploy a 4-3-3 formation and not the 3-4-1-2 they used at Walsall’s Banks’ Stadium. Defender Abbie McManus moved to the bench, whilst midfielders Sophie Barker and Shannon O’Brien and new Wales forward Hannah Cain missed out completely, with full-backs Sophie Howard and Jemma Purfield, Nigeria centre-back Ashleigh Plumptre and forward Lachante Paul all starting. Striker Natasha Flint moved to a midfield role, and former Everton Women defender Georgia Brougham partnered Plumptre in the middle of the defence, with the latter captaining her hometown club in Barker’s absence.

Manchester United Women also made changes, despite winning the curtain-raiser against Reading Women. Former Chelsea Women centre-back Maria Thorisdottir and fellow Norway international, midfielder Vilde Boe Risa, both started on the bench, with Millie Turner partnering former Manchester City Women defender Aoife Mannion in central defence, whilst Netherlands midfielder Jackie Groenen came into the midfield. Captain Katie Zelem was in her usual deep-lying role, whilst England’s Ella Toone continued to operate as a false nine in attack.