Lewes’ New Year’s Revolution: A spectacular surge in the Women’s Championship relegation battle – tactical analysis

Lewes have been a mainstay of the WSL Championship since 2018, when they achieved promotion from Women’s National League South.

Since then, they have maintained their standing in the division despite competing against sides with bigger financial backing from Premier League and Championship men’s sides.

Scott Booth took over the Lewes job in May 2022 following an unsuccessful spell at Birmingham City. Midway through this year, he finished ninth in his first season and found himself in the relegation zone with just seven points on the board.

However, results have recently picked up, and since the winter break, Lewes has won eleven points and looked a rejuvenated team.

In this tactical analysis, we will break down some of the critical differences that Scott Booth has made to improve the sides form. This analysis will focus on the tactics and personnel changes and the impact that they have had on the side.

Formation Change

One of the key areas where Lewes have evolved through the season is in the shape they have deployed through the season. In the opening four games of the season, they deployed a back three and then tried a 3-4-3 and then 3-5-2 formations; when they deployed a back three, they won a solitary one point.

After these opening four games they switched to a 4-1-4-1 shape for the following four games. When deploying this 4-1-4-1 shape, they had very little success in terms of results, winning no points from these four games.