The wait is finally over.
the WSL season gets underway on Sunday (kick off 2pm) with Liverpool making the trip to The Valley. They are no strangers to SE7, having narrowly secured victory in extra time of April’s FA Cup quarter final clash.
That encounter was very much attack against defence and that’s to be expected virtually every week this season as the step up will be a real challenge for Charlton. In the WSL attackers are more clinical, midfielders more creative and defenders more solid. Sophie Whitehouse is probably one of the better goalkeepers in the league but the rest of the team will need to be better than the sum of its parts. New signings Ashleigh Neville and Emily van Egmond will bring WSL experience and some defensive solidity but it should be noted that both were part of a dire Leicester team last season. It was nice to see Icelandic striker Linda Lif Boama (pictured) sign last Saturday but she will need time to settle in to both the team and the country. Boama is the club's record transfer and so a lot of faith is being put on her shoulders.
Karen Hills doesn’t appear to know her best side yet or, if she does, she wants to keep everyone guessing. The last two pre season friendlies have seen starting line-ups without strikers - Jodie Hutton has instead been playing up top. The starting eleven against Wolves had six natural defenders as well as two holding midfielders in van Egmond and returning signing Keira Flannery. Defensively we are likely to be solid but WSL teams have attackers capable of scoring from a moment of magic and we don’t appear to have one of those.
Liverpool’s star attacker is Vivien Endemann, a wide player signed from Wolfsburg. She has 17 caps for Germany and 30 Bundesliga goals to her name. The Reds have also brought in highly rated goalkeeper Khiara Keating over the summer. She is comfortable with her feet and will act as a sweeper when needed to break up any Addicks counter attacks.
Other than playing Birmingham or Crystal Palace hosting Liverpool first up is probably as kind a fixture as Karen Hills could have hoped for. The fact that it is still a big challenge shows the uphill task she has to keep us in the league and supporters will need to stay loyal and vocal to play their part throughout the season.
With the men’s team away on Saturday and tickets cheap it would be great to see a good crowd at The Valley for this one. Adult tickets cost just £10 and the weather forecast looks promising. What’s not to love about combative football at The Valley in the sun?
Tickets: https://booking.cafc.co.uk/en-GB/categories/Womens%20Home%20Games