With only a few days to go until the first leg of the Champions
League Quarter Final, we preview the season opener at St Andrews.
There is a distinct feeling of the changing of the guard at
Blues this season. Long standing stalwarts of previous seasons have departed,
with younger, fresher players being brought into the club. There is no doubt
Captain Laura Bassett and top scorer Rachel Williams, both of whom moved to
Chelsea over the winter, will be missed, despite the fact the latter was
unavailable for Blues for the majority of the second half of last season. The leadership
qualities lost by Bassett’s exit will be hard to replace, although the appointment
of Karen Carney is one that ensures the team will be under no illusions of how
much the club means to the Birmingham born winger. Izzy Christiansen has signed
for WSL newcomers Manchester City, and she will be a big loss, especially with
how well she linked up with the front line towards the back end of the 2013
campaign. Last season ended on such a high, the 5-2 victory at the home of the
men’s side over Zorky was arguably the display of the season. The likes of Mel
Lawley and Kirsty Linnett showed how well they had seamlessly fitted into the
BCLFC system, and there will be added pressure on them this season to deliver
the goods in the final third of the pitch.
It hasn’t all been exits and departures this pre-season:
Midfielder Remi Allen and versatile defender Meaghan Sargeant have joined from
the former Lincoln Ladies, and Welsh international attacker Hannah Keryakoplis
has bolstered David Parker’s options up front, arriving from Stoke City. I would expect Blues to set up similar to last season, with Carney and Lawley the wide outlets, Allen and Moore patrolling the midfield, with Jo Potter breaking forward to support Linnett up front. The main question marks would be the centre of defence. Assuming Emily Westwood is fit, she would make up one of the back two, but Parker has a decision to make regarding whether Sargeant comes straight in for her debut, or Harrop is moved into central defence, and Hannah George plays. There is plenty of youthful exuberance available to Blues should they feel the need to use it.
The transfer activity at Blues has been nothing compared to
that of their quarter final opponents from the capital. Eleven players have
left the current FA Cup holders, eight of which were first team regulars last
season. The financial muscle of Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool and Notts County
have accounted for many of Arsenal’s stars of the past three years, while PFA
Women’s Player of the Year Kim Little has moved across the pond to re-join her
old coach Laura Harvey at Seattle Reign. The Gunners have recruited well,
however, bringing in England internationals Siobhan Chamberlain and Casey
Stoney from Bristol Academy and Notts County Ladies respectively, Dutch full
back Anouk Hoogendijk, Scottish midfielder Christie Murray, along with Japanese
duo Yukari Kinga and Shinobu Ohno.
Shelley Kerr has a very tough job gelling this new squad
quickly. The loss of key players down the spine of the team such as Little,
Houghton and White will mean the side has to adjust, and whilst there are
players who can come in and fill the same positions, there can be no hiding the
impact Little’s departure will have. Jordan Nobbs is out injured for the first
month or so of the league, and this will be another huge blow to the London
outfit. A lot of trust will be placed in Dan Carter to supply the level of
goals left behind by White, Little and Davison, all of whom always caused Blues
numerous problems in previous encounters. It is very difficult to predict the Arsenal line up, what with the huge turnover of players, but they will be hoping to play as many of their experienced players as they can in such a huge game to start the season.
With the first leg providing Blues with home advantage, up
against a side very much in transition, I am letting my heart persuade my head
in predicting a tight 2-1 victory for the hosts.
No comments:
Post a Comment