Breakaways and Derby Days
Mixed feelings: it's the goal post
Some personal news — I’ve spent the last couple of weeks applying and interviewing for jobs, alongside actually working and spending time with loved ones celebrating my birthday. Last week I accepted a job at the radio station! Can’t wait to get started.
With the news that I’m sticking around in the city, I also FINALLY pulled myself together and made the effort to find and join a local football team. Had the first practice last week and the feeling of stepping onto the pitch and every worry and thought from the past few weeks evaporating off me was simply incredible. Now I just need to deal with the cold that has set in following one too many runs in the rain.
LUIS RUBIALES TAKING THE STAND: Former Spanish football federation head Luis Rubiales will stand trial for sexual assault and coercion after kissing Jenni Hermoso without her consent during Spain's historic 2023 World Cup win. He was also making obscene gestures in the VIP area. The incident, which sparked global backlash and a national debate on sexism, overshadowed the team's victory. Rubiales will also be tried for coercion alongside former coach Jorge Vilda, sporting director Albert Luque, and marketing head Ruben Rivera, all accused of pressuring Hermoso to say the kiss was consensual.
The trial is scheduled to begin on 3 February and is expected to run on for 11 days, until the 19 February, according to Relevo. A two and a half year prison sentence is what the prosecutors suggest. Hermoso herself is flying back from Mexico, where she plays for Tigres (she scored two goals in the team’s 5-0 win against Toluca at the weekend), to give her witness statement in person the first day of the trial. She will miss two games against Querétaro and Cruz Azul. Misa Rodriguez will show up in person but Irene Paredes, Alexia Putellas and Laia Codina will also contribute with witness statements over video calls from Barcelona and London respectively.
CELTIC AND RANGERS MOVING DOWN SOUTH? It is a topic that has been popping up now and again on the men’s side and now this discussion seems to be migrating over to the women’s game. Scottish clubs Celtic and Rangers have been rumoured to break away from the Scottish Women's Premier League and join the Women’s Super League, The Times reported.
Matt Dallinson from How’s Your Touch goes through the points behind the likelihood of this happening, for the Cutback.
As Matt rounds off by saying: “Would it be good to see more co-operation between the English and Scottish leagues? Absolutely […] But, this is not the way and it is a really poor look for two clubs that are supposed to be leading growth as members of the league's board to be flirting with English football rather collaborating to grow the game at home.”
NEW MANAGERS ALL AROUND: Republic of Ireland has gotten a new manager in Carla Ward. The former Aston Villa boss has now taken over for Eileen Gleeson, who left following the failure to qualify for the Euros this summer. She will be tested as the Nations League comes back around. The first fixture takes place on the 21 February.
Someone who is going into his last round of Nations League games is Sweden’s head coach Peter Gerhardsson, who is leaving his post after the Euros. Opening up for a lot of discussion around who is going to take over, especially considering a lot of the options have just gotten locked down (one rumour is former Australia manager Tony Gustavsson, which has received mixed reviews so far.)
We saw Casey Stoney unveiled for Canada (here in an interview with Attacking Third), Elisabet Gunnarsdottir was appointed for Belgium and Renée Slegers was presented for Arsenal.
Earlier in the season, ahead of the Champions League fixture against Chelsea, Elena Sadiku mentioned how much she looks up to the Blues manager Sonia Bompastor.
“I have a huge respect for the manager, Sonia. Looking at her, how she talks about the team and how she is perceived as a coach is something that I want to be perceived as well. She rarely talks about herself and always talks about the team and that shows the leader that she is.”
This highlights the importance of representation, seeing people to actually look up to. Not only does Bompastor have an unbeaten record in England so far, she also has four children under the age of 10. I find both those facts equally impressive.
DERBY WINNERS: Chelsea played Arsenal, Bompastor went head to head with Slegers, two coaches who had not yet lost. The onus was very much on Arsenal to get away with a result in order to be able to tag along with the top teams.
The game was stuck in a deadlock for a long time, with both sides getting some chances, but overall the shots on target were few and far between. Credit to Chelsea’s substitutes Lauren James, who won the penalty, and Guru Reiten, who converted it for the 1-0, which would also be the end result. Arsenal’s Daphne Van Domselaar had a good game getting a few showy reflex saves in, but the rest of Arsenal’s defense did not have a good day. Katie McCabe got red-carded for talking back.
That’s 19 wins and a draw for Bompastor.
The weekend before saw Manchester United take on, and beat Manchester City in a riveting match. Ella Toone delivered a hat-trick, and City’s new defensive signing Rebecca Knaak, true to herself, scored on her debut.
Manchester City did get their revenge in the next game however because, as faith would have it, the two teams were drawn against each other in the league cup. City won 2-1 to set the record straight.
In another part of London, sixth-place Tottenham played Crystal Palace and although a routine game against the last-placed team should not be creating any headlines, you can never trust Tottenham not to make it difficult for themselves, and to get up in it.
Classic for London, the rain was pouring down. Classic for the WSL, there was no cover for the camera person who had to be standing around wiping the lens every two minutes. Spurs still went 2-0 up but Palace came back in the second half, making it 2-2 and it would take a 95th minute free-kick debut goal from Olivia Holdt to get Tottenham their first away victory since March. Yikes.
Barcelona played Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday, beating the capital side 5-0 with goals from Caroline Graham Hansen, a double brace from Ewa Pajor, Patri Guijarro and Alexia Putellas. That marks Pere Romeu’s first trophy as head coach of the team.
Anyone else remembering two years ago, when Barcelona beat Real Sociedad to win the Super Cup and they had to collect their own medals afterwards? As good as Spanish football is, they have really been through it lol.
ITALY REFUSES TO BE PREDICTABLE: Or well, at least not too predictable. Teams have been plucking points off each other in a very entertaining way recently.
Roma managed to win against Juventus and inflict the first loss for the league leaders this season.
AC Milan beat Roma in a thrilling 3-2 win to position themselves firmly in the top three and crush any hope Roma had to climb.
But Juve also beat Inter at the weekend, going seven points clear at the top of the table …
SWEDISH LEAGUE READY TO SELL OUT? Today (Wednesday 29 January) there is a first vote between all the clubs in Damallsvenskan about whether or not to allow money from the American investment group Women’s Football Group to pump money into the Swedish women’s league. There has been a lot of critique coming from the Swedish football supporter union and media, and the situation is tense.
We will undoubtedly talk a lot more about this in the coming weeks and months, but it is an interesting dilemma. On the one hand, organisational powers in Sweden and the culture around it is really strong. We’re one of the few countries in Europe to have the 51% rule (where at least 51% of the club needs to be owned by its members, the fans) and this would put all of that on its head.
At the same time, some people will just shrug their shoulders and say “get with the times, or get left behind.” A terrifying thought in women’s football, where it sometimes feels like everything goes at breakneck speed and you really just have to throw yourself into the vortex because if you’re not all in, you’re out.
FIRST $1 MILLION DOLLAR TRANSFER IS A DEFENDER: Naomi Girma is a Blues! Anita Asante has a brilliant column out on the new signing, and The Athletic has been covering the move diligently. Jessy Parker Humphreys with a good article on why the defending champions, whose roster is already STACKED with stars, do well by adding another one.