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Turner and Magill join the Villans Back Everton duo sign for Villa Turner and Magill join the Villans 5 August 2022 By Charlotte Stacey Longstanding former Everton captain, defender Danielle Tuner has signed a two-year deal with Aston Villa. She is joined by teammate, Northern Ireland international Simone Magill who has also confirmed her move after spending the last nine years with the Toffees. On Magill’s move, head coach Carla Ward said, “she’s a front-footed player with an eye for goal and someone I feel will fit in brilliantly to what we’re trying to do.” News

Arsenal have announced the loan move of defender Anna Patten to Aston Villa for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. Back Patten to Villa: A Wise Move Arsenal have announced the loan move of defender Anna Patten to Aston Villa for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. Lewis Storey 5 January 2022 By Charlotte Stacey Patten has a history with the Gunners having her way through the ranks after joining the club at twelve years old. She made her senior debut against Bayern Munich in 2017, aged 18, before going on to play in every match of the Women’s Super League Spring Series that year. After studying in the States for four years, in which Patten played successful stints with both the Florida State Seminoles and the South Carolina Gamecocks, she re-joined The Arsenal last January. Patten has enjoyed plenty of ‘firsts’ since returning to North London, including her first goal, and a break into Champions League football against Gillingham and HB Køge respectively. Further illustrating her ever-maturing potential, on the international stage Patten has been a regular feature of England’s youth camps representing her country at under-15, under-17, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels. Patten has secured two bronze medals during her time with the national side; the 2016 U-17 Euros and the U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2018. Patten’s move to Aston Villa can perhaps be viewed as surprising. The loaning of a lifelong Gooner, the foreknown absence of their trade left back, and the injury of their staple centre-half, indicates that the Gunners are looking to reinforce their backline from elsewhere. Nevertheless, this is not to say that in the long-term, this move will considerably benefit all parties. A talent as distinct as Patten must be cultivated, yet such progression can only be achieved through playing consistent minutes, something that, since returning to England, Patten has not received. With a title to reclaim and a reassertion into European football, between developing players, evolving on-field relationships and rotating a dependably robust starting eleven, Jonas Eidevall has a bit of a balancing act on his hands. In saying this, one would still not be indecorous to question Patten’s lack of game time. Enter Aston Villa. Although the Villans lay within the bottom half of the table, Patten could not have secured a better move. Now under the wing of renowned defence curator Carla Ward, and playing alongside the likes of Women’s Super League vets Anita Asanti and Remi Allen, she is about to have the education of her life. The likelihood is that Patten will play with far more regularity given Villa’s league position and Ward’s preference to lock in defensive stability before anything else. Yet Patten brings her own profits to her new club. She is able to adopt the profile of a centre-back, as well as a central midfielder if assigned, however when looking at her most prevalent skills, Patten is best used as a fullback. Upon viewing, one attribute that is highlighted is Patten’s inclination to push fairly high up the field. There is an obvious desire for pitch progression within her play and typically, it is well executed. Being a quality ‘ball player’ is not something that comes naturally to all, yet Patten shows a great deal of worth here in both carrying and releasing. Pairing this with bursts of pace and shrewd counter awareness, Patten’s time on the ball is altogether valuable. Utilising Patten as such will provide Villa with an added attacking outlet, as well as the perfect complement to offset left back, Maz Pacheco. In return, Villa will provide the opportunity for Patten to exercise and develop her defensive competence against regular competitive opponents. Developing further know-how on opportune periods to apply pressure, favourable positions to intercept and block passages of play, and heightened recognition of opponent’s body shape, areas in which Patten is perhaps not quite as well versed in just yet, will serve her well in fulfilling her undeniable promise. Come May, whether Patten returns to her childhood club or not will remain to be seen. But if this is the case, one would certainly bet on a more well-rounded, self-assured, defensively sound player returning to Meadow Park than the one who left in January. News

We caught up with author and analyst Abdullah Abdullah to speak about his latest book 'The Evolution of Chelsea Under Emma Hayes' and his new series of tactical interviews with players and coaches on his website Pressing Matters. Interview with analyst and author Abdullah Abdullah Saturday, 5 February 2022 By Charlotte Stacey We caught up with author and analyst Abdullah Abdullah to speak about his latest book 'The Evolution of Chelsea Under Emma Hayes' and his new series of tactical interviews with players and coaches on his website Pressing Matters. On Her Side Firstly, congratulations on your new book, Europe’s Next Power House: The Evolution of Chelsea Under Emma Hayes. Would you be able to tell us a little bit out the book and what readers can expect? First of all, thank you, and second of all, what can you expect from the book. Well, the general premise of the book essentially depicts the rise of Emma Hayes over the years, but also the evolution of Chelsea as a club from several years ago to now, their growth over time. Mostly on the pitch in terms of tactical ideas, but also off the pitch, what are the factors that contributed to them getting to where they are and what that means for the future of the club. We put that all together and you can get a decent overview of Chelsea from 5-7 years ago to now, and beyond, in terms of what they want to achieve, what they have achieved and what they’re doing on the pitch tactically and learn all about it. --- You mention the book is full of tactical insights, so for those of us who are perhaps not particularly tactically minded, is it written in a way that we can easily follow Chelsea’s journey on the pitch in this respect? Yes, I like to think, and pride myself on making sure that the way I write is both accessible to people who are tactically savvy and people who are just maybe getting into tactics or who just generally know about football. So both sets can understand without one feeling like it’s targeted too much the other way. I think it’s a good balance between being too technical and not very technical, so I’d like to think I’ve pleased both sets. It worked for the first one! Firstly, Abdullah congratulations on your new book, Europe’s Next Power House: The Evolution of Chelsea Under Emma Hayes. Would you be able to tell us a little bit out the book and what readers can expect? "First of all, thank you, and second of all, what can you expect from the book. Well, the general premise of the book essentially depicts the rise of Emma Hayes over the years, but also the evolution of Chelsea as a club from several years ago to now, their growth over time. "Mostly on the pitch in terms of tactical ideas, but also off the pitch, what are the factors that contributed to them getting to where they are and what that means for the future of the club. We put that all together and you can get a decent overview of Chelsea from 5-7 years ago to now, and beyond, in terms of what they want to achieve, what they have achieved and what they’re doing on the pitch tactically and learn all about it." You mention the book is full of tactical insights, so for those of us who are perhaps not particularly tactically minded, is it written in a way that we can easily follow Chelsea’s journey on the pitch in this respect? "Yes, I like to think, and pride myself on making sure that the way I write is both accessible to people who are tactically savvy and people who are just maybe getting into tactics or who just generally know about football. So both sets can understand without one feeling like it’s targeted too much the other way. I think it’s a good balance between being too technical and not very technical, so I’d like to think I’ve pleased both sets. It worked for the first one!" Speaking of your first book, that was written about Lyon. So, what was it that then drew you to Chelsea, why was Chelsea your second choice? "I think, plain and simple, on the men’s side Chelsea are the team I’ve been supporting since the year 2000, they’re my childhood club. Whilst the men’s side was very saturated, I focus a lot on women’s football and I thought I’ve got to do something on Chelsea. "For me, I’ve always said Lyon is the club I support on the women’s side, but I’m a very close second fan of Chelsea so it was an obvious choice. I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else, it had to be Chelsea because it’s so close to me. It was opportunistic as well, they were doing so well under Emma Hayes. Sam Kerr was just about to sign and the club was really going somewhere. I knew a lot about the club so it was a no-brainer. I thought, let’s do it." Obviously, we speak a lot about Emma Hayes and the focus of this book revolves around Chelsea’s growth under her leadership, have you managed to speak to her? "You’re not the first person to ask me and unfortunately no, I have not been able to speak to her. It was unfortunate, she was covering the Euro’s in the summer when I wanted to try to speak to her but I got the next best thing which were journalists and people around her at the club. I am told she has received a copy of the book and I’ve no clue what she’s going to think so we’re going to have to see what happens!" As well as the book you have another exciting project happening, Pressing Matters: a series of tactical insights with players and coaches. Can you tell us where the idea for this project came from? "I’m not going to lie to you, I was just sitting around thinking ‘what can I do to take Pressing Matters to the next level? I’m loving the analysis that I’m doing but I need to take it a step further.’ I will give Mia Eriksson some credit here! She’s doing a podcast called ‘ Their Pitch ’ (podcast in which Mia and co-host Amanda Zaza speak to players, coaches and other football personnel about their history and professional development, as well as their tactical take on the game). It’s a fantastic idea and people should go and listen to it (interviewer seconds this!). "So, I used that as inspiration and thought about how I could do something that’s equally as innovative and different. It was just one of those things, I was sitting around doing nothing and it just popped – tactical interviews with players! And I’ll make it a written thing rather than a podcast. I asked a couple of people what they thought and they said ‘yeah, not a bad idea’ and the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. From there the journey began and I started sending out a gazillion emails. "The first entry is out, an interview with former Everton manager Willie Kirk, and from this it’s clear that this series will provide analysis from coaches and players, which, aside from Mia’s podcast, has not really been done in the women’s game." Looking at that first article, it feels as if your guests have an awful lot to say about the tactical side of the game. Have you been surprised at the level of insight and the volume of information that they have given? "Yeah, really I have. Willie was great, it was really insightful. He gave me a lot of insight into the way he was working with Everton and the decisions that he made. I guess it was a little bit easier for him to explain simply because he’s left the club so he can give me more detail than others could’ve. "But I think with the players I’ve already spoken to, some of them have really surprised me in terms of their level of insight and their knowledge. When I start some of them [interviews], it starts off with a good answer. But the minute it goes to questions 2, 3, and 4, they really start getting into it and they put time and energy into their answers. You can actually see them sitting there and actively thinking ‘oh wait, no hold on’ – they think about one thing then suddenly they’ll change it and go ‘oh you know what, actually I can add this’. "Every single player in their own way has surprised me with their level of understanding and knowledge, not just their own game and what they’re supposed to be doing, but the deeper meaning of that and they ask a lot of questions which has surprised me. So I think it’s really going to surprise people and will be quite enjoyable." Going off of that, do you think players have enjoyed speaking about tactics and the more technical aspects of their game? It’s not something they generally have the opportunity to do, so what’s the response been in that respect, would you say it’s something they have been crying out for? "Maybe not crying out for, but certainly, I’ve got about six or seven interviews recorded so far and every single one of them has said ‘really happy to do it because it’s not something we usually get to do and it’s totally different. We play football, we play the game so why can’t we talk about what we do on the pitch?’ "Some of them have a lot to say about roles, positions, how they think they should be playing and how to improve. Sometimes the feeling I get is that they get a little carried away with some of the things and I just have to sit there, listen and indulge, which is great! I really get a full insight into it. So I think so far they’ve all really liked it." That’s amazing. Could I be cheeky and ask if you could give us a couple of names we might see popping up in the future? "Alright, you know what, I’ll give you a couple of names that haven’t been posted anywhere else. I have spoken to Elin Landström of Inter Milan who is a left back, hopefully that will come out sooner rather than later. I think I’m safe to say that Rachel Daly might be another one that will be coming some point in the future. There you go, I can give you those two for now." Abdullah's books are available to buy on Amazon .

Get to know every member of the current Lionesses squad. Lionesses Squad Rachel Daly Rachel Daly is an experienced and adaptable player with a unique skillset. When playing domestically, Daly occupies the centre forward role and is currently wreaking havoc across defensive lines with Aston Villa. Her forward role is that of a deep-lying striker who excels in linking play, playing in other attacking players and creating interchangeable sequences of play. But of course, Daly does also possess that no. 9 killer strike. Internationally, however, Daly is usually situated further back, primarily featuring for England as a left-back. Here, Daly utilises her strikers’ tendencies and pairs them with the defensive qualities developed as a result of her slightly unusual placement. Daly’s ‘off the ball’ traits are under appreciated at times, but her pressing and positional awareness are key in bringing a balance to England’s backline. Photograph courtesy of the FA.

My Story by Kelly Smith My Story My Story by Kelly Smith All Kelly Smith ever wanted to be was a footballer. Blessed with brilliant talent which she honed with hours of practice, it was soon clear to all who saw her that Kelly was the best women's footballer that this country had ever produced. Yet for this shy girl from Watford, it would be a long and difficult journey to the pinnacle of the world game, and one which would involve the hardest of challenges. After starting drinking to mask her loneliness thousands of miles from home at college in the United States, a series of career-threatening injuries led to severe depression and a battle with alcoholism. But with the fighting spirit that was so essential on her path to be Britain's first women's professional player, Kelly bounced back to inspire Arsenal to countless trophies and become England's record goalscorer. Available to buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Footballer-My-Story-Kelly-Smith/dp/0593069331/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1685728134&sr=1-1

They Don't Teach This by Eni Aluko They Don't Teach This They Don't Teach This by Eni Aluko Eni Aluko: 102 appearances for England women's national football team. First female pundit on Match of the Day. UN Women UK ambassador. Guardian columnist. First class honors law degree. Now an inspirational author. They Don't Teach This steps beyond the realms of memoir to explore themes of dual nationality and identity, race and institutional prejudice, success, failure and faith. It is an inspiring manifesto to change the way readers and the future generation choose to view the challenges that come in their life applying life lessons with raw truths of Eni's own personal experience. Available to buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/They-Dont-Teach-Eniola-Aluko/dp/1529112850/ref=d_pd_sbs_sccl_2_4/257-3022985-0041206?pd_rd_w=YxKRu&content-id=amzn1.sym.b3680bff-f077-48e1-82e2-187909445cc9&pf_rd_p=b3680bff-f077-48e1-82e2-187909445cc9&pf_rd_r=MB06SSD6DNMKTJMZJGMW&pd_rd_wg=3q2mA&pd_rd_r=60e070ce-d748-43c8-92b0-b4383011aef4&pd_rd_i=1529112850&psc=1

Arsenal's number 3 signs personal new deal with childhood club Back Lotte Wubben-Moy – a true Gooner Arsenal's number 3 signs personal new deal with childhood club Arsenal FC 7 May 2022 By Charlotte Stacey Arsenal centre-back Lotte Wubben-Moy has signed a new contract with the club for an undisclosed term. The 23-year-old returned to North London in September 2020 after a spell playing in college football in the States and has since made 61 appearances and scored five goals for the Gunners. Adding her own personal touch, Wubben-Moy’s new contract also has a clause pertaining to the players commitment to working closely with Arsenal in the Community. Wubben-Moy commented, “it’s a commitment to the club and it’s a commitment to Arsenal, the community that it’s active in and to my life as a whole, because that’s what Arsenal is – it’s my life.” News

England vs The Netherlands Photographer Adam Mitten The Lionesses made a huge comeback at Wembley Stadium as they beat the Netherlands 3-2 in the UEFA Nations League.

Charlton Athletic suffer first loss of the season in 2-0 defeat Back Match Report Charlton suffer defeat at the hands of London City Charlton Athletic suffer first loss of the season in 2-0 defeat CAFC Women 16 October 2024 By Paul Donegan London City Lionesses inflicted Charlton Athletic’s first Women’s Championship defeat of the season with a 2-0 win on Sunday at Hayes Lane. Isobel Goodwin and Sofia Jakobsson scored the goals for the Pride against their London rivals as they moved up to second spot in the league, level on points with the Addicks and top of the table Birmingham City. Beth Roe hit the crossbar with a curling shot in the first 30 seconds for the Addicks then Melisa Filis’ low shot a couple of minutes later was easily claimed by Emily Orman. London City’s first opportunity came in the 7th minute when Goodwin headed over a corner. Filis forced Orman into making a save in the 10th minute before the hosts broke quickly but the attack finished with Sophie Whitehouse catching a cross. Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah then headed over a corner for the Pride. Goodwin couldn’t control the ball in front of goal before Boye-Hlorkah fired over as the home side had the next chances in the 16th minute. Goodwin then saw her shot deflected into the keepers hands. Karin Muya’s low shot went across goal and wide as the visitors had the next opportunity in the 19th minute. Jakobsson saw an effort blocked for London City following a corner as the chances kept on coming. Filis shot from just outside the area went wide for the Addicks in the 26th minute. At the other end, Boye-Hlorkah was unable to get on the end of Kosovare Asllani’s cross. Two minutes later, Jodie Hutton got forward on the left-hand side and sent a dipping effort narrowly over for the away side. A succession of corners from the hosts in the 36th minute caused Charlton problems with the ball eventually going over off the crossbar for a goal kick. Whitehouse made a tremendous save in first half stoppage time to tip over Asllani’s 25-yard effort as the hosts went close to going ahead before the break. Asllani had the first chance of the second half in the first minute of it but fired over for the Pride before Hutton missed the target for the Addicks in the 50th minute. London City Lionesses took the lead in this London derby in the 54th minute when Jakobsson won the ball in Charlton’s penalty area and her cross was headed into the net by Goodwin from 6-yards. Three minutes later, Hutton shot over for the visitors from outside the area whilst Asllani did the same at the other end in the 59th minute. Emma Mukandi made a great tackle in the area to stop Muya getting a shot away as the Addicks looked for an equaliser. Orman then denied Atlanta Primus from close range. Whitehouse got down to save Boye-Hlorkah 25-yard shot in the 65th minute. Goodwin then volleyed over from the edge of the area at the midpoint of the second half for the home side. In the 73rd minute, London City doubled their lead when they attacked quickly and Asllani’s lovely through ball found Jakobsson who finished past Whitehouse. Two minutes later, Roe’s dipping effort from the right-hand side had to be pushed over by Orman. Princess Ademiluyi put the Addicks next opportunity well over then Filis saw her free kick saved in the 89th minute. Katie Bradley had a long-range shot saved for the visitors in the first minute of stoppage time before the hosts broke quickly again but this time the attack came to nothing. The win sees London City continue their unbeaten home start to the season whilst the defeat sees Charlton lose away from home for the first time in 539 days in the league. Line ups London City Lionesses (4-2-3-1): Orman, Wilde (Neville 77’), Goldie, Henson, Mukandi, Meyong, Brougham, Jakobsson (Fitzgerald 77’), Asllani (c) (Mengyu 90’+3), Boye-Hlorkah (Imuran 84’), Goodwin Unused substitutes: Moloney, Scofield, Marashi, Brown Goals – Goodwin 54’, Jakobsson 73’ Booked – Jakobsson, Asllani, Fitzgerald Charlton Athletic (3-4-3): Whitehouse, Skeels (c), N’Dow, Newsham, Roe (O’Rourke 81’), Bashford (Ademiluyi 68’), Primus (Bradley 81’), Hutton, Muya, Barton (Humphrey 84’), Filis Unused substitutes: Gray, Pearse, Siber Booked – Hutton, Muya Referee – Lauren Whiteman Attendance – 1,239

Another confident win for Chelsea as they cruise eight goals past the Foxes Back Match Report WSL: Leicester City v Chelsea Another confident win for Chelsea as they cruise eight goals past the Foxes Leicester City Women 5 December 2022 By Paul Donegan Chelsea convincingly beat bottom of the table Leicester City 8-0 at a cold and occasional rainy King Power Stadium to return to the top of the Women’s Super League after being displaced earlier in the day. Guro Reiten and Jessie Fleming scored two goals each, and the other scorers were Fran Kirby, Niamh Charles, Sam Kerr and Bethany England. Emma Hayes’ 300th game as manager of Chelsea got off to a good start as they took the lead in the 4th minute when Kirby set up Reiten to score. Kirby had a chance to extend the visitors lead but her low shot was saved by a diving Demi Lambourne in the 10th minute. The away side did make it 2-0 in the 13th minute when Reiten passed back to Fleming who finished from 6-yards. Chelsea had another opportunity two minutes later, but Kerr went too wide after going past the goalkeeper. Kirby passed to Kerr in the 17th minute, but her shot went just wide. There next chance came in the 32nd minute but Lambourne got to the ball before Kirby after some nice build up play. Two minutes after that the Blues broke forward, Kirby passed to Kerr but her shot hit the outside of the post. Chelsea scored a flurry of goals just before half time. In the 39th minute, Kirby made it 3-0 with an outside of the boot finish. Two minutes later, Niamh Charles headed in a corner to made it 4-0. In the final minute of the half, a nice move was finished by Sam Kerr to make it 5-0. Reiten assisted all three of these goals to bring it up to four assists and a goal for the Norwegian during the first half. Leicester had their first shot at goal of the match in 48th minute from half time substitute Natasha Flint. Chelsea made it 6-0 in the 50th minute. A cross was cleared only as far as Fleming who scored her second goal of the day when her shot found the back of the net. The home side were creating a few more chances in the early stages of the second half with Aileen Whelan’s shot from the edge area forcing Ann-Katrin Berger to dive to make a save in the 55th minute. Berger was forced to make a better save five minutes later when she tipped over Flint’s shot. A couple of minutes after that, there was a scramble in the Chelsea penalty area which ended when the ball was blasted over by Molly Pike as Leicester looked for a consultation goal. Reiten came close to adding to her total of goals and assists but her shot went into the side netting in the 66th minute. Second half substitute Jelena Cankovic then shot wide for the Blues in the 72nd minute. Two second half substitutes combined in the 75th minute as Chelsea scored their seventh goal when England headed in an Alsu Abdullina cross. It was 8-0 in the 82nd minute when Kirby finished from close range to score her second goal of the game. The visitors had two late chances as they looked to match last season’s 9-0 win at the King Power but a header from a corner was saved in the 87 minute, then Lambourne stopped an effort from England in injury time. Chelsea remain three points clear of Manchester United and Arsenal after the weekend’s matches, though they have played a game more than those two. Willie Kirk’s Leicester are still pointless and are now seven points adrift at the bottom of the WSL. Leicester’s next match is on Thursday when they are away to Sunderland in the Conti Cup. Their next league game is on Sunday when they travel to Liverpool. Chelsea are in UEFA Women’s Champions League action on Thursday evening when they travel to play Real Madrid before they return to Kingsmeadow to play Reading next Sunday evening in the WSL. Line ups Leicester City (4-3-3): Lambourne, Simon (Bott 46’), Howard, Brougham, Purfield (Vance 78’), Whelan (c), Tierney (Smith 83’), Pike, Goodwin (Cain 76’), C. Jones, Baker (Flint 46’) Unused substitutes: Levell, E. Jones, Robinson, Scofield Booked – Tierney 36’ Chelsea (4-3-3): Berger, Perisset (Carter 74’), Bright, Eriksson (c) (Nouwen 74’), Charles, Ingle, Fleming (Cankovic 63’), Kirby, Rytting Kaneryd, Kerr (England 63’), Reiten (Abdullina 74’) Unused substitutes: Musovic, James, Svitkova, Cuthbert Goals – Reiten 4’, Fleming 13’ 50’, Kirby 39’ 82’, Charles 41’, Kerr 45’, England 75’ Referee – Amy Fearn

Lionesses: Gamechangers by Abdullah Abdullah Lionesses: Gamechangers Lionesses: Gamechangers by Abdullah Abdullah England's emphatic victory at the 2022 women's Euros has been called a watershed moment both for the team and for women's football. But can this talented side prove their mettle on the biggest stage of all and achieve World Cup glory in 2023? Tactical writer Abdullah Abdullah once again lifts the lid on a women's footballing institution, this time through an international lens - deconstructing match tactics, analysing player performances and assessing the key improvements made in Sarina Wiegman's time in charge. Abdullah explores the standout tactical profiles from the current generation, including Fran Kirby and Lucy Bronze as well as the future crop, like Leah Williamson and wunderkind Lauren Hemp. This book dives into the specifics of how this iteration of the Lionesses can perform at the 2023 Women's World Cup. Will this be the moment they shed their status as perennial challengers and prove they are the best team in the world? Available to buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BXFKKVQ1/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

Reading vs Charlton Athletic Photographer Ryan Asman Points were shared at the Select Leasing Stadium between Reading and visitors Charlton Athletic. Despite the Royals going down to 10 players and a possession-laden game from the Addicks, neither side could break the deadlock earning both goalkeepers those all important clean sheets. Our photographer Ryan Asman captured the all the action.