Conceding 32 goals in 13 games and keeping only one clean sheet in the Women’s Super League doesn’t make for pretty reading for Matt Beard and his West Ham defence, but this is the unwanted record that West Ham possess at this stage of the season.
Tough Schedule
A recent 8-0 loss to Chelsea in the WSL brought West Ham’s defensive insufficiencies to light in a very public and embarrassing way. At the end of a very tough few weeks of fixtures which included Chelsea, Reading and Arsenal, West Ham find themselves with the second worst defensive record in the league, and look to be lacking in confidence as they enter a crucial period of the season.
Matt Beard was quick to blame the schedule for West Ham leaking goals and dropping points. He said after the Reading game, “if you look at the run of fixtures we’ve had, we’ve had Arsenal, Chelsea, supposed to play Manchester City and also Reading; the teams that traditionally finish in the top four of this division. It was always going to be a tough January and February for us.”
January Moves
The January transfer window is a month which is made for clubs to get business done in an attempt to strengthen their squads. It looked as if West Ham executed a great bit of business as they secured the highly rated English defender Grace Fisk, who signed her first professional contract with the East London side. This was as a direct replacement for Brooke Hendrix, who had already departed earlier in the window.
Although Fisk has started every single game since arriving, the instant impact hasn’t been felt like the Hammers would have hoped, conceding 15 goals in five games so far. Having said that, Fisk’s performances haven’t gone unnoticed by England Women’s team manager Phil Neville, who has called up Fisk to the England squad.
Next Up
It’s been a long but needed break for West Ham after a difficult period. The next fixture they’ll play is against Liverpool, who have been one of the low scorers this season managing only six goals so far. It will be interesting to see what Beard does to fix the defensive issues in this period.
Beard has experimented to a back three in recent weeks, and he’s even given game time to Anna Moorhouse in place of Courtney Brosnan which shows that he’s not afraid to make bold decisions. West Ham’s next game is at home to Liverpool, a team who Beard previously managed, and it will be a good first test after the break as they look to end the season on a positive note.
