Man United need time"What a difference a day makes," as the song goes and for football fans who watch teams rise and fall, trading positions as they score or concede, it's much more than just a few hours. The red half of Manchester was top of the table going into Sunday's action. They've been knocked down to third and will face a stern test when the league returns after the international break.
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"We're not always going to be great, that's for sure, after United's nervy 1-0 win overLeicester City last month," said Skinner, who has struggled to win over fans since taking charge. We want to do well, but we aren't always able to.
The only professional club in the Championship at the time was Manchester United Women, who were four years old at the time. Compare them to a team that was winning titles before some of the United players were even born, a team that has spent a decade with a single manager, or a team that was brought under the wing and enjoyed rapid investment.
In the past, United have tried to race to the front and stay there, where other teams could grow into leagues that weren't professional and invest at their own pace. As any decorated distance runner will tell you, it's about race management and not going too hard, too soon; the analogy gets a little murky when compared to football, but success is simply something that needs to be seen in the long term.
It takes a lot of time as well. There are many teams that poured huge sums of money in too quickly and went bust in women's football.
For Skinner and United, the gap to the top two or three is closing, yet as seen atLeigh Sports Village yesterday evening, the hosts can't be relied on to go 90 minutes with the WSL champion and finish on top. The game was a close one but the result was a fair one because it was about quality and experience.
Man City on the riseThe Citizens have won four of their last five games with 14 goals scored and one conceded since someone on here trashed them.
Most of the improvement in the football on the blue side of Manchester is down to how their forwards combine. The full integration of Bunny Shaw into the centre-forward role has been hugely profitable for a City team who never fail to create out wide.
Shaw has 16 goals in 15 games in the WSL, including six games so far this term, and it doesn't take a math genius to tell you not all of them. When City began putting results together last year, it was about the pre-existing partnerships and settled players doing the heavy lifting, with the newer players still looking for firm ground beneath their boots.
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Even though they dominated possession in their last two games, there is still a feeling that they are stuck in a lower gear and that the other teams will overtake them. The match against Reading was all but decided by two own goals from the Royals before Shaw added a third.
The team should be playing their best football at the right time.
Chelsea still waiting to hit top gearThere is something verging on "box tick" from the team going into this season. They have flashes of greatness, but often look like they are going through the motions.
It's not easy to say that the team are missing her while she's away. "We have built a tremendous team over many years and we have adopted a very multi-disciplinary approach so that if situations like this arise, we are capable of being able to respond to the challenge." We have full faith in all of the people. The team are very special and we have no doubt they will do everything to maintain their high standards.
There is something to be said for the fact that everyone at the club is the same and that the combination of Green and Reddy is enough to keep the team going. With the team not hitting the high notes they're capable of, that charismatic presence on the touchline could be what they're missing, it could also be simple growing pains that come with integrating new players.
The game that the Blues ran out 3-1 winners against Man United was far from their best. We used to call them uncharacteristic errors, but now they are errors that are creeping into their matches more and more. Even though they have won the WSL five times, they haven't shown their quality on the pitch this season, instead taking three points without showing the caliber that has helped them win it.
Arsenal again gunning for gloryThe table topers have yet to make a mistake in Europe. The leaders of the pack are identified by their names.
The team began to wobble at the start of December, less than six months into their new manager's tenure. The team had finally hit a point of transition away from their old style, preached by former coach, Joe Montemurro, based on possession and smooth passing. They're seen in the style of Eidevall that is more physically taxing and is about achieving wins through pressing and high-tempo play.
After a number of uncomfortable games, including the ones in which they eventually dropped enough points to allow Chelsea to claim the title, they finally settled. Stina Blackstenius and Rafaelle were already settled in England by the start of this season, thanks to the team taking the next step and taking care of their key signings over the winter window.
From the small technical players of the Montemurro era to the tall and built ones, Eidevall favors the tall and built ones. It's a style that allows the players Eidevall has brought in, like Frida Maanum and Blackstenius, to thrive. There is no better example of this than their game in Lyon, when they attacked with a near perfect accuracy. The team is more of a battering ram than before, yet there is still almost surgical touch from Montemurro's time at the helm.
Injuries are the biggest worry for the team. They had to crawl over the finish line when they won the title. This season, things aren't so bad, yet they are without both starting centre-backs, forcing Eidevall to use full-back Steph Catley at the back. It's an easy solution, but also one that weakens the team in both attack and defence and potentially signals a crack in the foundation.
It looks like the title won't be moving from London because of the six games that have been played. It's not the same thing in London.
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