Women’s Super League Q&A: football writer Suzanne Wrack answers your questions now
theguardian.com ·
The WSL season kicks off tonight and the Guardian’s women’s football writer Suzanne Wrack is here now answering your questions – from what to expect from London City Lionesses after their signing spree to whether Manchester City can go back to back.Ask a question: log in or sign up here.FrankfurtView asks: The BBC have removed their Women’s football show from linear television. Already it was being shown in a broom cupboard, later than Match of the Day … Have BBC gone backwards in women’s football coverage?Suzanne: Their approach to coverage is changing across sport more widely. There seems to be a drive towards social platforms, as shown by the launch of their women’s football Youtube channel and expansion of their content on their TikTok account. Whether that strategy will drive audiences will show over time.The loss of the Women’s Football Show is a big one, in my view. It needed a better slot and greater investment but it provided fans with the most accessible week-by-week analysis with clips and highlights and it will be interesting to see whether the new 15-minute Women’s Football Fallout will be able to deliver enough depth for fans wanting game-by-game analysis.Suzanne: Interestingly, I did a profile of new manager Eva Olid when Hearts, the team she left in the summer after leading the Scottish side to the SWPL title, had five games of the season remaining. Having known nothing about her I got an incredible impression from the various interviews I read with her about her coaching philosophy and her time coaching boys in Spain and managing in the women’s game. My fear is that United won’t give her the resources required to punch as high above their financial weight as they will need to be doing to be competitive in the WSL. Yes, she worked wonders at Hearts, having arrived with the team having finished at the bottom of the league (only avoiding relegation thanks to the expansion of the SWPL), but Hearts did increase their support for the women’s team alongside her shrewd coaching and player development during her five years.Arguably, their transfer window was one of the most disappointing of all the WSL teams this season. Their four signings are promising, but they see some high-level WSL experience leave in their seven outgoing players. They will benefit from no Champions League football, but I don’t think they have the squad to be able to ‘do a Man City’ and take advantage of that significantly in the league, not when so many mid-table teams have looked to have strengthened really well. I hope I’m wrong, I would love to see United do well and Olid be really successful there, but without a greater commitment from the club from the top down, not just financially, I struggle to see much to be excited about. The League Cup is a great opportunity for silverware though, with no City, Arsenal or Chelsea involved, but others will be sensing that opportunity too. Continue reading...