How We Got Here
The just-concluded international break was exactly the salve the snakebit Everton Women needed.
It could even prove to be the stroke of luck manager Brian Sorensen so desperately needs in a season that started with such promise and then went awry. The Blues have been on a poor run of form but went into the break off the back of a victory away at Newcastle United.
Though the win did not prevent the Toffees from exiting the Subway League Cup at the group stage, three separate scorers – including a debut
goal for Toni Payne – will have been a welcome sight for Sorensen, who has seen his team win just one of its nine league games, while Everton’s only other victory came after a penalty shootout win over Nottingham Forest in October.
A positive summer transfer window saw eight new faces arrive on Merseyside, while Sara Holmgaard was the only departure that Sorensen would have probably rather avoided.
Often tagged as slow starters, Everton seemingly dispelled that myth on the opening day of the season when new girl Ornella Vignola dismantled city rivals Liverpool with a debut hattrick at Anfield in a 4-1 win.
That was as good as it would get, unfortunately, as a series of slow and pedestrian performances since the curtain raiser would see the Blues go on to lose four out of the next five, with just a solitary point gained in a 1-1 draw with Leicester City in the process.
With no disrespect meant towards any team they faced, the sides that the Toffees played during that run – Manchester City in the League Cup aside – were not opponents that are considered as part of the top four in the WSL, yet lacklustre performances and interviews from Sorensen that consisted of other teams spending a lot of money became the norm, as the Dane would often bemoan Everton ‘switching off’ and not taking their chances.
And yes, the squad has been hit by injuries, but the Blues have not been the only ones to have absentees, while the Friedkin Group have backed Sorensen’s vision, including breaking Everton Women’s transfer record.
Granted, the budget is not quite as big as other teams, but the head coach’s excuse making is starting to wear a bit thin as fans are beginning to show signs of discontent with a campaign that is accelerating rapidly towards a relegation battle.
Worth also noting, the two sides currently below Everton are not newly-promoted sides that have shown they are not ready for the top table, which has often provided a buffer to the rest of the league.
The last round of WSL fixtures saw 11th-placed West Ham United claimed their first league win of the season over the Toffees while bottom side Liverpool – the division’s only winless side so far – claimed a point at home to defending champions Chelsea in their last league outing.
That performance is one Sorensen should take note of, with the Reds soaking up a lot of pressure to snatch a point over the all-conquering West London outfit, who still remain undefeated in the WSL this season.
And it will be Everton who will next test that record this coming Sunday when they travel to Kingsmeadow to take on a team Sorensen has never beaten during his managerial tenure with the Blues.
So what does the man who has been at the Everton Women helm since 2022 need to do in order to claim points in December, when his team welcome Arsenal to Goodison Park after they take on Sonia Bompastor’s side?
Turn to Experience
While Sorensen’s vision of putting his faith in young players is commendable and has helped the careers of stars such as Aggie Beever-Jones and Jess Park, both of whom enjoyed successful loan spells on Merseyside, there is no substitute for experience, particularly when results are not going your way.
And with the seasoned Hayley Ladd currently warming Everton’s bench, it seems baffling that Sorensen has used the 32-year-old so sparingly, especially as the Blues have often looked vulnerable in the midfield, something the Welsh international that has over 100 caps for her country could certainly go a along way to rectify.
Of course, Sorensen is keen to blood new signings like Rosa van Gool and record purchase Ruby Mace, but certain horses are for certain courses, and Ladd is more than use to competing against the very best, both at domestic and international level.
Learn to Win Ugly
As well as faith in youth, Sorensen has always been one for flowing football and having every member of his team prepared to accept and use the ball, be it in their own or the opposing penalty area, something the permanent acquisition of Martina Fernandez further states.
But while every fan wants their team to play a style that would make the Barcelona side of the late ‘90s jealous, the Goodison faithful would be more than happy with a scrappy 1-0 win or battling draw as the Blues hover a mere three points above the relegation zone. Grit ahead of tiki-taka, we’re Everton please.
Sometimes football requires the functional side to be addressed especially if it’s more likely to bag points, and Sorensen must realize that while he’s still employed.
Keep Players in Favoured Positions
Injuries will always mean that players will have to do a job that may not enjoy or even be used to, but the use of Mace in the centre of defence has raised some eyebrows, particularly when Fernandez has shifted to right back while Karen Holmgaard sits on the bench.
There is no doubt that Mace is a real talent who will go to the very top, but is Sorensen doing the former Leicester star any favours by putting her in the firing line while other options who may be a better fit remain amongst the substitutes?
Recent results answer that one!
Finishing on a plus, it does look as though the head coach has found his preferred, and potent, front three with Vignola, Payne and Kelly Gago.
If that trio can stay fit it can cause any defence problems, which will go a long way to easing the mounting issues currently facing Sorensen.
