Here’s a team of the week for Matchday 22, comprising the games played on the 18th of May. It all came down to this. So much time dedicated and here it goes so fast. Two guns at the gates. To make history you gotta get past.
GK: Anna Leat (Aston Villa)
LB: Niamh Charles (Chelsea)
CB: Leah Williamson (Arsenal)
RB: Kerstin Casparij (Manchester City)
LM: Lauren Hemp (Manchester City)
CM: Melanie Leupolz (Chelsea)
RM: Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (Chelsea)
CAM: Mary Fowler (Manchester City)
ST: Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool)
ST: Mayra Ramirez (Chelsea)
ST: Alessia Russo (Arsenal)
The final week of a league season is rarely the time for defenders, as evidenced by this formation normally reserved for official teams of the season. The fact that the resulting top four of this season’s Women’s Super League dominate the line-up is pure happenstance. The only position they don’t hold is between the sticks, where Anna Leat showed up like she never has seemingly just to annoy Manchester City and keep a well-beaten and yet still superb Janina Leitzig at bay. The rest of the defence is three-strong, with three more in reserve — Niamh Charles keeps out Taylor Hinds, Leah Williamson keeps out Katrine Veje, and Kerstin Casparij keeps out Ashleigh Neville. Yui Hasegawa can also count as a defensive player, but despite the fact that it’s a shout-out, it almost goes without saying that she gets one.
Going forward, the Manchester City duo of Hemp and Fowler were doing everything they could to challenge their title rivals, and on any other day, their performances would have been plaudit-sweeping, but with those rivals being the freshly-crowned champions Chelsea, the headlines were reserved for the imperious Melanie Leupolz, the driven Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, and the annihalous Mayra Ramirez — who was unbelievable as she stormed and tore through Manchester United; only missing goals from her game, they popped up at just the right moment here. Guro Reiten also chose to kick on when the league came back into focus, today included. Alessia Russo and her brace round out the Arsenal contingent in the side, and the sole Liverpool addition is a substitute! I don’t normally add them to the sides, but when someone wanders off the bench and knocks in a hat-trick of the quality of Leanne Kiernan’s, one must make an exception.
The final honourable mentions of the season are thus: Everton’s Sara Holmgaard, Spurs’ Jessica Naz (another substitute), Grace Clinton, and Eveliina Summanen, Liverpool’s Ceri Holland, Villa’s Rachel Daly, and Everton’s Katja Snoeijs.
Player Of The Week is Mayra Ramirez. What a time to bear fruit. Proper job, looked scary, can’t wait to see more. Goal Of The Week is four-fold — Riko Ueki’s pinpoint placement misses the podium, but from there, I’m struggling. On one hand there’s Drew Spence’s insane no-backlift postage stamper, on the other hand there’s Ramirez’s second for Chelsea in which she barged through Manchester United as if they were wet tissue and not Player Of The Season nominees, but on my third and slightly more sentimental hand we have Fran Kirby signing off for Chelsea — one of my favourite players of all time having a moment. Sentiment has won out before, but I do know that this isn’t the end for Kirby, and she will be back here. If Manchester United weren’t on the beach Ramirez would have it, but I’m giving it to Drew Spence for a bit of magic.
See you in a bit for the 2023/2024 Women’s Super League Team Of The Season.
Keep it streets ahead,
C.L.R.
