The Guardian's Women's Football Weekly - International stand-offs and the WSL 2022-23 best bits - Women’s Football Weekly

Episode Date: June 13, 2023

Faye Carruthers, Suzanne Wrack, Ceylon Andi Hickman and Marva Kreel round up the latest news and dish out their end of season awards

This is The Guardian. Without insurance, your assets are at risk from major financial losses, data breaches, and natural disasters. Get customized coverage today starting at $19 per month at zensurance.com. Be protected. Be Zen. Hello, I'm Faye Carruthers and welcome to the Guardian Women's Football Weekly. Suffering from football withdrawal? Fear not. News does not stop in this part of the world. We'll catch you up on all the latest from the past week, including conflict resolutions, kind of, contract signings and World Cup squad announcements.

And we promised end of season awards, so you we promised end of season awards. So you will get end of season awards. All of that to discuss. Plus, we'll take your questions. And that's today's Guardian Women's Football Weekly. Well, what a panel we have today. Susie Rack, I actually haven't seen you for a whole week and I'm getting withdrawal symptoms.

I was just about to say, it's very lonely without you in my life today. Have you slept though? That is the most important thing. I've never slept. I've never slept. And you get to the end of the season, you think, yes, finally. And then the World Cup preparation begins and no one ever sleeps, especially when time zones are evolved as well when you're like having to speak to people from other time zones for articles and stuff that's not helpful no really not helpful uh salon andy hickman how are you doing we obviously we double booked you because you've done so much prep for the end of season awards last week that we didn't get time to do how could we throw all that prep in the bin the lesson in life is is to prep and then you'll get you know you get asked back on so just do more and more and more prep than you're actually expected to do prep for episodes in six months

time and i'm sure you'll get invited back on i like your style marva creel we've not spoken since everton pulled off the great escape. Congratulations. I'll see you in the Premier League next season. I know, there was a moment when I was like, are Luton going to be playing in a league higher than Everton? This is absolute madness. But yeah, somehow pulled it off. I didn't even feel happy, to be honest.

I just feel like absolute relief. So that's what my summer's going to be, hopefully, just relief and not thinking about men's football don't hate me but I would have found that really quite satisfying and amazing I'm sure you would I'm sure you would right listen let's crack on with the news from this week as I said women's football just doesn't stop does it poor Susie Rack just needs to put her pen down for a little bit um we spoke last week about the standoff that was going on between the fa and the clubs so for the date that england players would be allowed to report for training ahead of the women's world cup it seems like it's been resolved

possibly the one exception maybe is georgia stanway what's the latest oh it's a mess um i mean you know it is resolved and George Stanway is likely the only one that won't be there because Bayern Munich are sticking very, very firmly to the 23rd for really sick players. But it's come at quite a big cost for the FA from what I understand in the sort of insistence and stubbornness and the way discussions have been handled

has gone down really, really badly at club level. Players were sending WhatsApp messages by the FA, basically asking them to give a thumbs up if they were coming on the 19th before there was any agreement with their clubs. So they were all on holiday, put in this position of having to decide whether to reply to this message telling them that they needed

to be in camp on the 19th without their club's permission, basically, which is not the sort of, you know, holistic, player-focused response that you would expect in these kind of scenarios. And, you know, a lot of them were pretty upset about it from what I gather in particular because it was like said that if they didn't report on the 19th so would lose the four days of the extra four days of training from the schedule before they fly to australia then that time would have to be found from other places including the five days

off that they have between now and that time to spend with friends and family on like the weekends between a sort of first and second mini camp and then the few days they had off before they go away so it was really like you know not not nice that they put the uh the players in a position where they're basically having to choose between being called up on the 19th against their club's wishes and giving up time with their family before they're away for seven eight weeks of football so yeah like it's angered a lot of people a lot of clubs in particular who backed down from what i understand because they were very frustrated with the pressure that players were coming under. So, yeah, four days has cost the FA a lot is what I gather. Yeah, it's going to be interesting going forward, isn't it?

It's whether there'll be any repercussions for that or any favours given later on in the year. It's obviously really important, Marva, to balance the needs of players versus, you know, they have to have the right preparation going into a tournament. It's going to be really tough for them. But some of the methods that we've seen reported and as Susie said, seem a little bit underhand in terms of, you know, excluding players from that warm-up game against Portugal.

Although I have to say, I do understand that because it feels as if both sides are protecting their welfare, but they're doing it in very, very different ways. But how does it make you feel? Because it just seems all very unnecessary. Yeah, I mean, it's that thing, you kind of can see all sides, but it's like there aren't enough days in the calendar year to sort of match all sides. And it just feels like like so many other things in women's football.

It's kind of it's almost sort of teething problems in a way. I know we're sort of quite far in, but not really in the grand scheme of things. And this is the first World Cup really where the league has been another level it's it's not the same as you know um four years ago eight years ago where the pressures of the league were of course still high but not to this extent um the amount of games that some of these players have had to play in the the standard of them now where I mean you've seen with the amount of injury some of these players are exhausted some of these players really need a break because just I remember seeing an interview

with Lucy Bronze where she was saying, you know, when she plays a game now, the difference compared to sort of two years ago, even in just per game of the amount that she has to put in just because the quality has gone up so much, but everything around that hasn't changed that much. So the standard has gone up very high,

but in terms of, you know, everything around that hasn't particularly that much so the standard's gone up very high but in terms of you know everything around that hasn't particularly so we're still in the stage where we get the players need to get used to that and the facilities and the infrastructures and the scheduling of the year needs to match what the standard is becoming um so i can kind of see it from all sides but it's just a shame that it's it feels like it's been done in a sort of slightly amateur way in that sort of england are operating in it or the FA are operating in a way of oh we've always done this we can kind of ask them for when they want to come and clubs are like no it doesn't really work like that anymore we've these are big assets for us we can't just kind of release them whenever we want or whenever you want these are really important assets to us now so yeah I think it's it's going

to be I think we'll probably see a lot more of this in in the next few years because they're just becoming more and more important really um and it's going to be down to the scheduling yeah it does feel like a little bit of naivety maybe you know women's football does operate differently to men's but there is a level of professionalism that that maybe everybody needs to make sure they're up at. Actually, Jim sent us an email on womensfootballweeklyattheguardian.com a couple of weeks ago asking whether in the longer term we can expect women's club sides to further assert dominance over national teams as they've generally succeeded in doing in the men's game, Susie. To a certain extent, yes. I think that there's there's been so much frustration on this issue that I don't think clubs are gonna like allow this situation to happen again in that I

think there's going to be a lot more attention paid when the FIFA calendar is being decided but also when those informal conversations are happening with England staff and they don't agree with what is being said that there's going to be a fuss kicked up very very early on maybe those informal conversations won't happen basically I think the whole thing's going to professionalize now and I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing and I think there will be disagreement on release dates and things like that moving forward but as long as it's happening in a professional way and like an organized way then I think that's okay. We do have though Solon a warm-up game against Portugal confirmed at Stadium MK on the 1st of July there's also going to be a behind closed doors match against Canada which I found quite interesting bearing in mind Canada could be

England's last 16 opponents in the tournament that's basically when they're in Australia how hopeful are you feeling about this team are they going to be two decent warm-up games leading into a tournament are they going to have a successful tournament two questions in one there yeah I think they're always good opportunities to get a sense of where we're at and I think it's really good that we've got those fixtures even if more just for the fans really to to feel that sense of excitement but also to understand where where we are going to be positioned I think going into this World Cup there's still quite a lot of speculation around you know the massive misses that we're going to have not having Leah Williamson obviously not having Beth Mead feeling a slightly different team to to what we had last summer and people kind of not knowing

how we're going to fare and I think when Leah Williamson uh was ruled out and and did her ACL there was a lot of talk of like well you know even personally I was like it's made me want to go to Australia a little bit less like not you know going to a World Cup and not seeing such an important player and then thinking well these you know, going to a World Cup and not seeing such an important player. And then thinking, well, you know, our chances might not be as strong as they were. But actually, if you think about it, I went to a starting 11 the other day with some friends at work. And we were like, actually, that's a really, really, really good team if you play those players. And so I think getting a chance to see them against Portugal and building that sort of, oh, yes, we've had a few major, major injuries, huge losses.

But actually, this team is still incredible. And I think we'll pull together under Serena's leadership and management that we should be quite confident. So, yeah, interesting that we won't be able to see the Canada game because I think that might be more indicative of our chances than the Portugal game. But, yeah, really good that we're able to have those in the preparation because they're super important when you've had that big time off. So then going to a very intense tournament, even just getting adapting to the intensity again after their holidays and things. We're seeing a lot of countries now releasing their preliminary squads.

We talked about Spain last week, Susie, but theirs has been announced and as we kind of expected some notable returns but equally interestingly some notable absences so bon marti is back mariona caldente and ona bacha all of whom you'll remember had previously refused to play under jorge vielder but no spot for sandra panos or lu Lucia Garcia both of whom had made themselves available what did you make of their preliminary squad? I just find it really sad the whole thing because I mean regardless of sort of who's come back and who's not you know Mappy Leon and and players like that who have ruled themselves out entirely and then the the ones in between like panos who hadn't ruled themselves out and you know aren't in it and then puteus who wasn't involved

in the letter because she was out injured with a ratio injury but understood to be supportive of it like regardless of all of those different positions the players are in i just think it's really really sad that they have been put in a position where they're having to make choices like that and that they have become so divided as a group um when you know they took quite an impressive form of collective action and it tells me that they maybe don't exactly know quite what they're doing to get the results that they wanted, which was change within the federation and at the top and have sort of been, you know, semi bullied into submission to a certain extent. And yeah, I just find the whole thing really depressing because I think it was a really, really brave stand that they took. And maybe there have been changes behind the scenes, but all the personnel there are still

in post. And whilst we're seeing Puteus and Batya and players that we'd really like to see at a World Cup, without the likes of Mappy Leon, it's just not the same either and it's sad that you know you've got players in their sort of late 20s early 30s that are potentially going to earn as much from those few weeks as they have done for huge swathes of their career because of the FIFA money now coming into players pockets during the World Cup for the first time. So it's like a minimum, if you just get to the group stage, it's a minimum of like 30 grand for the length of the tournament. And then, you know, you can end up walking away from the tournament

without actually quite a big chunk of cash. Players who, you know, aren't set up for life choosing to not be involved i think speaks to the level of of discomfort and frustration they have with the setup um because no one is going to make that decision very lightly and yeah just like yeah i just find the whole thing really really really disappointing i think it'll be interesting to see who is in the final cut as well you know like will will some of the players that are back in the fold actually make it down to the final 23 because this is a provisional 30 will they have like self-flagellated enough in the in the interim uh to win favor and be called back in for the actual world cup squad itself like i think that's going to be quite interesting too because um yeah but it's yeah it's disappointing and i like i really would have

liked to see alexia puteus sort of stick her neck out a little bit and not go and um as much as i don't like to put the sort of focus and pressure on one individual. She is the key, isn't she? If she's not going, then there's a huge amount of power in the sort of players taking a stand. But if she is going, that's hugely weakened. Hard though, isn't it? When she's missed major tournaments herself already, it's really, really difficult.

And it is a boost having her back, Marva. But also, as Susie mentioned, not just Mappy Leon not going, ready as it's really really difficult and it is a boost having her back marva but also as suzy mentioned not just mappy leon not going regardless not even in the 30 patrick guillaro as well who we were waxing lyrical about last week yeah it's such a shame i mean for the world cup you want to see the best players play um and it's it's sad enough when it's due to injury but when it's something that's avoidable it's kind of even more frustrating and the thing with world cups is you want narratives good narratives obviously not these ones and for someone who's just won her her club the champions league you want that player at a world cup you want to see these players performing at the big

stage and there's room for some more superstars you know Susie mentioned Pateas and she's become that superstar around the world but there's so much more room for more of them and Guajaro is someone who is that next step um and it's just it's such a shame that you know I completely understand why some players aren't doing it but you just feel like they had such a strong message together and you just, I just, I thought it would carry through and it's a shame that it hasn't. But I do wonder if, you know, they kind of know, obviously more than we do in terms of even Pateras,

maybe that she knows that nothing will change even if she refuses to go. So, yeah, it's just a shame all round because, like I said, you just want to see the best players play. And Guajara and Mapulon are two players who are the best. And it's a shame that we're not going to see them. Yeah, I just have so much respect for every single player that either did it as part of the original 15

or is still part of the players that are striking because they are, as we've discussed, giving up probably one of the biggest privileges and honours that they can have as sports people, which is representing their country. And I think it is really difficult to, you know, I wouldn't want any of those three players who have gone back in to feel a sense of shame

or guilt or anything because they don't win either way. No one wins in this situation. And those 12 players who have stayed out of the squad more power to them and and every single person in women's football should be rallying behind them Sid Lowe did a piece in the Guardian yesterday I think on on Jorge Vilder's comments which were um yeah not not as encouraging as you would maybe um want them to be but also he is arguably the root of the problem for for a lot of these players he is it was quite funny that he said he insisted

that the federation had been open to dialogue and declared the issue was practically resolved although he admitted a few details remained i think that that sort of ambiguity of well it's basically fine don't worry that that's why we've got three of them back on in terms of it really supports you know his argument and his position and his and strengthens where where he's at by saying it's absolutely fine and actually the 30 who are going to come we've got the best 30 coming and etc it's almost like yeah when people dig in when they know that they're in the wrong and and a real a really defensive and and sort of thing and I think what will be really interesting throughout the tournament

is his press conferences and what he says to the media and whether whether the media go there and really hold him to account and grill him on why he hasn't got some of these players and don't let this topic fall off the the table because then he has one and the federation have one and we're not talking about the 12 players who have given up that honour and that privilege that means so much to them. So I think we have to hold into account during that tournament and try and get as many answers as possible. Yeah, I feel as if this is going to run and run this story, isn't it? And as Marva said earlier, we don't want poor narratives. We want good narratives, exciting narratives.

And this is just getting ridiculous now. Let's focus on Club land, shall we? A lot of you always want to know what's going on in terms of the transfer window. We've seen Arsenal renewing contracts left, right and centre. Steph Catley and Caitlin Ford both signing new deals last week. That follows on from Frida Mahnum and Leah Valti, who've both recently committed their futures to the club. How important is it, Susie, for Arsenal to get these big members of the squad signed up to the long term? Huge, and I think it's no accident that all these videos

they're putting out are coming with lots of words like family mentioned and togetherness and real bond between the teammates and all that stuff is coming out in the videos because after the season they've had where they've really had to like hunker down together and elevate their games beyond perhaps maybe they would have been expected to at the start of the season because they've had to fill in for so many injured players that it's really changed the dynamic of the group I think and and has given a lot going into next season. I'm actually really excited to see what they do

because less for the players returning from injury, less for the players that they're likely going to sign in the summer, more for the fact that you've got this layer of the squad that have had incredible playing experience and adversity and everything thrown at them to a certain extent in every competition and a real battle just to even get Champions League football next season and stuff. And they're now going into this new season, even if some of them slip back into not being starters

with a bench that is just so much stronger for that experience. So that's really exciting for me. So making sure they get a load of these players, who a lot of those are starters, back in through the door for next season, I think is really critical and speaks to a lot of the good stuff the club is doing in terms of creating an environment that players really want to be a part of and stay a part of the good stuff the club is doing in terms of creating an environment that players really want to be a part of and stay a part of. Can we see a couple more players joining over the summer? Yeah definitely you know let's not forget I saw an interview with Viv Moodema the other day

she was saying you know she's like what four or five months into nine months likely layoffs you know they're still going to be missing players going into the new year leo williamson indra towards the end of the season or a wine writer towards the end of the season they're going to need to bring in players to help cover those positions of raffaele decided to leave the club because um of struggling with the distance from brazil so yeah like they're definitely going to have to strengthen. Obviously, there's been all the rumours in January and again now over whether Alessia Russo is going to join, whether she's going to leave Man United,

whether she's going to sign a new contract. I know that that's all ongoing and Arsenal's interest remains, but whether it actually happens and gets across the line is another thing. You know, you know what's being said behind the scenes. But there will definitely be signings. Yeah, we'll talk Man United in a second. But there's been a massive deal done on the blue side of London, Marva. Chelsea announcing the signing of Katerina Macario, who was a free agent after leaving Lyon.

She's still not fully recovered from an ACL injury she sustained at the end of last season, but it feels still like a big show of intent from the WSL champions. Yeah, massively. I feel like Chelsea do this very, very well. Their recruitment is very impressive. Every time you think,

oh, but they're getting rid of, you know, harder and are they going to be able to maintain it? Then they just bring in, you know, Champions league winner and one of the best players in the world albeit she does have an acl injury but you know how many women's players don't have acl injuries at this point so really really good signing for them it's scary actually to think about of macario lauren james kerr wrighton possibly kir Kirby that's just ridiculous and actually quite unfair really to the rest of the league so it's going to be an interesting one to watch I think the fact that Macario can sort of play in that number nine but also you know slightly further back

as a number 10 yeah it's going to be really interesting to see especially with Kirby out and the departure of Harder but Wrighton's had such an incredible season too. So I don't know kind of where those positions are going to be held really because I think Lauren James is going to have a lot to fight for and that front three is going to be very competitive. Yeah, it's all about the Champions League, isn't it, next season, I think, for Chelsea. Meanwhile, in Manchester, Salon, not much movement, which, I don't know, it's early days, isn't it, I feel, for transfers.

I think we'll start to hear a little bit more, start to drip through during the World Cup. But are you worried in any way that it seems to be a little bit too quiet, a little bit Bjork quiet um not not necessarily I think they definitely do need to to bring in some reinforcements and build because I think they overachieved this season with the squad that they had and it was kind of yeah I don't know whether I want to call them plucky underdogs but there was definitely a sense of not having the biggest budgets or the best infrastructure or the the top top players to get second in the league and to get to to a FA Cup final so you would expect them to build on that momentum and bring in some really good players and I think they also a big thing for them is the retention how can they ensure that they are

retaining some of those players that have been absolutely critical obviously there's rumours about Onabatia's future there's rum rumors about russo's future if russo goes what they mean for tune etc etc so i think they're probably doing a lot of work now to ensure that they can keep some of those players and probably yeah i think when you're another club in the league or or abroad and you're looking at the wsl supposedly the best league in in Europe looking at that and thinking oh they came second they've got they've got to have some good players that could be tempted over to to bigger teams in in Europe or even in the WSL so I think they're probably doing a lot of groundwork to ensure that they can keep some of those players who have been so critical

for them this season it's going to be fascinating isn't it transfers I think are going to play a big part in many of our pods next season. That's it for part one. In part two, we'll take a look at some of our highlights of the year. theft, or a lawsuit. No business or profession is risk-free. Without insurance, your assets are at risk from major financial losses, data breaches, and natural disasters. Get customized coverage today starting at $19 per month at zensurance.com. Be protected. Be Zen. welcome back to part two of the guardian women's football weekly right i feel like do you know what i've had in my head and i'm so sorry for any of our overseas listeners who who won't necessarily understand this reference but i've wanted to to play in my head some kind of awards music. And I can't think of what the Oscars music is.

And all I keep playing in my head is This Is Your Life. Do you remember with Michael Aspel handing over a big red book? That's the only tune that's in my head. I also apologise to our younger listeners who've never ever in their life watched that programme. Just Google it. Easiest way, I would say. But we're doing season awards, so let's do a drum roll instead. Why not? Pathetic drum roll in the studio. So we do know that the Barclays manager of the season went to Emma Hayes and the player of the season was Rachel Daly.

But what do we all think? Who was everyone else the player of the season was Rachel Daly but what do we all think who was who was everyone else's player of the season Salon oh here comes all the prep yeah Rachel Daly was the first name I put on the list and probably the one I'd go for but I do want to give some other shout outs because I think it's unfair that we always focus on strikers and as a centre-back myself I think you know you've got to come out for the centre-back sometimes. So I did put Raffaele on there. I know she had a little period injured, but I think she was transformative for that Arsenal team.

She lost Liam Williamson late on in the season, but not even that, just I think she brought like a mad level of composure, skill, just presence to that back line, which, yeah, I think sometimes we go amiss. I also had Hasegawa on there. I think she's just incredible and I cannot wait to see her next season and grow

and having a bit of a spotlight on her because she's quite understated. And then I also put Stina Black-Stinnius on here just for producer Jessie because Jessie said that they'd never reach, you know, 30 goals a season. She'd actually score 18 goals and when a lot was relied on her after losing Beth and Viv.

So, yeah, they were the people that had on the list, but you have to go for Rachel Daly. She has been incredible and deservedly so. Seems to work so hard, put so much effort in and be a very talented striker in the box.

And I think it's really, really paid off. Susie? So long may I have done all the prep, but I had this chalked off because we actually did written Player of the Season awards. So I'd already done all the work, which is great. So I just looked back at the article where we had to pick player of the season and thought of course I went for Rachel Daly but I didn't um and that's what's thrown me massively because I voted for Rachel Daly for player of the season in the panel vote but in the Guardian

Awards I didn't so I actually went for Guru Writing which would be probably like be my number two behind Rachel Daly in like hindsight on having written what I've written but you know nine goals 11 assists I think it's partly because we have watched her miss out on every single individual award to Sam Kerr and Sam Kerr wasn't even Chelsea's best player this season for me. Like, don't get me wrong, Kerr is so influential and has scored some really, really important goals at really key moments this season and has been hugely important and is deserving of a lot of praise. But I feel like by her own standards, which are so, so high,

she has not quite matched where she's been in previous seasons. Where have you watched uh right and really like step up massively into the sort of hole left by the injuries to kirby harder and stuff through the season and provide the connection to her that was sort of a little bit lost by those absences so yeah for me whilst it's actually Rachel Daly and I didn't write that uh like I think Guru Raitan has a good shout but yeah Rachel Daly I mean it has to be it just has to be Rachel Daly like you just can't after the seizures she's had not have her does it have to be Rachel Daly Marva Creel well I've got a very long list as well but I will

condense it um someone we haven't spoken about for for me, I think is Onabatio. We've spoken on the pod quite a bit about Man City and where would they be without Bunny Shaw, but I think where would Man United be without Onabatio? Not only a great defender, but her assists, her goals even, that goal against City is up there for me of goal of the season. Also, I think we need to give a shout out to Kenza Dali because as good as Rachel Daly has been,

Kenza Dali has provided a lot of those assists and has been instrumental for Villa as well. So those two are two I think deserve a shout out. But yeah, obviously goal scoring does come up the top and Bunny Shaw and Rachel Daly have had great seasons for that. So I think we'll have to give it to Daly as a whole. Okay. Goal of the season. Salon Nag on Twitter says, if goal of the season is not Salon Andy Hickman, then I'm asking for a stewards inquiry. Yeah, well, I did put my name on the list first, but no, I couldn't even win my own club's goal of the season. I was picked on the Twitter polls by my wonderful centre-back pairing, Erin Corrigan, who scored in the FA Cup for us. My goal was, it was a moment.

Maybe it will win best moment, but I don't think it will win best goal. Nag's really thrown me, but I appreciate the love, Nag, thank you. My goals of the season, again, I've got a long list. The Gen BT header in the semi-final at the Champions League. Emily Croft for Lewis FC versus United.

It was just, I know it was a consolation goal. That was a good goal. It was such a good goal. It was such a good goal. Sam Kerr's goal versus United at home after the long ball from Lauren James, mainly because of the long ball from Lauren James and the finish. But it has to go to Frieda Mornham versus Bayern at the Emirates the back heel assist from Leah Williamson and the inch perfect top corner I have never seen a goal like it it was beautiful and we

should not forget it just because it was in the Champions League love that Marva yeah that I was there for that game and in the perfect position to see that goal. It was ridiculous. So that's definitely in with a shout. For me, I think Ash Neville against Leicester, the sort of lob right at the beginning of the season when you thought things were going to go well for Spurs

and then didn't. I think Lauren James versus Spurs, even though the defending was questionable, but the way that she just glided through all those players and then just so casually finished it, just rolled it into the bottom corner was beautiful. So I think for me, I've also got a personal favourite, obviously,

of Jess Park versus Liverpool, but that's only for bias reasons. So I think for me, I'll go for Lauren James versus Spurs. Susie? None of them Katie McCabe's goal against City that gave her the well gave her the goal of the season award but like also gave it gave Arsenal Champions League I mean you could say that Sam Kerr's goal against United arguably gave them the title but I think they probably regardless of that would have found a way to win anyway but like yeah kate mccabe's strike the way that corner was worked like was clearly off the training ground and it was just so perfect and it was the context of it as well like not just in terms of like the the race for champions league

football and all of that kind of stuff but in terms of the fact that like 72 hours earlier she had left the emirates stadium in a protective boot and then after scoring that goal in the the game against city she came over and spoke to us and like was chatting about the injury and pointed at her boot and there was a hole in the top of her boot from the injury the game before like a stud hole uh that had like ripped through her boot and that she still had she scored with that boot and it was a like absolutely stunning strike as well so yeah that for me context of her context of the race for champions league football and where Arsenal's season was like spiralling to that and then the goal itself all make that my goal of the season. That was my goal of the season as well with zero Arsenal bias to it at all.

Spoken like true journalists both of you, the WSL goal of the season wins your goal of the season. Well you know we are part of the Barclays panel that decides these things. OK, so we know that Emma Hayes was given manager of the season. But what say we with other candidates? Because I know that Susie and I didn't necessarily vote that way. Did we, Susie? I did. Did you?

Yeah, I did. Did you? Yeah, I did. But I, I mean, I changed my mind about four times during that vote. And I was very, very close to saying Carla Ward. I just couldn't get out of my head around that, that like little time period towards the end of the season. It was sort of almost being forgotten that Emma Hayes spent five weeks out after her emergency hysterectomy and that Chelsea coped with that. And then I also can get out of my head that they scored over 20 goals in May. And regardless of what I thought about this, the quality of the football up until May, it doesn't really matter because it was all prep for that May

where they just walked everything. Has this also got something to do with the fact that you hitched a lift back with the team on the plane? No, I cannot be bought, not even by private plane, back from a game to help us when there was a strike in France but I just like I can't get I just could not get over the way the squad was managed across the course of the season to ensure that they maintained the double that level of like making sure that some of your squad players are getting minutes and you're still winning whilst

they're not looking particularly pretty because you're sort of taking a risk and giving some players minutes that you know maybe you look at a starting lineup and you're like why the hell has she gone that way kind of thing and then come may all of those players are stepping up when they've got like three games a week every single week right up until the penultimate day of the season suddenly that will make sense and then you throw in the emergency hysterectomy that sees her out for five weeks like that that that was what tipped me over the edge whereas like i think obviously carla ward has had a extraordinary season and is the difference and has been the difference at so many clubs and mark skinner has had an amazing season as well like I just it feels wrong to give

it to Emma Hayes again um like in so many ways because she just wins it all the time and her standards are so high and the football hasn't been amazing but if anything that for me made it more amazing to a certain extent yeah I totally agree with you and it's really difficult because absolutely in my head for all those reasons you've given Emma Hayes for me was manager of the of the season without a doubt and winning the championship you know highlighted that again however I felt as if it should go you know there should be a nod to to someone else so I went for Mark Skinner because of what Manchester United have done this season. Marva, Brian Sorensen for you? No, I won't. I'll put my biases aside for this one. I think, although slight biases, an ex-Editor-Manager,

Willie Kirk, I think, gets a shout. Because if we talk about great escape, I mean, that was really a great escape. And what he did with that team in the last few months was incredible. They looked, you know, down and out, so I think he definitely deserves a shout and Kyle Award for me as well. But yeah, it's difficult with Chelsea and Emma Hayes because it's that thing of they're always so good. It's like what we were saying about Sam Kerr.

It's like their own standards have kind of limited them here because we're so used to them being good that this season we're like, oh, what, you've won the double, have that's standard you know uh you didn't play that well though did you but it's like they've won the double like of course Emma Hayes deserves a shout there so yeah I'm between those three I think I think I'll give it to I think I'll give it to Willie Kirk I'm changing my mind I want to give it to Willie Kirk you can't do that the one the one prediction I've ever got right is that Leicester are going to stay up and it's going to be the greatest comeback of

all time and I've not backed him at the final like the final jump now I now I feel ashamed of myself unbelievable Salon who's yours you lot might want to go for the master but I'm going for the apprentice Carla Ward she's got to get it she The signings, the culture that she's built, trying to manage those different players that she's brought in with vastly different experience with more younger players to get those results out of them. Just every time she speaks, I think she's someone that you think, wow, she's got a really good grasp on this

and she's got a really good sense of of how to develop players and to how to build a winning team and a philosophy so yeah I've loved watching Villa this season plucky underdogs and I think deserve to be where they were and it's uh yeah largely down to having a woman like her at the helm so can't wait to see where she goes but she gets my manager of the season yeah I don't think they're going to be plucky underdogs next season that's for sure I think uh they're going to be a thorn in many a team's side uh right off the pitch moment of the season I do believe Salon that this is inspired by Leah Williamson and Alex Scott going around London in a rickshaw is that right yeah well it was one of those where you know you see you see different bits of content online you You think, what? What? What?

And you just think, you know, that's not one of my off-the-pitch moment of the season. I've got a bit more serious than that, I think. And there were a lot of moments this season. I think Lewis FC's equal prize money campaign deserves a shout. I was going to say the Spanish women's national team going on strike, even though it's a negative in terms of the conditions, but what they've done. Emma Hayes saying, who in their ivory tower has been dreaming up

this prawn sandwich girls' football club in an interview about moving academies outside of London and the whiteness of the Lionesses team? But there's two moments for me. There's a serious one and a less serious one. The serious one is the International Women's Day announcement of girls' football in schools after the Lionesses' victory, and they're using their platform to write the letter

and then getting the government to basically agree to everything that they'd said in their letter, led by Lotta Wibbermoy and Liam Williamson and the rest of the Lionesses. But also Lotta Wibbermoy putting money behind the bar at the New Moon pub in Crawley after Arsenal versus Brighton was cancelled, and all the Arsenal fans were already there and then people going and tweeting and Kate McCabe saying that's not Ribena that's actually beer but I think that

was an absolute beautiful stunt so Lotta gets it for me in terms of those two moments put your money behind the bar and get the government to give you everything that you want so that generations of girls can play football. Lotta for Prime Minister. Marva? For me, it is the way that the women's football community all came together so beautifully and in unison, like I've never seen before, to go against the Male Ally of the Year award. I think the discourse on that was incredible. The memes on that have been incredible and it's just given me a lot of joy and now the fact that whenever any man does anything to do with women's football even just like oh go to this game everyone's like male ally of the year

give it to him um and that's that's just been a beautiful moment for me Susie I love that so much um like mine was the same salon in the the equal access for girls to football in schools uh being so huge I also just really like it's not WSL obviously, but in terms of season, the Wolfsburg-Arsenal game being sold out and the atmosphere and vibe around that game just as a whole, being in, obviously I'm an Arsenal fan, but being in that crowd, which was a real vocal, uplifting environment to be in, that was really invested in the underdog story of Arsenal's campaign

her really embraced the team it built towards that in those big games at the Emirates uh leading up to it both in the Champions League and the league and then to reach the sold out to miss out in like such a tight difficult battling game where it just went backwards and forwards it was going through to the final but almost like really glued the fan base to the team in a way that I don't think otherwise would have happened just that feeling around that game in that moment for me was huge so like yeah that I was going to say the more trick than neither of them are trivial they're both wonderful moments this season that were really great and cut through all of the boring rubbish bits right I did tell you we were going to get some special guests on

didn't I let's hear from some of our wonderful panelists from across the season Moyo Abiona Sophie Downey and Robin Cowan my personal highlight of the season had to be United's comeback win at the Emirates. I think going into that game, like going into a game against the top three in general, I was just so used to United not winning. So I went into the game with no expectations, really. So for them to win and especially to come back from losing to win, I think was amazing. And a second personal favourite for me and personal highlight was the fact that there was no Caroline Weir, Wildy to worry about in the Manchester derby. Thanks.

So my highlight of the season is probably the game between Arsenal and Manchester United at the Emirates. Obviously, a lot of Emirates highlights this season with the kind of crowds that were brought in. But yeah, that game had everything from the crowd to the away fans to the excitement on the pitch. It was a last minute goal that won it for Manchester United so yeah absolutely a crucial game in terms of the title race but also in terms of the excitement and the product on the pitch Hi Guardian Women's Football Weekly Robin Cowan here thank you for a brilliant season reviewing

everything really really enjoyed this one I think my highlight is Kim Little's performance at the Continental Cup final at Selhurst Park for Arsenal absolutely immaculate without breaking a sweat and also I think my favourite piece of advice I was given when I asked Sanka how she gets that airtime that lift when she nods in her 100th goal of the season. She said lots of chicken. Hasn't quite worked for me yet. Oh, I absolutely love that. Chicken. I mean, who knew? Well, most athletes know, actually, to be fair.

To be fair, Salon. I was actually told to start eating more chicken by my PT. I was veggie slash vegan. And he was like, look, Salon, if you want to get your place back in the team, you've got to eat the chicken. So I eat loads of chicken now. So thank you. Thanks for reinforcing my life decisions. I love that. Is there a phrase? Someone must know this. You know, like if you're a pescatarian, for example, you just eat fish. What is it if you just eat chicken? There's got to be one, hasn't there?

Samkirian. Brilliant. I love that Moyos were Manchester United, of course and oh I do miss Caroline Weir's worldies brilliant brilliant stuff you will hear from all of those three throughout our World Cup podcasts which will be happening throughout July and August it's been an absolute pleasure Marva I will speak to you no doubt in the next month or so. I'm sure I will. Salon, enjoy your chicken. Thank you. See you in Oz, guys. Susie, enjoy your sleep. Thanks. And I have some important information. Someone who only eats chicken is a Poyotarian. Poyo, like the Spanish word for chicken. So there we go. That's what you can call yourself. I still prefer Sam Kurian, if I'm honest.

Yeah, Sam Kurian is so much better. Absolutely. That wraps us up for the end of the season. We'll be taking a short break until we return on Monday, the 17th of July to preview the 2023 Women's World Cup. Don't forget, you can still keep up with everything women's football related

with articles from the wonderful Susie Rack in The Guardian and also by subscribing to our newsletter, Moving the Goalposts, which gives you a weekly roundup of women's football delivered straight into your inbox every single Wednesday. We will see you soon. The Guardian Women's Football Weekly is produced by Lucy Oliver and Jesse Parker Humphries. Music composition was by Laura Iredale.

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