The Guardian's Women's Football Weekly - Millie Bright bows out and WSL contenders hold firm – Women’s Football Weekly

Episode Date: October 15, 2025

Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzy Wrack, Robyn Cowen and Tom Garry to reflect on Millie Bright’s international retirement, a busy weekend in the WSL and a mixed start for English clubs in the Champions League

This is The Guardian. Hello, I'm Faker others and welcome to the Guardian Women's Football Weekly. Millie Bright has announced her retirement from international football. We'll discuss the impact she's had on the lionesses. The top three in the Barclays, WSL, all won, but Chelsea needed a stunner from Kira W. to seal the points against Spurs and only Manchester United

had made their mark on the Champions League in a tough start to the competition for the English teams. We'll discuss all of that plus we'll take your questions and that's today's Guardian Women's Football Weekly. What's a panel we have today. Susie Rack, how are you?

How's your week been? Good. Tiring, but good. Robin Cowan, how are you doing? I am absolutely loving your dressing gown slash snuggle thing. It looks amazing. Oh, yeah, no, it's just a furry inside hoodie, which, yeah, I've cracked out because it's autumn. And yes, apart from a cold, all very, very good. Thank you. Excellent. Oh, yeah. They're doing the rounds at the moment, isn't it? I listened back to some of the pod from

last week, and I thought, oh, I don't sound very well. I hope I sound a little bit better this week. How are you, Tom Gary? All fine here, thank you. The dog early this morning, and another dog owner said that their dog had a cold. So maybe there really is getting around everywhere. Wow. Oh my God. I didn't know dog. Is that really naive and ignorant of me

to not know that dogs get colds? I'm not sure. But maybe listeners can educate us on that with an email. But I was surprised. Has Sonic ever had a cold, Susie? Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And he sneezes all the time.

But it's usually sneezing when he's happy. And I'm impressed with Tom's dog getting up for an early morning walk because I got a dog thinking I'd be out in the morning. Morning's up bright and early, getting some exercising, and Sonic's lazier than me and won't get out of bed until like 10. He's like the opposite of Sonic the Hedgehog. The opposite of his namesake. Pretty much. That's amazing.

Right, let's kick off, shall we, with Millie Bright's retirement announcement. I mean, many of us wondered for a little while whether or not she might make this decision after ruling herself out of the European Championships in the summer, saying that she wouldn't be able to give 100% mentally or physically. as she did have successful knee surgery over the summer, started counselling sessions as well and had said that the decision to withdraw was by far the best decision she'd ever made. Of course, today Serena Vigman names her first lionesses squad

since lifting the 2025 title. So the timing of the announcement makes sense. 88 caps she won, started every single game as England won their first major women's trophy at Euro 2020. She capped in them as well at the World Cup finally a year later which they lost to Spain. This is what she had to say. I've been weighing this up for a long time.

It's one of those decisions. No one can make for you. It's a feeling and I'm at peace with it. Having had the summer to reflect, fix my knee and get my head straight, really put things into perspective. As you get older, your priorities change and I've been craving family time,

time with friends and time for myself. This is what Serena Vigman had to say. Millie will forever be an England legend for what she's given to her country. And I could never have enough words to praise her impact my time. Susie, we kind of semi-expected this, but what did you feel when you heard the announcement yesterday? I mean, it's sad. It's obviously sad to see the end of an era, the end of someone's

like England tenure who's been such a good servant to the team, obviously captain them at the World Cup, you know, won the Euros as being a big part of the squad, 2017, 2019, etc. So like, you know, obviously sad to them go, but I also feel like this is a good time for decisions like this in terms of like we've got a year and a half, almost two years out till the World Cup. And, you know, if you're going to go going at a time where there's an opportunity to sort of experiment a little bit with who is going to kind of step into the breach, I think is not a bad thing. You've got Alex Greenwood, you've got Leah Williamson, you've got Mayor Lettissier, Katie Reader's obviously performing well at Arsenal, very young. But, you know, it'd be quite good.

good to see her kind of come into the environment at some point, a lot more they've got like options at the back there so it's not like leaving England short or anything at this moment in time and you know obviously anyone who is thinking that it'll be better for their mental and physical health should be supported in those decisions as well I think and I think it's it's nice to see like how honest she's been about that both before the euros and now and honest isn't the right word because that sort of like implies that people are being secretive if they hide that stuff but you get what I mean it's sort of nicely her being so open about about that and and you know kind of highlighting that mental toll in particular and also the physical

toll that international and club football can take and we've seen you know other players make similar decisions but yeah clearly the right move for her at the right time I suppose when you've when you've had that winning feeling with your national team and then you've had the feeling of watching your national team without you there winning. You've kind of done both sides of the coin, Robbins, so she knows what the feeling is and whether she wants it enough again. Yeah, maybe she felt like, well, my work here is done because they went in the summer and they did it without me. I'm sure it was a really difficult decision and especially to miss out on the summer. But I just echo what Susa, I think she's actually quite brave to talk so openly

about, you know, her struggles. But her legacy is sealed, isn't it? you know, I think particularly, I mean, the euros, yes, but I remember that World Cup, she had barely played, had she, going into that World Cup. And I remember she had slightly, she looked slightly rusty in the first game, but then after that, she was incredible. I don't know England obviously ended up losing in the final, but I just thought that is a really selfless quality player

who kind of was fine going in cold, basically, and performing to that level. So, yeah, and I think she's, as I say, her legacy is sealed on and off the pitch, in my opinion. 88 caps, Tom. Where does she rank in terms of important figures in the lionesses past, if you like? Past it is now, that seems sad to say.

She's left an indelible mark on the lionesses because she is now one of only two footballers to have captained England in a World Cup final, the other being Bobby Moore, of course. And that's something that will be forever, more in the history books of English football and deserves immense respect. And obviously, as as Susie and Robin have said, you know, you're starting all six games in that Euro's win, just cements your place forever in history regardless. I actually think she played her best

football for England at Euro 2017 when she was just an absolute rock in that team that got to the semi-finals. I also thought she was excellent. And the 2019 World Cup, of course, got sent off in the semi-final, but I don't think that was really why England lost that semifinal to the USA. That was another tournament when she was, she really excelled. I just wonder whether there's a feeling that perhaps she might not have been in the squad today. It'd be interesting to see what Serena Vigman says over the course of the day. And perhaps the timing was just quite right for everybody. Because if you're looking to the 2027 World Cup, which is what Vigman will be doing now,

I don't think Bright would have been in the side. It's not impossible to see she could have been in the side, but she'd be nearly 35 at that final in 2027. And I think, well done to a legendary Englishman. and player for a great career, and now the kind of Vigman machine rolls on and evolves. Can I just say one other thing, though, which we're getting a bit of a knack for here in England, is that we're not really doing the farewell games for some of these legends of the 2022 winning team, and the way the Americans do quite well, where they have this farewell international,

the player gets substituted off after 80 minutes to a standing ovation and gets their moment of huge, huge applause. And the list now is growing of players who haven't had that opportunity. Millie Bright, Rachel Daly, all for very different reasons, of course, but Daly and Bright and Ellen White, Jill Scott, Steph Horton, I could go on a little bit.

And I suppose what I want to say now, let's manifest this. Eventually, when the horrible day comes that Lucy Bronze decides to hang up her England boots, can we just make sure that it happens with a planned final match where she is given all of the, celebrations that some other countries have paid to their legendary figures.

That, to me, sounds like a major testimonial, like a mega testimonial. What do you think? Like a kind of group, I know that means that every individual, but I mean, there's too many testimonials to have, I feel. I think that's a great idea. It could be like a big charity game because you've got Frank Kirby as well, Mary Earps. Yeah. That's almost an entire 11, isn't it?

Well, there we go. I will take my royalties for my incredible idea, please. Anyone from the FA is listening. By the way, we have to shout out that Arnold Clark Cup joint golden winning boot because the question has always been, is she a defender or a striker? Dick Millie Bright up front. And of course, you know, she won that alongside Alexia Puteus. Goodness knows, how many times Ballandoor winner now, I've actually lost count. So kudos to Millie for not only being an incredible defender, but also a brilliant striker as well. It is, you know, Lioness's squad announcement day, Serena Vigman naming her first squad since winning the Euros, friendlies against Brazil and Australia upcoming, few injury problems. Leah Williamson and Lauren Hemp both out. Lucy Bronze did make her first appearance of the season from the bench. weekend for Chelsea. Grace Clinton, though, was missing with a knock. So it's going to be

really interesting to see what that squad is going to look like. However, we won't be able to tell you until next week and dissect it because we're recording the pod in the morning. So you will know as you listen to this, no doubt. Let us know what you think of the squad. Women's Football Weekly at the Guardian.com. I like that you almost called this the cod. The cod, I didn't. Do you know what I did? Oh my God, I so did. We're always a bit fishy.

Right, let's look back at the weekend's action in the Buckley's WSL, shall we? Millie Bright was in action at Kingsmeadow for Chelsea. We'll talk about that in a minute. But let's head to Anfield, first of all. Liverpool hosting Manchester City, contrasting fortunes for both these two sides this season. It's not been a happy hunting ground, Amfield for Liverpool. They're two-one defeat to Manchester City on Sunday was their seventh loss in eight appearances at the club's main stadium. It does make you wonder whether somebody is going to go, I think there's a problem here. Maybe let's not do this. I don't know what it is. It's fascinating, isn't it? Not been the best start of the season for the club overall. I mean, this was their fifth straight

defeat in the league. But they did prove difficult to break down, took the lead through Cornelia Capuch. What did you make of their overall performance, Susie? How does Gareth Taylor use this three-week break from league action to get them back on an even keel again? I thought it was decent performance. They're under-resourced. Their squad isn't really big enough. Like, it's not strong enough to last and maintain an intensity against City for across 90 minutes. But they actually did and didn't play that badly. The late offside, extremely frustrating. But, yeah, I thought it was a solid performance. And, you know, if they had taken something from the game, you know, I think it would have been well deserved, but at the same time, city or city.

So, you know, you're not, like, Liverpool aren't going to be taking points off the top four, given, you know, kind of where they're at and where the squad is at and the commitment of the club and stuff. But, yeah, like, I've, you know, I've kind of wondered about Gareth Taylor's style of football and the personnel that he's got available and whether, you know, he's being too rigid in that. But, yeah, you know, you often have to, as a manager, adapt to the personnel. at your disposal and find a way that is going to maximise the qualities of those individuals in the best collective way, sometimes over kind of taking your ideal and then trying to get those players to play that way. Until you've got a team built for that, it's really, really

difficult to do. But yeah, I thought this was a decent performance for them. They look frustrated Manchester City at times, didn't they? And certainly until Imman Bene's equaliser on the score sheet again, Robin. How did they find a way to unlock Liverpool's stubborn back line? And were you impressed that they kept patient? Yeah, no, I've been really impressed with Manchester City this season. They're looking quite relentless. It's a really good watch.

And they're topping all the attacking stats in the WSL, chances created XG. So they're really free-flowing. And actually, even though they were slightly frustrated, they kept on going. You know, I don't think it was great goalkeeping from the Liverpool keeper for the first goal and then, yeah, Fugino started really well

and as you say, it was kind of fine margins Bonner was like just a couple of inches offside, wasn't she? But I agree with Susie, like I'm just not sure if Gareth Taylor's the right fit in terms of coming from Manchester City where he had quality players and his set style of play, Liverpool just don't have the depth at all

and whether he will have to change something. I don't think it's all his fault. I think Susie alluded to that. Liverpool, I feel like get away with a lot of, they're not really scrutinised when you look at the men's team. They've got a Premier League winning team there and the women's team. It should be a lot, lot better, in my opinion.

Dot, dot, dot. Tom, Robin said there for Gino, played well, scored the late goal. And actually, that's the second week in a row that they've had to score late to secure the three points. Penny for Gareth Taylor's thoughts in that moment when he thought he'd got a point against his former side. He was quite frustrated, but I think I watched a slightly different game

to most people who watch this match. I don't think Liverpool deserved to draw. The tone of the post-match interviews was almost like that Liverpool had been quite unlucky, nearly got the draw. They had two efforts at goal on or off target in the whole match. They scored a wonderful goal through Capuch. It was really good football. And then they had the free kick from Kerry Holland in stoppage time.

That was it. And they really struggled to create chances. And if what we're as barring to here is just to simply make things a bit tricky for Man City when you're at home at Anfield, then how low has the bar fallen? They have an improvement. So I understand why the tone is one of kind of trying to keep positive from Liverpool. And, you know, their season won't be judged necessarily on these games against Manchester City, who are really good, by the way. And I do think we'll run Chelsea really close for the title. But Lippler got a real problem

The strikers are not scoring goals They're not really getting chances The confidence looks bereft From really talented players Like N to B And no, he does need time He was only brought in In August, very, very late in preseason

He really needs more time And he alluded to that post game But there at some point will need to be A huge priority over a result Rather than building this style You can lose five in a row at the start, fine Can't lose 10, can't lose 15, so at some point it's going to have to,

that the rot is going to have to stop to help them with the long-term gains. I understand where Tom's coming from, but I also think that this isn't the game where you're judging Liverpool's attacking ability necessarily, and the fact that you take two shots on target, one of them is scored. Like against a team like Man City, you're only going to get very, very few chances, and it's about how you capitalise on those. and one of the two, not bad, potential chance for the second. Like, I think it was an incredibly good overall defensive performance

and that's sort of what you need. Like, in the context of these two teams, of course we should expect so much more from Liverpool generally, given the context of whether at the moment this isn't the game that you would expect, like, a really, really strong attacking performance from. Yeah, well, I mean, look, they're going to be out without Marie Hobinger, don't know how long for, she went down with a knee injury, not diagnosed yet, but likely to be for some time at least. Hopefully they can get her fit over the three weeks of the international period

because they need their forward players to start scoring, as you say. I think she's only got the one assist so far this season, not been on the score sheet yet. It's going to be an interesting time for Liverpool, that is for sure. It's an interesting time for Arsenal, but Susie has breathed a sigh of relief because after the pressure mounting on them in recent weeks, following two draws and two defeats in all competitions. The 1-0 victory against Brighton was very welcome, wasn't it? Marissa Ollis Slugger's own goal proving the difference.

I mean, you had to get it through an own goal, Susie, didn't you? That just feels very Arsenal at the moment. And it felt like a must-win game, really. What did you make of the game overall? It was a must-win game, and I mean, Renee Slegger's basically said that. Like, it mattered more than performance. The three points was the most important thing in that moment. but it was a not great performance.

It was pretty poor. It was so, so wasteful. I think I put some of the stats in my match report, but like Arsenal had 39 touches in the opposition box to Brighton's 8, and yet Brighton had more shots on target for five to Arsenal's four, 39 touches in the opposition box and four shots on target. Now, like, that is like so wasteful. And it wasn't even like they got amazing, like, chances from that.

They're all amazing openings. They just weren't finding the space. Like, it's the one point where I can't remember who it was. Someone had the ball on the edge of the box and you were like, create space, like shift, make space or find someone out wide or something. And they just hit it straight at a, like, a pack of bodies. Like, it was never going to get anywhere near the goal. And poor decision making in that final feeling. is really, really troubling at the moment.

And I really, really thought this game was going to go the same way as the Arsenal-Aston-Villa game, where during that game, I very much felt that Villa were going to score late on. The longer the game went on with the margins still at one goal, the more confident Villa got and went for it. And Arsenal defensively aren't looking amazing at the moment, defensively, forward-wise, generally. And, you know, like that Aston-Villa goal was absolutely inevitable.

and I felt like it was going that way against Brighton and it easily could have done. Dan Domzler had a really good game, which was nice to see because she's obviously gotten a lot of flack for some like shaky performances. And I don't think she was perfect in this game either. Like there was a couple of things that should have perhaps held on to that she, you know, had to kind of then regather and things like that.

But overall, like there was a fantastic saving the second half, like outstretched arm quite reflexy that was great. Arsenal sort of need their luck to shift. a little bit, but they also need to like work out what the hell was going wrong in the final third because they just cannot hit a barn door at the moment. A go-go gadget arm moment rather than reflexy. Just maybe taking people back to the 80s, if you remember, the 80s and 90s. There are lots of people going, who the hell is Inspector Gadget?

It was brilliant. We've got musical interludes again, Firestarter. Give me a little bit of an overview, Robin, from how you're seeing it from a commentator's point of view. Where are their problems stemming from at the minute, Arsenal? It's really hard to say, but I think it's, yeah, it's in the attack, I think. As Susie said, like, this so could have been the ending that they had against Aston Villa. But Brighton obviously couldn't get it over the line. It's really weird because I did their opening game against London City Lionesses,

and once they scored, the floodgates opened, whereas this one, I mean, we had a stat fed to us that after the own goal, they didn't have an attempt after that in the first half. So I don't know what's going on, really. I thought the subs kind of injected quite a lot of energy. Cooney Cross a few dribbles and kind of, you know, trying to make things happen. Blacksinius was making good runs, but then couldn't finish. So kind of, it seems like all the tools are there. They're just not quite working yet.

And I do think, I was actually very impressed with Brighton. I thought they were very good. You know, considering they couldn't play the two Arsenal. low knees as well. So they were really light. And Frank Kirby is still absolutely class. She was playing those intricate balls in behind and threading them through, linking up with Sakey. You know, she still got it, Frank Kirby. I think, yeah, no, she was just a joy to watch again. One of those players that's never going to lose it, though, because she's intelligent. I can only talk about this from like a netball point of view, right? Because I don't

play football. Nobody needs to see me play football. But from a netball point of view, there are certain players, they don't have to move around the court. They just know how to position. They're so intelligent. They see the game plotting out in front of them that you kind of almost look at them and think, oh yeah, okay, I can, I can play against this player. I've got, you know, a good level of fitness. And they just do you on every single board. And Frank Kirby's just like that. And so I think that she can go on that long for that reason. Tom, what did you make of Brighton? It feels like their defensive structure actually is one of their biggest areas of progress this season and their building. And Susie mentioned Van Domsala, but actually I feel as if Chiamaka Nadozi was pretty decent as well.

Yeah, I've been relatively impressed with them all through the opening games of the season, really. I don't think they've had any particularly outstanding performances nor any particularly bad performances either. They've just reached a level now where they're a good side. Not easy to beat. And they did, I think, recruit quite well in the summer. So this was an okay performance. I think they'll be even wondering if they maybe should have nicked a point, maybe. But you're not remotely worried about them, are we?

Like, there are other teams in the league where we look at them and we think, oh, there's a few little problems there or where are they going to get the next win, et cetera, et cetera. I think you just look at Bright and you think they're going to be a good side for the season. And as for Arsenal, it's just, I just keep thinking back about what a big November they've got Chelsea, by Munich away, a North London Derby away

and Real Madrid. Last November really made them like they turned their season around last November and were flawless and this November will make or break how the season is perceived, I think. Yeah, I agree. Right, that's it for Part 1 in Part 2

will continue to look back at the weekend's action. Welcome back to part two of the Guardian Women's Football Weekly. Right, Chelsea once again dominated the stats in their 1-0 win over Tottenham-Hotspur, but again struggled to put their opportunities to bed. Seems very similar to Arsenal at the moment. 27 shots they created, just four of those were on target. How much of a worry should this be for Sonia Bonpastor, Tom?

It's been a bit of a running theme, hasn't it, this season? Not a worry, as long as you keep on winning. and that's what they're doing. Have we seen them get out of third gear yet? Maybe fourth year? Probably not, really, but still top of the league. I think we should give a shout out to Keir Walsh for yet another good finish.

She's sort of charging towards being their top goals, grew a contender, and it looks really at home now in this Chelsea team, by the way, you know, after a period of settling in. Not worried, I'd be worried if they were sort of slipping up, dropping points, but do they look like they look? going to win the Champions League on this form, no. But there's time for that to improve. Do they look that they're going to carry on winning games by a goal and probably winning the league?

Yes. How do they keep doing this? It's just every year. Robin just went into a meltdown in her office. It's just, you know, Faye, I'm worried about AI being replaced by AI as a commentator. And with these podcasts, literally with Chelsea, you just have to, there's so much material from all of us just saying they're get the job done. They win. And it's just like, we don't need to be here, do it for this Chelsea chat. It's just, it's incredible. I mean, it's no fluke is it? We've got to give them credit. They've, they've been doing this for years. They weren't great at periods last season, you know, and they stormed the league. I think there is an issue with people not challenging

them. And Tom was saying he thinks Manchester City could be close. But this is just what they do. It's no, as I say, they are, this is not a fluky result. It just happens. And by the way, Kira Walsh is now starting to get a trademark finish on that edge of the box. And she's someone who previously basically never scored a goal. My favourite thing about that, by the way, was Erin Cuthbert was already celebrating before it hit the net. I saw she was raising her arms. I love that. I love that way. That's when you have true belief in your teammates. And by the way, I think we need to start a Guardian Women's Football Weekly think tank because we're just providing ideas to the FA, to an events

company now to AI companies left right and centre. Seven changes again though, Susie. That doesn't really help with team cohesion despite having a cheerleader like Erin Cuthbert on the side knowing that you're going to score a banger. We talked a lot at the beginning of the season about how she's going to manage looking after all of these players. But it's not just egos, it's actual cohesion on the pitch that could start to be a problem if they're not playing regular minutes with each other. Yeah, seven changes from the Champions League game, but only two from the WSL game.

So, like, I get it, right? Like, you're playing three games a week. You have to rotate your squad a bit. Of the games, you would like to think that even with a week and squad, they complete 20. I mean, that was not the case, but, you know, you've got to try, you've got to find a way to rotate.

I think that team cohesion is growing. I thought Liz Thompson looked like that she was, coming to sort of sharpness in a Chelsea shirt and I think it will get there and stepping aside from being a journalist for a moment like there is nothing more frustrating than a Chelsea team that isn't playing well but is still winning and I was speaking to a Chelsea fan who was like oh god we're playing so badly the performance so rubbish I was like this I would rather you were like cleaning up and playing brilliant and having incredible performances this is what is annoying so soak it in like enjoy it um like i don't think it's you know obviously it's a

like i agree with tom you know it's not necessarily the football that is going to win you a champion's league but you know they're they're going to power to the league um if they can maintain this kind of mentality the you never give up i i don't know what it is i like what the ingredient is that keeps them able to do this but you know good to watch good fun to watch. If you can find that and bottle it up, that will also bring us more investment for sure. Another idea for the pod. Martin Ho seems to have bottled something up at the Tottenham Hotspur training ground because, I mean, his side fourth in the table, they were third, but this was a tricky game to go into, but he was really proud of his side's resilience dealing with waves

of Chelsea attacks. He said, when you can put in defensive performances like that, it sets you up for success moving forward. If you get the foundation right, you become hard to beat. And actually, you know, they are becoming hard to beat, Tom, which is something we've not seen from them for a very long time. How impressed were you with their defensive performance and overall performance, really? That's the big transformation, actually, is at the back, because last season they had the joint second highest number of goals conceded in the WSL.

And this year they've already had three clean sheets in the league. And obviously, you just conceded the one against Chelsea. So far, so good, really, for Tottenham. But I think Tottenham fans won't get too carried away. They've kind of been here before. They had a really good start under Robert Villaham. A couple of years ago, they had a very good start under Rand Skinner three years ago. And then things kind of tapered off over the winter.

What I hear from behind his scenes around Martin Ho is he's gone down very well with the players, with his methods. He seems to be a little bit of a firm hand, a bit more fierce than Robert Villaham. He's certainly a bit more intense and angry at times, kind of driving those standards. kind of driving those standards a little bit. He was somebody they identified apparently because of his real sort of passion and intensity and an obsession with the job. And that's kind of coming through on the training ground.

They shortlisted around 30 candidates and interviewed seven. So, you know, done quite well to end up as a standout person from that kind of process. And for the time being, they're in a good place. I don't think we should get carried away. You know, the league position maybe is a little bit false at a minute in terms of who, who'd have been up against, but given that this was a team who didn't win from January to the end

of last season, a dismal run, you know, it's a really good turnaround. But whether it's a honeymoon period or a longer lasting improvement, we shall see, ask me again in December or January. I'm going to channel friend of the pod Chris Poweros energy and say, I am getting excited with where they are at the table. It's nice to see them in the upper echelons rather than scrapping down at the bottom. Susie is shaking her head very, very vociferously. For the record, I do actually, the rivalry doesn't really spill into

the women's game for me at all. I actually, Martin Ho's a great interview. Like, I like a lot of their players. It's more hamming it up. But the, yeah, my feelings towards Tottenham are much more fierce on the men's side. I was cruel for a moment's

before kickoff and asked before Arsenal played on Sunday. I pointed out to Susie that they were temporarily that Arsenal were the fourth highest London club in the WSL table. Only for a moment, only for a moment. Did you then run for cover? Which for someone who has just, you know, talked about how this position for spurs in the table

is probably a false flag and, you know, something we should not necessarily hang our hats on was a bold move. It was a little bit of. We're getting rivalry on the pod now as well. This is great. So you wanted this fire starter. This is what you wanted last week, Susie.

Oh, I love it. I love it. More history for Everton. They played at Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first time at the weekend. 18,000 fans in attendance. And they were in great voice, actually, because they took an early lead over Manchester United through Hanoka Hayashi. Mark's going to side, though, responded in the second half,

turning the game around to earn a 4-1 victory, which was deserved in the end, Robin, but they were made to work for it. Yes, in a way. I was always quite confident that Manchester United would come back, actually. I mean, Everton, they look too easy to score against at the moment. Something's going to have to change sort of, I don't know,

in the structure of their team. I just am super impressed with Manchester United, you know. They look like a really well-old machine. Mallard's top score of the season with five, Elitoum with the assists with four and it's also a post-champions league win which is also, you know, for the first time very difficult, the turnaround with it

as we keep saying a pretty slim squad that's obviously the worry is that one of these players gets an injury and that machine starts to break down but I really like a look of them I think Jess Park has revitalised them she's giving them an extra bit of energy it's really interesting how this has worked out

I'm not sure how much, you know, this was planned by Manchester United, but, like, it seemed like they couldn't really get Clinton and Tune in the same team, but Tune and Jess Park, now that's a different story. And I know a lot of people don't, they really don't like comparing female players to men's players. And I probably, this is going to get even more Peltas now, because she doesn't play for Manchester City before. But she reminds me so much of Phil Foden, Jess Park, just diminutive, beautiful gliding on the ball, her touch.

just so intelligent. I just love to watch her and it's great to see her really just playing a main part in this Manchester United team it's going to be really interesting to see if Serena Begman uses her a little bit more.

Yeah, let's see whether she cements herself a starting place for England. You talk about Manchester United not wanting an injury crisis but it feels like it's happening all over again for Everton. This feels like a theme of their season

over the last few years. Brian Sorensen said eight players were out prior to this game. Could that be maybe a reason, Susie, for them struggling this season early on? Oh, absolutely. That's a lot of players not available for any side. Again, I'm loath to be too harsh judging teams up against the likes of United City and Chelsea in particular at the moment because they are, well, Chelsea are doing Chelsea, but City and United are playing particularly well.

And Man United defensively are so, so solid. I mean, if you kind of, you know, if you kind of, you know, sum up Everton's fortunes in the fact that Emily Ramsey, goalkeeper, was the supporters trust player of the match, she did a lot conceded for, but probably he kept that margin more narrow than it could have been. So, yeah, I think they've got defensive issues

and injury will play a part, but judging them against this Manchester United side too harshly, I just think it, like, maybe I've gone too soft. I'm just being very kind to, like, teams lately. Like, you know, thinking about, you know, back to what I wrote about West Ham and how I feel about how they're doing and stuff as well. Like, I suppose, like, I've always got in my mind the context of the fact that some of these teams have been so historically under-invested in,

and some are still currently very under-invested in. I think Everton have, you know, kind of had a decent amount of investment and Brian Sorenson has been backed and that's really great. But like the historic impact of that and the knock-on effect and like kind of how long it takes a team to build and gel and blah, blah, blah, like I just, I don't know, maybe I'm just being too kind. But Man United could have won this by almost double figures, I think. And that's the problem with this league in my opinion, though.

it's not an even playing field a lot of the time. So Tom, be kind to West Ham because they still haven't won this season and this time it was a one-neill defeat to the new kids on the block, London City lionesses. And I have to say, the manner of Kosovoire Aslani's goal is going to be incredibly frustrating, no doubt, for Riann Skinner because the game was actually pretty even in terms of chances up until that point. Yeah, West Ham looked completely bereft of confidence now, and it's a terrible run.

They're not scoring goals, but they're also just conceding far too many at the back as well, albeit this wasn't an example of that in this particular game. But there's a terrible combination. If you pour at the back and poor going forward, I'm concerned for them because they've got tricky games coming up as well after the international break. I have sympathy for Rianne Skinner because they've been chronically underfunded as as a team. But one thing that's become a slight pattern, I think, in her head coach career in the WSL,

is once her teams get on a losing run, it takes quite a long time to stop the rot. We saw it similarly with Tottenham. I'm worried for her and I'm worried for them, really. I think they're the worst team we've seen in the league so far this season. If you're thinking about, you know, trying to avoid that playoff spot at the bottom of the table, the problem for West Ham is that Leicester are playing quite well, relative to all the pre-season predictions that myself included, I felt that they were rooted to the bottom.

So there bleak winter ahead, I'm afraid, for West Ham. I'm not sure where the light at the end of a tunnel is at the moment. They need to do a lot of work over the international break. Yeah, they really do. London City, though, have started life, this first block of games, if you like, in the season. They've started life very comfortably, it's felt, Robin. third win for them

and actually I mean yeah it could have gone better for them they could have won every single game which they'd have loved but that's unrealistic but Jocelyn for sure must be absolutely delighted

with the way it started I'm not saying I'm not surprised because I think it could have been when we saw the amount of transfer activity this could have gone very very wrong couldn't they but now I've been really impressed with him I think he's a good coach

he's a good talker and yeah I think they're going to be fine obviously but fine isn't what Michelle Kang wants is it? She wants more. But nobody impressed. I just think, yeah, they're comfortably mid-table and maybe if they keep building like this

and get that consistency, they could even sort of push the sort of top teams towards the end of the season. I'm really impressed with them. Yeah, and Tom mentioned Lester. We'll talk about Aston Villa in a second because that game finished goalless. But Rick Passmore was named permanent manager of Lester on Friday, signing a contract until 2028.

Congratulations to him. But actually in this game, it was Aston Villa that dominated, but again, just didn't capitalize on it. So Natalia Arroyo is going to be incredibly frustrated that they didn't take their chances, Tom. This is the kind of game that idea marked Villa would get a home win. So I think this is probably the first time in a season where they've sort of dropped points in my mind. Because up until now with a game in hand, I don't think Villa had actually had any bad results that they'd had some difficult.

opponents and picked up a decent return from those. So this is probably the first down note of their campaign, but I want to give credit to Lester because I think that they made it really difficult for them. And I think the job that so far Rick Passmore is doing with the relegation favourites has been really good. And it was obviously probably good for Lester fans to see the decision taken that he got the job on a more permanent basis now to bring a little bit of stability after that kind of uncertain period at the end of preseason.

So well done to them. And as for Villa, perhaps just need to do a little bit more to maybe turn touches in the final third into real clear-cut guaranteed goal-scoring chances. I wish you could see Tom Garry's gesticulating because it looked like he was saying tweaks and then it was all big movements. I loved it.

We've all alluded to the kind of Champions League games that took place last week. Second match day starts on Wednesday this week. But Chelsea had a disappointing start, Susie, didn't they? A one-all draw away to FC20. They faced Paris FC at Stanford Bridge this week, and we know what Paris FC did in terms of causing trouble for teams last season. Again, are we at must-win territory for Chelsea,

bearing in mind who they have to come next month? Must-win is maybe a bit strong. They'll be in trouble if they don't win. Yes, Paris FC had, you know, that good run through qualifying to reach a group stage and did a little bit of giant killing along the way in the past. They are improving, but they're not Chelsea's level. So, but then you could have said the same about FC20 as well. So they do need to play better.

I think we'll probably see less changes than we saw for the 20 game because obviously like that didn't quite work out. but yeah it is a game that if they don't win their credentials as you know kind of contenders for may aren't great are they really no i think we all tip them to really push through this season and finally get the trophy that they've wanted arsenal started their title defence with a two-one defeat at home to leon robin what did you make of their performance they obviously returned to lisbon this week to face benfica Yeah, I mean it wasn't a great performance They started really well

Really good start Yeah, a bit like in the WSL game as well Really good goal from Rousseau I mean that was kind of listed with individual errors Wasn't it with Daphne Van Domsila And a few others in the back line Very difficult start obviously To host Leon

I also wonder what it's like for I was talking about this with Chili Flatio I was with the weekend Like to play at the Emirates and then play at Bore and Wood. I mean, you couldn't really get more different venues. And obviously, all the players have played many games there. It's just switching between the two and the atmospheres.

It just must be a bit odd. I don't know if it's, you know, it's not trying to make an excuse for them. It just must be strange, that's all, especially it's a big game against Leon. I also think there have been some teething problems in terms of, you know, having to play at Bore and Wood and what that's done for the TV cameras and how difficult a challenge. That's been, Susie. It's just not equipped.

It's not equipped to host Champions League football. And I get it like it's hard to get like big crowds at the Emirates on a weekday night. And with the increased number of games from the league phase in the men's and the, well, not the same number of games in the women's, but the increased number in the men's as well, league up, that kind of stuff. We saw that problem last year with a Biomunic game around that. like it's hard for them to schedule the games there and it's hard for them to get the fans through the door for late like you know 8pm kickoffs on a Tuesday or Wednesday night or whatever it is

but war and wood isn't the answer I think they have to play at the Emirates like it's just not the answer it's it cannot cope with hosting it and actually this week I mean I do think that they're going for consistency however it was men's international week this week So they could have, and obviously I'm not privy to what's going on at the Emirates at the moment. They might have had events and various other things going on, but you'd have thought, you know, it could have been a possibility. And they did consider it from what I understand, you know, particularly for the bigger games, they considered it.

And obviously the Leon game is the biggest of their league phase. But obviously the draw is done quite late and quite close to the first fixture. So that became an issue then because if the league, if the league, I think if I think if the Leon game had been drawn later in this phase, they would have played that game at the Emirates or would have tried to at least. So like I'm sympathetic, but Boramud, like it just cannot. It's not, it's not good enough. What was it like at Lee Sports Village, Tom?

I know that you did a, not sure if you were there for this game for Manchester United, but I know you did a really interesting piece on how the broadcasters have got on with the UA for Women's Champions League. and it was a first win for Manchester United on Wednesday beating Valer important three points they maybe would have wanted to make it more comfortable they've got Athletic Home Madrid on Thursday

but what did you make of it all? Yeah, I was at Lee Sports Village for that victory from Manchester United it was a fairly flat atmosphere but they got the job done and to be honest with you I think they are looking like a really strong team to me the more and more I see than Manchester United

and as for the launch of the coverage I just generally thought that there was a few things that disappointed me generally. You know, there were lots of positives. They've hired a great cast of presenters, commentators, pundits. It's a stellar cast. I just felt the look and feel of it was a little bit on the tacky side, the little pit side table, not really like a proper sort of, compared to say the pits side thing that the BBC and Sky do at the WSL games,

which looks really professional and top notch. I just it felt to me like it was a missed opportunity for a really great launch but we wait and see what improvements can be made on the coverage overall over the course of the campaign because it's really really early days so I will reserve long-term judgment till we see what happens and we wish all the teens best of luck this week as well with their fixtures I just want to finish on an interview that Ashley Plumtree did with the BBC regarding her move to Saudi Arabia in 2023 we talked about that move on the pod

a while ago. And she spoke in the interview about how her initial reaction was to say no and that she regrets deeply hurting the LGBT Q plus community. She also went on

to talk about how Saudi life is like a peace bubble saying that her gated community makes her feel very safe as a woman. The interview is upset quite a few people. I think it's fair to say.

Lots of people have taken to social media to give their thoughts on it. What are your thoughts, Robin? Yeah, I wanted to talk about this because, first of all, I don't, I think you said, we don't want to instigate a pile on, on her, obviously. And I think we should credit her for wanting to talk and giving her point of view across. But I think basically all of her points don't really add up, I would say. So, you know, it's a long interview. I urge people to read it. But just some of the points, she talks about the peace bubble. She's in a compound, you know, and she's, you know, probably quite a privileged person there. We know Saudi Arabia's human rights record overall.

So that's that. She said in terms of the game, there aren't really any fans that come to watch them, the quality's poor. And she also, she said, yeah, she admitted that she'd upset a lot of people because there's a huge, as we know, LGBTQ plus community in football, particularly in women's football. And so you just think, okay, so why would you say yes to that? And I think there's only one answer to it, which she refused to admit. She just said that it was a, she's being paid an awful lot more than she would have done in other leagues. I think I probably would have had a bit more respect for this interview. This grow the game thing doesn't add up to me.

I know Jordan Henderson tried that as well. It's just nonsense in my opinion. opinion, you know, it's just an opinion, I should add. But yeah, it's just, I think reputational, this is damaging for a player who I really rated actually. I thought she had a fantastic World Cup with Nigeria and she was great at Leicester. I think she probably could have gone on to go to a really great club, she's really fantastic left back. So that's just, that's just my feelings on it and other feelings are available. You know, I respect her for speaking, but I think it was a misguided interview to do

because I think it's deeply hurt a lot of people in the LGBTQ plus community in women's football. I mean, you know, the statement that she did deeply hurt people by moving to Saudi Arabia and, you know, kind of the justification of that and sort of this painting of her, as you say, quite privileged position in a gated community where she's quite protected

as some kind of representation of the norm in Saudi Arabia, I think is very naive. But also she's still there, right? Like she's still playing there. So she has to be careful about what she says. She's obviously not going to criticise it too heavily. She's having to still play in that league and to still be part of that footballing world. And I think when you're talking about deeply hurting, primarily the LGBTQ plus community

and making that move, then justifying it in the way she has while she still plays there. isn't really the way to go. I just think it was really misjudged of her and her people to have her do that interview, to be honest. Exactly to all of that. But no pile on here, just opinions. And I agree, perhaps misguided to do the interview in the first place. Anyway, right, keep having your say.

Let's know what you think on that. Send in your questions via X or email us at women's football weekly at the Guardian.com. And as ever, a reminder as well, to sign up for our biweekly women's football newsletter. All you need to do is search moving the goalposts sign up. Tom, see you soon. Take care, guys. Nice to see you.

Robin, it was lovely to see you as always. Always a pleasure, Faye. Susie, don't go start in any fires. Is this going to run through the season? Yeah, it is. I've decided. I've decided. The Guardian Women's Football Weekly is produced by Sophie Downey and Silas Gray. Music composition was by Laura Aydell. Our executive producer is Phil Maynard.

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