Last season in the WSL 2, Liverpool finished top of the league in a season where they dominated the competition. In this piece we take a look at Liverpool’s WSL season so far, as they find themselves in a modest 9th place with eight points and -11 goal difference after 10 games.
So what happened? It’s difficult to pinpoint the main reason – Liverpool didn’t lose many key players from last season, nor did they lose manager Matt Beard.
Liverpool haven’t just struggled in the WSL, either. They faced an ignominious exit from the FA WSL Cup, as they were beaten 1-0 by West Ham in the quarter finals.
They’ve been leaky at the back, too – they shipped six goals against Manchester United in a 6-0 hammering. It was quite the departure from last season for Liverpool ‘keeper Rachael Laws, who only conceded 11 league goals last campaign.
Ultimately, Liverpool have simply found it difficult against a higher standard of opposition. They had an solid defence in WSL 2 last season – however, against top tier attacking players, they have only managed to keep two clean sheets all year.
This is Liverpool’s first season back in the WSL since 2019/20, when they finished bottom of the league and were relegated. With Arsenal, Chelsea and leaders Manchester United all showing such solid form and results, it leaves Liverpool with a lot to do to bridge the gap and even though Manchester City are having a poor season by their standards they are still 15 points ahead of Liverpool.
Liverpool will be hoping to stay in the league this year – with Brighton, Reading and Leicester below them, there’s a very strong possibility that they will and they have shown they can compete with the best after winning 2-1 against a top Chelsea team back in September.