On And Off The Pitch, The Liverpool FC Women’s Season Was A Resounding Success
The Reds found a new home base and made huge strides to finish fourth in the WSL.
After years of indifference, if not straight up neglect, it has been wonderful to watch the Liverpool FC Women rise from the ashes and build themselves back into a side looking to compete for European places. After a solid first season back in the WSL in 2022-23, this past season was all about not just surviving, but building the consistency to show that Liverpool not only belong but can be a force. There are plenty of factors to consider when looking back over the past season, but no matter where you look it would be hard to say that it was anything other than a resounding success.
Off Pitch Stability
Last summer, Liverpool finally were able to find a permanent home for the squad’s training facilities. The Reds bought back the Melwood complex that has previously served as the home base for the Men’s side. Matt Beard and his squad finally had their own permanent dressing rooms, full training and recovery facilities, as well as top tier training pitches. The move to Melwood was mentioned by several of the new signings last summer as a huge draw when signing with the club.
At the end of this past season, it was announced that Liverpool would move from Prenton Park to a much more modern stadium in St Helens. The Reds will now have their own permanent dressing room in the stadium, and will be the sole occupants for much of the WSL season while the rugby teams who also use the facility are on their offseason.
Progress Across the Board
It was a huge step forward for Liverpool from a statistical perspective in the 2023-24 season. In their second season back in the WSL, the Reds made an 18 point improvement, finishing on 41 points. That translated in a move from 7th last season to 4th in the table this season.
Matt Beard’s side also improved their goal difference by 23, going from a -15 last year to +8 this year. Liverpool scored 12 more goals this season while conceding 11 fewer.
After failing to win a single match away from home last season, Liverpool recorded 6 away wins this season. Included in the tally were wins away to Arsenal and Manchester United.
A Rebuilt Core
After surviving the first season back in the WSL, Matt Beard and his staff looked to revamp and ageing veteran squad with younger players with the quality to compete now and into the future. In the end, there were 7 players brought in. Of those, 4 played in at least 20 of the 22 league matches to form an important part of the new core of the squad.
Grace Fisk and Jenna Clark immediately stepped into regular roles at the heart of the defense. Fisk showed great versatility, playing almost every position across the back line over the course of the season.
Sophie Roman Haug was the big money signing of the summer, reportedly costing the Reds a record £100,000. The striker was a massive aerial threat, averaging 5.3 aerial duals won per match, more than anyone else in the WSL. She put that head to good use, scoring 5 of her team-leading 7 goals with her noggin.
Possibly the most surprising member of the new core was Marie Höbinger. The Austrian midfielder came in with little fanfare, but she stepped directly into a starting role in midfield over heralded local product Missy Bo Kearns. Höbinger proved to have a big game in her locker, showing the ability to pick a deadly pass from open play or set pieces. She finished the season with 6 assists, which puts her top of her team and third in the league overall. She also chipped in 5 goals, including some absolute bangers. Over all, she had 11 goals and assists, which is top 10 in the league.
Two other of the summer signings made big contributions. Teagan Micah made 7 starts in net and made some extremely performances. Young attacker Mia Enderby earned more and more minutes over the course of the season, including starts over the final four matches of the season.
Spreading the Load
Much like last season, much of Liverpool’s attack was focused on their point striker. Unlike last season, the Reds were able to get many more people involved in the scoring. Sophie Roman Haug led the team with 7 goals, while a late surge from Leanne Kiernan put her level on goals with Marie Höbinger with 5 each. Outside of those players, there were 11 other players who chipped in with one or two goals over the course of the season. In all, there were 18 players who had either a goal or an assist. In all of last season, there were only 12 players who had a goal contribution.
Iconic Wins
Liverpool showed last year that on their day, they could manage the match well enough to play with the top teams =, highlighted by an opening weekend win over Chelsea. The Reds showed they could do it much more consistently this season, taking wins from Arsenal in front of 50,000 fans at the Emirates, getting their first ever win over Manchester United before completing the double over the regional rival, and a crazy 4-3 win over Chelsea in the last weeks of the season.
Managerial Plaudits
Liverpool’s success and progress this season did not go unnoticed outside of the club. Manager Matt Beard was named the WSL Manager of the Season for his efforts by the League Managers Association.
Building Momentum
Liverpool certainly finished the season on a high note. The Reds won their final four matches of the season, including wins over Chelsea and Manchester United. Leanne Kiernan knocked in 4 goals over that span while Marie Höbinger provided 4 assists over the same span. With the results, the squad charged past Manchester United to take hold of the 4th spot in the table. With the announcement of the stadium move next season, Liverpool seem to be building steam towards truly challenging for a European spot next year and beyond.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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