Women’s Super League

MANCHESTER CITY’S Champions League dreams were dealt a huge blow after their 3-0 loss to Barcelona in the quarter-final first leg.Barca took the lead through Asistat Oshoala, before Mariona Caldentey added a second with a penalty and Jenni Hermoso put the game to bed.
Barcelona were just too strong for Man City and go into the second leg of the Women’s Champions League quarter finals with a 3-0 winCredit: AFP
The Spanish side dominated the first half and could’ve scored a few more if it weren’t for the heroics of City keeper Ellie Roebuck.
Gareth Taylor’s side gave away possession too cheaply and he wasn’t surprised that it cost them.
He said: “Obviously that was going to cost us, I think we needed to be better on the ball, I think we needed to restart our actions.
“We knew we’d be able to to pull them from one side of the pitch to try to capitalise over the other side.
“We were a little bit impatient at times and they’re quite good at pressing and we turned over possession a little bit cheaply.”
City came to life in the second period and had a few chances to claw one back, including a heart-breaking penalty miss from Chloe Kelly.
The penalty kick came in the 55th minute when Lauren Hemp went on a dazzling run and was brought down in the box.
City had some chances but were unable to convert any of them, also missing a penaltyCredit: AFP
Oshoala was a constant thorn in City’s side and scored Barca’s 100th goal this seasonCredit: AFP
Kelly stepped up but drove her effort directly at Sandra Panos who pushed it over the bar.
Taylor summed up the second half as “disappointing,” and expressed his frustration at his side not converting their opportunities.
He added: “I think the goals in the second half were disappointing, I think especially the opening six, seven minutes of the second half.
“Especially when we’ve just spoke about hanging on in there and making sure that we’re resolute, making sure we close the spaces and we’ll get opportunities.
“And that happened, it’s just that we gave them one beforehand and going two-nil was obviously difficult, we had the penalty, we had other chances.
“And like I say, I think it’s one to look at for next week.”
Despite Kelly’s penalty miss, Taylor wasn’t too harsh on her and said she’d score more penalties for the club in future.
He continued: “Chloe Kelly has done great for us this season, she has scored penalties for us this season and will do in the future.
“It’s not just looking at the penalty but it’s looking at the good opportunities we had and to come away without scoring, given the form we’ve been in, is disappointing.”
Barca had no such problems in front of goal and took their tally to 102 goals in just 21 matches.
Oshoala opened the scoring in the 34 minute with a ferocious strike that flew past Roebuck and went in off the post.
Their second came when they were awarded a penalty after Demi Stokes clumsily floored Oshoala in the 52 minute, which Mariona Caldentey converted.
And Jenni Hermoso virtually put the game out of City’s reach when she slotted home from close range in the 86th minute.

But Taylor is not phased by the result and claims that City can turn the deficit around when the two sides meet again next week at the Academy Stadium.
He said: “I don’t think it’s a tough task, I think we can turn it around.
“I think it’s well within our capabilities, you know the way the team has performed this season, the goals that we have scored, I think we can do it, no problem at all.”
But Taylor reckons his team can turn in around in the second leg with their qualityCredit: AFP
Taylor’s Man City aim to exploit Barcelona’s defensive weaknesses in Champions League showdown More

GARETH TAYLOR reckons Manchester City can defeat Barcelona in their Champions League duel by exploiting their defensive frailties. The two sides meet for the first time in their quarter-final first leg and Taylor is confident City will cruise to victory.
Taylor reckons City have the quality to defeat Barca in the Champions League quarter finalsCredit: Getty
Barca have been in great form this season, winning their last 20 league games in a row and scoring a breathtaking 99 goals in the process.
But City’s boss is un-fazed by the numbers and is adamant that his side can use their quality and pace to break Barca down.
Speaking ahead of the tie, Taylor said: “There are certainly areas we’re looking to exploit.
“I think we have the pace in our team and we have players at the front end of the pitch who are firing.
“And we’re going to be trying our best to impose our will on them, and see what happens.
“I think we have got players in the team who can hurt Barcelona for sure.
“I’m expecting it to be a really good game and obviously we want to be successful. We want to win.
“And this is what we’ll be going for, a 100%”
City centre-back Abby Dahlkemper shares the same optimism as Taylor, and also feels the Blues have the quality to punish their Spanish oppponents.
She said: “I think there are so many ways that this team can hurt our opponents.
Taylor’s Man City will face a Barcelona side who have yet to lose a game in Spain’s top-flightCredit: Getty

“We can pose a threat pretty much however we can on the attack.”
But Dahlkemper is very aware of Barca’s attacking prowess and knows that she and her peers will have to be on guard to keep them out.
The USA international added: “I think obviously we have to be very solid defensively because they have a lot of special talent individually and collectively as a team.”
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Dahlkemper agrees with Taylor but is also wary about the Spanish giants attacking abilityCredit: Getty
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JULIAN DICKS, the Bundesliga and Brits swerving Coronation Street to watch her have all made Ellen White into the goal machine she is today.The Manchester City strike sensadtion, 31, is in a tug of war with Arsenal ace Vivianne Miedema at the top of  Women’s Super League’s all-time scoring list.
Ellen White describes herself an ’emotional West Ham fan’Credit: Reuters
White idolised Julian Dicks when she was growing up with her Hammers supporting familyCredit: Rex
Buckinghamshire-born White wrestled her rival from the No 1 spot with her 55th WSL goal in a 2-1 win at the Gunners last month.
She celebrated that day like she did as a kid playing in her local park.
Holland star Miedema, 24, had nudged back in front — but the pair are now deadlocked on 56.
And life-long West Ham fan White reckons the many trips to Upton Park as a kid — especially when  Dicks was Hammers skipper — helped fuel her obsession with football.
The striker said: “I used to love Upton Park.
“The atmosphere was incredible, chanting all the songs, we were pretty much hooligans at those West Ham games.
“My dad took me to watch them train when I was a kid and I got Dicks’ and Frank Lampard’s signature. I don’t know why but I loved Julian Dicks.  
“I thought he was amazing, left-footer, the way he took penalties was insane. He was a bit off his head but he was so passionate and loved the game.
“Being a West Ham fan you have to be a very passionate supporter.
“I feel like in my household, me, my mum, dad, brother and sister we’re very emotional West Ham fans. We love the club so it was kind of ingrained in us.”
White hopes to compete at the Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Women’s EurosCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
White says her trademark goal celebration is a tribute to French striker Anthony ModesteCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

White is very patriotic and it was no surprise she became England’s poster girl of the 2019 World Cup in France.
Her goals, her trademark goggles celebration and teary interview — when the Lionesses crashed out of the semi-finals 2-1 to the USA — left the nation bursting with pride.
White, who also boasts 39 international goals, said: “One of my main driving forces is thinking about this year’s Tokyo Olympics and the home Euros in 2022.
“As a kid I never envisaged playing for England. Having fun and the love for football was my inspiration.
“I came off social media during the World Cup so I could solely focus on being present and working hard for my country.
“When I came back it was crazy seeing how many people were doing my celebration, from kids to older people.
“I had quite a few people saying they turned over Coronation Street to watch and I was like, ‘There you go, we won then’.
“People were clicking on their TV and it was so accessible.”
One picture sums up White, it is hands cupped around her eyes in the shape of binoculars, for her signature celebration.
It is a nod to French striker Anthony Modeste — who she began following thanks to weekend breaks in Cologne with her husband Callum Convery.
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White has vowed to let her feet do the talking when Man City take on Barcelona in the Champions LeagueCredit: Getty
She added: “We absolutely fell in love with Cologne.
­“They’re just really lovely people but super passionate about the Bundesliga.
“We’ve been to numerous games now and become big fans of the club.
“I don’t drink but I think one of the main reasons my husband likes it is that you get like a massive pint glass!
“We saw them playing Dortmund and the atmosphere is incredible over there.
“Cologne won 3-2,  Modeste scored and a Dortmund fan high-fived me, it was brilliant.”
White hopes to let her feet do the talking as City take on Barcelona in today’s Champions League quarter-final first leg.
The striker is very humble when it comes to her rival Miedema — who became the first player to hit a half-century of WSL goals in November.
White said: “Miedema is  a phenomenal player in what she’s achieved for Holland and Arsenal.
“But it’s been a good battle and people are excited about it.
“For me, I just love playing for City. One of the reasons I signed for them in 2019 was to be involved in the Champions League.
“We’ve really started to come into our own now and understand boss Gareth Taylor’s philosophy.
“Everything is really starting to come into fruition now.”
Hammers fan White is now living and breathing life in the blue half of Manchester.
City icon and boss Taylor, has helped inspire the women to a title race and glory on the European Stage this term.
When asked about Taylor, who took over from Nick Cushing in May last year, White said: “I would go back to the word passionate, he is very passionate.
“He loves football. He lives and breathes football.
“I think when he first came in it took us a little while to kind of understand the philosophy that he wanted us to play, but we really pushed each other.
“We worked in training on the way he wanted to play and I think we’re really starting to develop, come into form and understand one another.”
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Lionesses in training More

ENI ALUKO has criticised the lack of diversity in the WSL and England Women’s side and labelled it as concerning.The former Chelsea ace questioned the current cultural landscape of the women’s game with only one non-white player featured in the Lionesses 6-0 thumping of Northern Ireland.
Aluko has questioned the lack of diversity within the WSL and the LionessesCredit: PA
The Aston Villa Women’s football director feels progress with diverse representation has hit the skids since Hope Powell’s departure from the Lionesses’ dug-out in 2013.
And Aluko believes a loose links between talent in urban areas and youth set-ups at top clubs could be one of the causes.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Aluko said: “I’m not sure progress has been made.
“I think when you look at the representation across the England women’s team, it is concerning.
“I’m not one to say that anybody should be picked just because of their race.
“But I certainly think that in a country like England you have to ask the question of why there isn’t as much representation as certainly there was before, under managers like Hope Powell.
“I think there’s a variety of reasons for that, maybe there’s a disconnect between academies now.
“Where the game is professionalising, there’s a little bit of a disconnect between inner-city talent and academies that are training in the suburbs of cities.”
However, Aluko stressed players should be picked for club or country based on merit and ability rather than skin colour.
Aluko believes a disconnect between top women’s football clubs and inner-city academies is a potential cause of a lack of diversityCredit: PA:Press Association
And she believes Bristol City’s Ebony Salmon should walk into the Lionesses team based on her current performances.
The former Man United striker, 20, has been in fine form for Bristol this term netting six goals in 16 league games.
Aluko added: “I think at the top level there has to be an appreciation of making sure that every player is given the best opportunity to be judged on their performance.
“Somebody like Ebony Salmon for example absolutely deserves to get into the team, based on her goals and based on her performance, not anything else.
“And I think that we need to make sure that we are assessing everybody objectively whichever background they come from, whichever experience they’ve had.”
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Aluko believes Ebony Salmon deserves a place in the England squad based on her current performancesCredit: Rex

Aluko enjoyed a glittering career with the Lionesses winning 102 caps, scoring 33 goals in the process.
And the ex- England striker won Women’s FA Cup medals with Birmingham City and Chelsea.
The former WSL ace played an influential role in the Blues’ Cup win in 2012 with Blues and in the triumph of Emma Hayes’ team in 2015.
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