Aston Villa Women: Alisha Lehmann can let her football do the talking after controversy off the pitch
When Alisha Lehmann was named Aston Villa Women’s Supporters’ Player of the season in May, many thought this would be just another step in her ever-blossoming career.
The 23-year-old attacker was a prominent attacking force for Villa last season, scoring four times and notching up three assists during her first season in the WSL and subsequently signing a new one-year contract with the club.
The Swiss international is a brilliant attacking option for Carla Ward when fully-firing but recent controversies off the field have moved attention away from her football and onto her personal life.
Her recent split from long-time boyfriend and Brazilian star Douglas Luiz has filled the headlines in the last fortnight and doubled the attention on her following a further altercation with a Brazilian TV journalist in September on social media [Birmingham Mail].
These factors plus the arrival of England star Rachel Daly have ultimately left Lehmann out of the spotlight on the pitch – having not netted since her opening-day goal against Manchester City.
For Villa manager Ward, getting the best out of Daly and Lehmann must be her first priority in the coming weeks, as so far this season, Daly’s brilliance has come slightly at the expense of the Swiss star.
Having been capped 34 times for Switzerland and over 100 professional club matches, Lehmann already has a wealth of experience for somebody so young and needs to show this maturity by adapting to a slightly new role in the Villa side this season.
Due to Daly thriving in the central forward role and proving herself a potent scoring option for Villa, Lehmann has been shoehorned out to the right wing as Ward tries to fit her two biggest attacking threats into her starting XI.
Lehmann can still prove her worth out on the flank though as she possesses the pace and trickery to terrorise any WSL defence on her given day – something which few other Villa players can manage.
It is surely only a matter of time before the Swiss attacker gets back to her flying best, and a timely return to form could help the 2022/23 season become a historic one for Aston Villa.
In other Aston Villla news, the club is eyeing up a January move for Genk forward Paul Onuachu.