Aston Villa Women: Carla Ward must rethink approach after what happened in 3-1 loss v Arsenal
Aston Villa Women endured a very difficult start to the Women’s Super League (WSL) campaign, with one defeat after another.
But Carla Ward has managed to steady the ship from the dugout in recent times, with the Midlands club climbing from the bottom of the table to seventh place.
Their momentum was, however, brought to an end by Arsenal Women on Sunday (24 March), with the North London club picking up a 3-1 WSL win at Villa Park.
Frustratingly for Ward, who was in the stands following an illness, the hosts went 1-0 up through Ebony Salmon, and even took that lead into the break.
But Victoria Pelova, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Stina Blackstenius all fired in second-half goals to secure an away victory for the Gunners.
The failure to manage the match having been ahead will annoy Ward, but the attempts on goal will undoubtedly worry her for future matches.
As per the official Aston Villa website, Arsenal Women had a massive 37 shots throughout the match, with 13 of those being on target.
In stark contrast, the home side had just one shot, which was, of course, on target, but it is the huge number of shots allowed on goal that should force Ward into taking major action.
Should Carla Ward adopt a new approach at Aston Villa Women?
Time is running out for the Midlands club to climb the WSL rankings, but such a climb is possible if the manager rethinks her approach on the pitch.
Sitting third in the table, Arsenal Women are a top side, but the back five strategy used by the home team may not be the best option for future games.
In other Aston Villa Women news, Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz recently sent a two-word message to Alisha Lehmann.
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