FA WSL Preview: Birmingham City Ladies FC

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Birmingham City have a loaded roster and a history of doing well against top-level competition. The Blues won the FA Women’s Cup in 2012 but have registered a number of runner-up finishes in the FA WSL and Continental Cup. If off-season results are anything to go by, this could be the year the Blues take it all.

Manager: David Parker (4^th season)

Home Field: Solihull Moors Auto Tech Stadium

Twitter: @birmcitylfc

Facebook: Birmingham City Ladies FC

Kickoff

The Blues recently beat Arsenal 2-0 in a UEFA Women’s Champions League battle, setting them up well for not only the semi-finals of that contest but also for their WSL1 season. Birmingham City have experience and consistency on their side, but can they go all the way?

Offside/Onside

What might be a bit off, and what is looking on, for Birmingham City this season?

Offside: Birmingham City are looking very good in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, but they must be careful not to peak too early. There is also a different sort of mentality that goes into battling teams like Arsenal in a UEFA match and facing inevitably weaker teams on a weekly basis. Will the Blues be able to handle the latter and be consistently solid this season?

Offside: The Blues have come very close to glory many times in the past three years, but have only been able to fully capitalise once. It takes more than just physical skill to break the mental barriers that come with consistently falling at the last hurdle.

Onside: Birmingham City’s depth will come in clutch for them this season. Even beyond their big names, the Blues have extremely talented players at every position. Younger players have the benefit of learning from the best, and injury plagues become less of a concern when understudies are equally capable. Seasons are often a matter of survival of the fittest, and a deep roster gives the Blues an edge.

Onside: Not only are the Birmingham City players very skilled, many of them have come up through the club’s development system or spent a few years with the senior team. This benefit of having played with each other for some time now is big. Team chemistry comes to its highest fruition with time, and the familiarity of older players with each other helps newer players integrate into an already well-oiled machine. This is a bonus that could prove very useful down the line.

Players to Watch

There are a lot of Blues that I could mention here, but for the sake of brevity I’ll keep the list to four. Up front, Karen Carney is an experienced international and Olympian who has played in the States; she brings skill, consistency, and mental toughness to Solihull.

Fans of the game should also keep an eye the Blues’ defense. Chelsea Weston, Emily Westwood, and Spanish international Cristina Torkilsen lead a back line that can consistently shut down even the most lethal strikers.

FA WSL Fact

Birmingham City captain Jo Potter has also worked as a football pundit for the BBC since 2007.

Get tickets or catch Birmingham City Ladies live on FATV.

Erin Walters, Sportsister
The Women’s Sport Magazine

Picture credits: Birmingham City Ladies FC, FAWSL

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