Man Utd Women analysis with former keeper, Siobhan Chamberlain

Pre-season performance

“It’s been good because it’s been a mixture. Going to Toulouse for the pre-season tournament was tough but those are the kinds of fixtures you want. Tottenham went out to America and played some difficult games. It could be easy to stay in your country in pre-season and just play lower league teams in England and get comfortable victories, but it’s not going to test you or let you know where you’re at. 

“Getting the win against PSG was massive but it was a difficult result against Bayern Munich - both two top teams. Having international players coming back so late makes that a lot more difficult. It’s difficult for every team I’m sure with integrating players coming back from the Euros and other international tournaments. I know Rehanne Skinner spoke about the difficulties of players coming back from Australia and Asia a day before a match. 

“It’s crazy but potentially that’s why you have big squads and invest more in the game at the moment because you know there will be those difficulties. United will be happy pre-season wise, but I’m not sure Marc Skinner will definitely know his strongest 11 just yet because I don’t think he’s had the opportunity to play the strongest 11 all together, so it will be really interesting to see what team he goes with on Saturday.

“Maya Le Tissier has been brilliant I think. She really stood out for me against PSG in a centre-back role. She’s also played a bit at right-back and is definitely one to watch for the future. She’s just got back from England Under-23s where she captained the side and is definitely one to keep an eye on. It will be interesting to see where United utilise her as she can play in a number of positions. 

“Also Lucía García, the Spanish international, as well as the youngster from Everton, Grace Clinton, those two have combined. They haven’t had a lot of game time yet necessarily but the way they’ve combined together when they’ve come on has looked really exciting.

‘Everybody wants to be in the top three’

“Definitely getting into the Champions League spots is the aim. At the end of last season, it was potentially difficult for the players to accept the fact that they didn’t get Champions League after being pipped at the post by Manchester City. 

“Everybody now wants to be in that top three because that’s what’s going to attract more players. The top players in Europe want to play in the Champions League, so I’m sure it will be up there on Tottenham’s agenda as well after finishing fifth. 

“They’ll be looking at trying to break into that, although there was a ten point gap to United in fourth, but Tottenham have invested heavily in their side, so it will be a really interesting season to see who can stay up there with probably Chelsea and Arsenal, depending on how Man City cope with the changes that they’ve had over the pre-season. The third place could be up for anyone to go for.

Last season’s meetings

“It was a last minute equaliser wasn’t it in the 1-1 draw? That was one of United’s biggest problems last season. They lost too many points at the end of games. It’s about making sure you’ve got the game management to see results through. 

“On the flip side of that, for Tottenham to be able to keep maintaining that pressure and to have the mentality to get that last minute equaliser was huge for them and a huge learning point for United to improve on this season if they are going to try to finish third. 

“The 3-0 win was quite a comfortable one in the end. Tottenham had a much better start to the season than the second half, so they’ll be looking at how they can maintain performances over the whole season. United had a brilliant season last year but lost points at silly, unnecessary moments, which ultimately cost them.

‘It’s about maintaining those crowds’

“Euro 2022 was huge. Having games at big stadiums, if you can get big crowds supporting them, is brilliant. The north London derby is at around 40,000 at the moment, which will be an incredible atmosphere to play in. It needs to be marketed and promoted well for people to actually come to the games. 

“Sometimes, when you play in huge stadiums and they’re not full or haven’t got big crowds, it can kill the atmosphere. At the same time, the players and teams deserve to play on the best pitches at the best stadiums with the biggest crowds. Sometimes the actual home grounds of a lot of the teams are very small. 

“Arsenal and Chelsea are small and selling out easily. 9,000 at Leyton Orient isn’t a bad capacity. If you can get more week in, week out, then you want them at the big stadiums, but it’s about that consistency of maintaining those crowds, getting bums on seats and getting people buying into the team. It needs to become their habit of going to watch their team.

Turner to Tottenham

“I’m sure Amy will be flying in with a few tackles early doors! She’s a brilliant person as well as a brilliant player and to have her back in the WSL is great. I’m sure she’ll have no love lost on the pitch with any of her former Manchester United teammates. She’ll one hundred percent give absolutely everything to the cause and to her team. She’ll be a great addition to Tottenham. Off the pitch, I’m sure she’ll be having chats and hugs with her former teammates but not during the 90 minutes.

‘Williams knows how to be a leader’

“I haven’t seen Rachel Williams on the pitch at the moment. She hasn’t had a lot of game time, but for me to have her experience in and around the dressing room is going to be key. She’s got so much knowledge of the game and understanding of how to get three points across the line when you might be under the cosh in the last five or ten minutes. Her game management and understanding of how to be competitive and how to be a leader is going to be invaluable in a team that’s got quite a few young players.

“I’m really excited. I’m gutted that I can’t go on Saturday, but I’m very heavily pregnant! I don’t think a trip to London and an exciting football match is a sensible idea, but I’ll definitely be sitting watching from home and it’s a brilliant opportunity for the WSL and women’s football in England to continue on that huge growth.”