Due to COVID 19 bringing the league to an instant standstill, the 2019/20 Women's Super League season will forever be remembered. 

The league coming to a halt is something that Liverpool Women did not want as they had hopes of pulling themselves out of the relegation zone if the league was resumed when fit to do so. 

With Liverpool’s relegation to the Championship confirmed here is a look at the talking points of the Reds season.

1. Lack of off-field support by Liverpool Football Club

Liverpool Football Club have faced criticism for not supporting their women’s side. The club anthem of  “You’ll Never Walk Alone” has perhaps never sounded more hollow. In February, Liverpool announced new £50 million, 9,200 square-meter training ground facilities which the women’s team have not had access to. The team play their home fixtures and also train at Prenton Park, the home of League Two side Tranmere Rovers

At the start of the season, Liverpool were heavily praised for their message of “one club” as the women’s side joined the men’s first team on a pre-season tour in the USA. They were exalted again as the women’s Merseyside derby was held at Anfield in front of 23,500 spectators.

Fast forward seven months and the “one club” mentality seems to be non-existent as the women’s side will now look to rebuild and get ready for their first season in the Championship. A handful of players have already left the club upon the expiry of their contracts, including Scotland international Christie Murray, who expressed her desire to “be able to enjoy what I love again”. 

2. Record-breaking attendance

Even though the season was poor, the highlight of their season was playing at Anfield Stadium for the Merseyside derby against Everton. The match was spectated in front of 23,500 supporters.

Like the majority of the season, the result did not go Liverpool’s way as they suffered a 1-0 defeat. 

3. Lacking a goalscorer 

The days of Natasha Dowie scoring goals for fun during Liverpool’s title-winning season in 2013 are long gone for the reds. Dowie went on to be the WSL top goalscorer that year. Since then a Liverpool player has not won the golden boot award. 

This season, Liverpool lacked a goalscorer, only scoring eight goals over 14 games. The lack of goals is just one of the reasons why the Reds struggled to pick up points during the course of the season.

 4. Leaking goals at the back 

It was not just scoring goals which Liverpool were lacking in the 2019/20 season, keeping goals out was also a problem for the Reds. They conceded 20 goals in the season, a -12 goal difference made it clear why they were propping up the table. 

Liverpool leave gaps in their defence, they play with two attacking full-backs and this is a way they were leaking goals as their full-backs were chasing back to try and stop a counter-attack from their opponents. The gaps in their defence allowed teams to simply just run through them 

5. Vicky Jepson has a massive challenge of rebuilding 

Liverpool will be in a league alongside the likes of Sheffield United Women, London City Lionesses, London Bees, and Leicester City Women

Manager Vicky Jepson now has her work cut out to rebuild her side ready for the challenge of making it back to the top flight of Women’s football in England.

Liverpool won just once in 14 games last season so will have to seek addition to their squad to prepare for life in the Championship. Preparing for life in the championship is a far cry from a side that won back to back WSL titles in 2013 and 2014. 

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