Tottenham full-back Ashleigh Neville will forever be proud of fulfilling one lifelong goal but has not yet given up hope of achieving a dream England call-up.
It was only four years ago that Neville quit her teaching job in Birmingham to concentrate fully on football after Spurs’ promotion to the Women’s Super League.
Fast forward to the present and Neville has become one of the division’s most consistent performers, despite playing across numerous positions and amid a rollercoaster period for Tottenham.
Neville played a key role in Spurs’ fifth-place finish in 2022 but still missed out on Sarina Wiegman’s England squad for the Euros and, while her club battled relegation last season, the 30-year-old’s performances remained excellent.
Wiegman acknowledged 12 months ago that Neville was doing a “really good job”, but the emergence of Chelsea’s Niamh Charles alongside system tweaks and forward Rachel Daly being used as a makeshift left-back has meant she remains uncapped.
Nevertheless, Neville is full of pride at being in her fifth season as a full-time professional and relishing life under new Tottenham boss Robert Vilahamn.
“I always wanted to play for England,” Neville told the PA news agency ahead of next week’s north London derby with Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“That was kind of my dream when I was a kid, but I never thought I would play professional football when I was a young girl because it wasn’t possible back then.
“I am obviously proud of where I have come from and where I’m at.
“Since Robert’s come in, it has probably been the most consistent I have been as a player looking back at stats and games.
“If that call-up comes, it comes, and it would be nice to play for my country, but we have a great team so I can’t really fault the (England) girls for what they do.
“I am just happy at Spurs and that’s where my head and focus is at, but if that call comes then great.”
Neville impressed during Tottenham’s battle to stay in the WSL last season, scoring three times and providing two assists while playing in both full-back positions or further forward under ex-boss Rehanne Skinner.
Vilahamn’s arrival this summer has resulted in a shift of philosophy, with Spurs eager to dominate possession and attack at every opportunity.
It helped Vilahamn make a flying start, but sixth-placed Tottenham suffered a chastening second defeat of the season before the international break when they went down 7-0 at Manchester City.
Neville said: “We spoke at the end of the game and a few people were disheartened, which I understand because no one likes losing and especially not when it’s 7-0, but I said in the huddle this won’t define our season.
“It is one game out of the eight we’ve played and we’ve had a really good start. We can’t sit on it. We have to park it and move on and that’s what the girls are ready to do.”
View this post on InstagramLife does not get any easier for Spurs with Manchester United coming up at home on Sunday before two fixtures with Arsenal next week.
The second date with Arsenal on Saturday, December 16 will take place at the men’s 62,850-seater Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“When I first came here, this match wasn’t necessarily a big thing for the women’s team,” Neville reflected.
“I think we have come a long way since then.
“I can remember the first game we played with Arsenal (in 2019), we lost 10-0 and then the season before last we got a draw and had a close game.
“So it will be a really good game and I love the north London derby. They are a battle, but I am all about putting in a big tackle and playing in front of a big crowd so it’s great for the game.
“All the girls believe. People say we’re the underdogs, but I don’t look at us like that. We are just as good as Arsenal.”
Schwarz believes pressure will bring out the best in Red Bulls
New York Red Bulls head coach Sandro Schwarz says pressure is good for players as they prepare to face rivals New York City FC in the MLS Eastern Conference semifinal.
The Red Bulls beat defending MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew 1-0 in the first of their best-of-three series before edging them 5-4 on penalties in Game 2.
They are playing in the semifinals for the first time since 2018, though it is the first time they are meeting their city rivals in the postseason in their history.
Schwarz acknowledged there was a lot riding on this game but is sure the pressure can bring out the best in his team.
"To feel the pressure as a player and head coach is good," he told reporters. "We need the pressure to bring our best performance and level.
"Without pressure, it's not possible. Now we have this historic derby on Saturday and we're very excited.
"Our main target is to win this game, but our focus is to get a result like we had against Columbus. The last three weeks have been looking at how we can create our best performance for Saturday."
Meanwhile, NYCFC had to come from behind in round one after losing their first match to FC Cincinnati but won the second at home before going through with a 6-5 penalty shootout win in the decider.
Head coach Nick Cushing is delighted to have home advantage for the semifinal tie but says he is not yet thinking about securing the same fate in the next round.
"I've learned over my tenure here as assistant coach and as head coach that the next game is the most important part," Cushing said.
"The whole focus is hosting a playoff semifinal at home. We're really proud that we've done everything to get to this opportunity, but there are many more challenges ahead, and we cannot look further than the first 10 minutes of the game, because that is our main focus.
"And then, through there, we have a game plan and half-time. We're working through this game, and that is our whole focus."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New York City FC – Alonzo Martinez
Twelve of Alonzo Martinez's 17 goals this season (regular season and playoffs) have been scored in home matches, while Santiago Rodriguez has scored 11 of his 13 goals at home.
Both players found the net in NYCFC's home win over Cincinnati in Game 2 of their first-round series.
New York Red Bulls – Emil Forsberg
Emil Forsberg became the 14th different Red Bulls player to record a goal and an assist in a single playoff match in Game 2 of New York's first-round series against Columbus Crew.
No player has more than one such game in the team's postseason history.
MATCH PREDICTION: NEW YORK CITY FC WIN
This will be the first playoff meeting between New York City FC and the Red Bulls, but the fifth in knockout rounds in all competitions.
The Red Bulls eliminated NYCFC in each of the previous four knockout round meetings, doing so in the US Open Cup three times and the Leagues Cup once.
NYCFC has won five of their eight all-time home playoff matches, including the last three in a row. All three teams that defeated NYCFC on the road in the playoffs went on to reach the MLS Cup Final (Toronto FC in 2016 & 2019, Atlanta United in 2018).
The Red Bulls' 1-0 win at Columbus in Game 1 on October 29 ended a six-match road losing streak in postseason play for the club. The Red Bulls have won multiple road playoff games in a single season twice before, doing so in 2008 and 2017.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
New York City FC – 46.5%
Draw – 26.5%
New York Red Bulls – 27%
WSL: Something must give as perfect Chelsea face unbeaten Man Utd
Something has to give in the Women's Super League on Sunday, as Chelsea put their perfect record on the line versus Manchester United, the only other unbeaten team in the division.
The clash at Kingsmeadow was postponed earlier in the season due to player welfare issues arising from the Blues' busy Champions League schedule. This is therefore the last fixture before the international break and will draw all 12 teams even on eight matches played.
While Sonia Bompastor's Chelsea made history with last week's victory over title rivals Manchester City, this is United's longest unbeaten start to a WSL campaign since they went through 10 matchdays without defeat in 2020-21.
A Chelsea victory would see the defending champions take a commanding five-point lead at the summit ahead of the hiatus, while a United win could blow the title race wide open. Which way will it go?
Leading the Pack
Despite a change in the dugout, Chelsea have started this season with the same relentless pace as they ended Emma Hayes' reign, with Wednesday's 3-0 win over Celtic making it 11 victories in as many games across all competitions.
Chelsea earned a reputation as mentality monsters under Hayes, but this is actually their best-ever start to a WSL season.
They have never scored more goals (25), conceded fewer goals (three), had a higher goal difference (+22) or a higher points total (21) than their current tallies after seven matches of a campaign.
Dating back to last season, the Blues have won 10 consecutive WSL matches, their longest ever winning run in the competition. The last team to have a longer winning run was City, who registered 14 straight victories between November and April last season.
Last Saturday, with a 2-0 win over City at Stamford Bridge, Bompastor became the first manager to triumph in each of their first seven games in charge of a team in the WSL. Chelsea, meanwhile, are just the third team in WSL history to win each of their opening seven games of a season, after Man City (2017-18) and Arsenal (2018-19).
This is nothing new for Bompastor, who has won 40 of her last 42 league matches as a manager with Lyon and Chelsea.
Across her career as a whole, Bompastor now averages 2.66 points per game and has a brilliant 85.9% win ratio across all competitions, having won 110 of her 128 competitive matches as a head coach. Her teams have shipped just 78 goals while plundering 414.
Marc Skinner’s United find themselves in the chasing pack, six points back of Chelsea in fifth but knowing a win could take them second. The likes of City, Brighton and Arsenal may be quietly cheering them on in the hope that they can prevent Chelsea from pulling away.
United have, though, drawn three of their last five games, with a home stalemate versus Aston Villa earlier this month a particular source of frustration.
They have, however, been incredibly tough to beat, something that can be attributed to their excellent defensive record. Across Europe's top five leagues, Lyon and United (two each) are the only teams to have conceded fewer goals than Chelsea (three) in league play this campaign.
United have therefore conceded the fewest goals in the WSL this season.They are one of just three teams to concede two or fewer goals after seven games of a WSL season, along with Birmingham City in 2011 (two) and Man City in both 2016 (none) and 2019-20 (one).
Chelsea have already scored 25 league goals this term, with their xG (expected goals) overperformance of +10.2 (14.8 xG) being comfortably the best in the WSL. United's defence can expect to face its toughest test yet, and they must hold firm if they are to earn a result.
Colombian Queen
One Chelsea player to really stand out this season is Colombia forward Mayra Ramirez. Her power, agility and skill has left defenders shaken across the league, with several big goals – including one versus title rivals Arsenal – showing why the Blues splashed out to acquire her.
She joined in January from Levante for a British record €450,000 (£375,000) plus add-ons. The 25-year-old has wasted no time in acclimatising to the WSL and becoming a focal point for Bompastor's attack, with six goals and four assists in 13 league games for Chelsea.
She is averaging a goal or assist every 79 minutes in the WSL. In league history, only four players have a better minutes per goal or assist ratio than Ramirez (minimum 500 minutes played).
She has scored three and assisted two in Chelsea's seven league games in 2024-25, putting her level with Guru Reiten (five goals) and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (three goals, two assists) for the most goal involvements for the Blues this campaign.
Only Man City duo Lauren Hemp (seven) and Khadija Shaw (eight) have registered more goal contributions than the Chelsea trio this season.
Bompastor's Blues certainly give their forwards plenty of opportunities, with Ramirez recording 40 of her touches (19.8%) in the opposition area this season. Only five WSL players have recorded a greater percentage of touches in opposing areas in 2024-25 (minimum 20 touches in the opposition box).
Ramirez's physical prowess only adds to her reputation as an all-round threat. Ramirez has contested more duels (79) than any other Chelsea player this term, winning 27 of them. Only Lucy Bronze (30), Sjoeke Nusken (34) and Millie Bright (35) have won more duels for the Blues. Having a forward who is not afraid to lead the press from the front helps Bompastor's team pen teams in – only Man City (86 times) have won possession in the final third more often than Chelsea (68) in the WSL this season.
While City have forced more high turnovers (134 to 122) and shot-ending high turnovers (32 to 22) than Chelsea this term, the Blues have turned six of their high turnovers into goals, compared to five for Gareth Taylor's team.
Ramirez has quickly established herself as one of the WSL's best all-round forwards and will be one to watch on Sunday.
United’s Saving Grace
United, meanwhile, will be relying on Grace Clinton, who has picked up where she left off after enjoying a breakout campaign on loan at Tottenham in 2023-24.
Clinton is not only United’s leading scorer with three league goals this term, but also contributes out of possession, contesting 111 duels to rank second in the WSL, behind Katie Stengel (113).
She has won 55 of these duels, more than any other player in the WSL, while she also leads all of her Red Devils team-mates for tackles attempted (26) and won (17).
She recently shone for England in a 2-1 friendly win over South Africa, leading many to suggest she could be the long-term midfield solution for both club and country.
Clinton's ability to hit the box from deep has become a key facet of her game, and only striker Elisabeth Terland (35) has had more touches in the opposition box among United players than her 23. Clinton is also second to Terland for shots taken (15) among United players.
Clinton is not the only player to watch in red, though. Since the start of October, only Man City duo Hemp (two goals, five assists) and Shaw (six goals, one assist) have been involved in more WSL goals than Celin Bizet (one goal, three assists), who got off the mark for the club versus Leicester City last time out.
Another standout performer has been defender Maya Le Tissier. While United's resolute rearguard has put them among the chasing pack early on this term, it is with the ball that she really stands out from the crowd.
Le Tissier has enjoyed a team-leading 601 touches in the WSL this term, averaging 85.8 per game, while no United player has attempted (505) or completed (397) as many passes as she has.
Only Man City’s Alex Greenwood (120) – an England colleague of Le Tissier's – has played more passes ending in the final third than her 90, among all WSL players.
Red Devils face Uphill Battle
While United have been excellent in defence so far this term, keeping a league-high five clean sheets, their 8.2 expected goals against (xGA) is just the fourth-best figure in the league, trailing Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City and suggesting they have benefited from poor finishing by opposing sides.
They may not get any good fortune at Kingsmeadow. Chelsea have put away 14 of their 23 big chances (60.9%) in 2024-25, while United have converted eight of their 17 (47.1%). If Skinner's team are to halt Chelsea's perfect start, they will need to combine solidity at the back with greater ruthlessness at the other end.
Chelsea are very much a bogey team for United, who have beaten every WSL team they have faced except for the Blues, drawing once and losing eight times against them to date.
They have lost more games, scored fewer goals (seven) and conceded more goals (27) against Chelsea than they have against any other opponent, being routed 6-0 when the teams last met on the final day of 2023-24, as Hayes' Blues clinched a fifth straight league title.
The Opta supercomputer gives United a very slim chance of changing the record this weekend. Our predictive model had them coming out on top in just 12.2% of pre-match simulations, with a 16.3% chance of earning a draw.
Chelsea are heavy favourites to win, triumphing in 71.5% of scenarios. The Blues currently retain their title in a whopping 90.1% of the supercomputer's season simulations, with United topping the pile in 0.1%.
Should Bompastor oversee another success against a potential rival, talk of Chelsea achieving the first unbeaten 22-game WSL season will only intensity. There remains a long way to go, but all the signs suggest they will take some stopping.
Serie A side Genoa confirm sacking of head coach Gilardino
Serie A side Genoa have confirmed the departure of their head coach Alberto Gilardino, with Patrick Vieira reportedly on his way in.
Gilardino, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, leaves the club with them sitting just one point above the relegation size with 10 points from 12 matches this season.
A former striker who played for clubs including Genoa, Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina, Gilardino took charge of Genoa in 2022 and helped them earn promotion to the top division before a 11th-place finish during the 2023-24 season.
"The club thanks Gilardino for the goals achieved together over the years and wishes him the best for his career," Genoa said in a statement.
The 42-year-old saw his side salvage a late 1-1 draw against Cesc Fabregas' Como in their last match before the international break.
Genoa were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia in the second round following a defeat to Sampdoria on penalties in September.
Arsenal legend Vieira is set to replace him, according to multiple reports.
The former France midfielder has been out of work since leaving Strasbourg by mutual consent in July.
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