London, England – West Ham Women don show strong progress under the leadership of manager Rehanne Skinner, as dem prepare to face Chelsea Women for the Women’s Super League (WSL) match on Sunday, March 30, 2025.
Skinner, who don dey lead the team for the past 18 months, don focus on rebuilding the squad, stressing say improvement no fit happen overnight. “We needed to rebuild, restructure and add quality to the playing squad,” she talk. “Collectively, we’ve managed to chip away at all of those foundations,” she add.
Na January 2024, when players like Katrina Gorry, Kristie Mewis, and Shelina Zadorsky join the team, things begin to change for West Ham. “We knew that we were going to be under the pump all season based on where we were and what we had,” Skinner say, also noting how the January and summer transfer windows help dem to improve.
As it stand now, West Ham dey sit for eighth position in the WSL, just four points from fifth-place Brighton, with five matches left to play. Dem don already score more goals than last season and show better defensive metrics. Dem also reach the semi-finals of the League Cup before dem lose to Chelsea, the same team wey dem go face on Sunday.
“It’s come through building relationships and being really clear with where we started, what the expectations were,” Skinner explain. “We’ve reduced the number of goals we’ve conceded, which was a big thing from last year,” she add, highlighting how player recruitment and tactical adjustments don help dem for this transformation.
One key player wey don contribute to this attacking style na Riko Ueki, wey dey lead her team-mates for shots and shots on target. Skinner talk say, “I think Riko is one of the most underrated players in the league. Her work-rate, positional awareness, and tactical astuteness na on another level.” Ueki dey instrumental to the team as dem dey find new ways to attack.
Another major contributor na Viviane Asseyi, wey don become one of the leaders for the squad. Skinner say, “Vivi has always scored goals in this league, but she’s one of our leaders within our team now. She’s got more responsibility, which is exactly what she needed.” Asseyi don step up her game, providing goals and also showing strong defensive skills.
Despite their previous defeats to Chelsea, Skinner see signs of better performance after dem draw with Manchester City and narrowly lose to Arsenal. “The players have got a really high belief, and it started when we played so well in the second half of the League Cup semi-final against Chelsea,” she explain. “That was a tipping point for us in the style we were trying to play.”
As West Ham prepare to face Chelsea, dem dey ready to test if their improvements fit translate to better performance on the pitch. Skinner emphasize say, “We want to progress every year and we need to be consistent with it.” The match go live on Sky Sports at 4pm, with kick-off at 4:30pm.
