09 October 2023 , 10:29
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Liverpool boss Matt Beard has questioned the amount of stoppage time being added to Women’s Super League matches amid growing concerns over player welfare.
After a shock victory at Emirates Stadium against league giants Arsenal on the WSL's opening weekend, the Reds continued their fine form with an emphatic 2-0 victory over Aston Villa at home courtesy of goals from Marie Hobinger and Natasha Flint. But Liverpool were forced to see out 13 minutes of stoppage time in the second-half to see out their victory.
And Beard was less than impressed with his side playing the additional minutes on top of the 15 minutes of added time his squad were forced to see out against the Gunners a week prior due to the league's clampdown on time wasting.
“We’ve just played another 105 minutes today. It’s crazy,” the Liverpool boss lamented. “We need to look after the players. They need to look at it because players are going to get injured. It’s as simple as that.”
He added: “You’ve got all these players that haven’t had a break. We’ve had the Euros, the World Cup and we’ve got the Olympics next summer. It’s a worry because it’s too much football. You saw the Chelsea v Manchester City game earlier. It was almost a game in extra time.”
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The WSL has tasked its officials with cracking down on time wasting and dissent this season and the first two weekends of fixtures have seen plenty of controversy.
Chelsea’s dramatic 1-1 draw with City on Sunday was ultimately defined by Alex Greenwood’s remarkable first-half dismissal after the England defender was shown a second yellow for ostensible time wasting.
The 30-year-old, celebrating reaching centurion status with the Citizens, was meant to take a free kick from her half, but the 26 seconds it took between the free kick being given and Greenwood finding a suitable outlet was deemed too much by official Emily Heaslip, who swiftly raced over to the defender and whipped out a yellow card.
The strict adherence to the rules was in stark contrast to Liverpool’s edged victory over Arsenal the weekend prior, in which Heaslip was less eager to punish players winding down the clock.
Player welfare has become a major talking point within women's football after successive summers of major tournaments and an unprecedented slew of injuries to marquee players.
Managers Emma Hayes and Jonas Eidevall of Chelsea and Arsenal respectively have been staunch advocates for a redress of the domestic and international fixture schedules, though the increase in appetite for women's football makes any conversation a difficult one.