05 November 2023 , 15:41
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Aston Villa boss Carla Ward admitted her future is unclear after a 6-0 thrashing by Women’s Super League leaders Chelsea consigned her side to a fifth successive defeat this season.
First-half goals from Millie Bright and Fran Kirby put the Blues in the ascendency, though the hosts managed to keep proceedings competitive largely thanks to Daphne van Domselaar in goal.
But a dismal second-half defensive performance saw a miserable home affair compounded as Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Ashley Lawrence, Aggie Beever-Jones and Niamh Charles etched their name on the score sheet.
The loss leaves Villa marooned at the bottom of the WSL table without a point this campaign, a staggering position for a side that finished fifth last season and were tipped to gate crash the league’s established top four.
And Ward admitted that the poor results could ultimately dictate her future at the club."You're only a few games away from the sack. That's the one certainty in football. It's ruthless," she said.
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"It's a results business. I give the players everything, they give me everything. I will continue to give everything every minute I am here. It's out of my hands. If the board choose to sack me, I will leave with my head held high."
A meeting with the reigning league champions was always going to present a heady task, but the gulf in quality was stark as Emma Hayse' side levied 27 shots at Villa’s goal, 14 of which were on target. Villa, conversely, managed only seven shots with two on target.
The return of Kirsty Hanson from suspension was meant to aid in Villa’s laborious attacking play. But the ongoing absence of creative pulse Kenza Dali has proven conspicuous, with last season’s Golden Boot winner Rachel Daly cutting an increasingly isolated figure in Villa’s line-up.
Uncertainty surrounds Carla Ward's future as Aston Villa manager after a fifth successive league loss (The FA/The FA via Getty Images)Nevertheless, a defiant Ward backed herself to lift the players amid their turgid start to the season, with a trip to fellow stragglers Bristol City next weekend presenting a crucial opportunity to secure the first points of the season.
"One thing I am good at is lifting the players and getting them going again," Ward said. "We've got to stick together. We can't turn, we can't panic. I'm leading the ship, I take a lot of pride in what I do. For as long as I'm here, I'll keep doing that.
"This is a real tough moment for me personally as a manager. It's certainly not a position I've been in. And not a position most of the players have been in. I'm resilient, I won't roll over."