Gotham earned a dominant victory over the Red Stars on Sunday. Here are some things we learned.
- Gotham is for real!
Gotham has been rock steady in the middle of the pack. They've had a couple of chances to prove they belong at the top of the table. It wasn't enough just to shut teams down. We needed a complete performance. One that screamed "we deserve to be here". Gotham did that on Sunday. Gotham dominated from the jump on Sunday. Gotham was dangerous in the attack as well as defensively sound. Chicago tried many different tactics to get going but Gotham stayed true to who they are and came out on top.
- Gotham doesn't change for anyone. Gotham knows who they are and they make the other team adjust to them. Freya has this team so well drilled that you can plug and play this entire lineup and get similar results. This team lost their top defender in Freeman. But would you even know it looking at these results? Cudjo is one of the best defensive midfielders in the league. She hasn't played in two games. Gotham still bossed the middle of the field.
- Gaëtane is an impact player. Chicago had two defensive midfielders trying to clog up the middle to reduce Gaëtane's effectiveness. Thiney just kept moving around and finding space. Pulling the defenders around the park. Making key passes and connecting plays in dangerous spots. Gaëtane is also a big athlete. She is rarely going to get pushed around by defensive mids. So if you can't move her and can't track her you're going to have a tough night if you are marking her. Although she hasn't scored yet you know it's a matter of time. We can't wait.
Can't wait to talk about this game with Ruby on the next podcast. Should be dropping Wednesday at noon. Watch this space.
Gary Gibson