Why Always She? - A Women’s Football Podcast

In this bumper episode, Matt and Charli are joined by WSL stats guru Sam Biccarino (@stattorino on X and Instagram) to dissect Manchester United's 23/24 season to see if they can get to the root of the "poor season" narrative. Where have they lost and gained compared to last season? Where do they go from here?

Charli and Matt round up some of the key events of the weekend, from Chelsea's unravelling in the Champions League to City's title chances with Arsenal up next and no Bunny Shaw. They also touch on Crystal Palace's promotion to the WSL and how they can look to build and stay up beyond next season.   

This week Matt and Charli are talking all things Champions League - starting with Chelsea's tactical masterclass against the seemingly unbeatable Barcelona, and then the breath-taking drama of the clash between Lyon and PSG. They also question how long Barca and Lyon can continue to dominate on the European stage, when they're not being truly tested domestically. 

Matt and Charli get into the events of the FA Cup semi-final weekend, recounting their experience (and heartbreak) watching Leicester take on Spurs in a fantastic advert for women's football outside of the top 4. They then get into Chelsea's shock defeat to Manchester United, the brilliance of Mary Earps and what this could mean for both managers for the rest of the season. 

Charli and Matt recap and dissect the Lionesses' performance in their opening Euro Qualifiers game against Sweden - identifying the (few) positives, and things they might've done differently. They also discuss what it means to select and build an international squad, and how it often comes down to more than just form. 

Charli and Matt share their thoughts from their bumper weekend of football where they attended two closely contested games with very different stakes on the line - Villa vs Leicester and the Conti Cup Final. They also speculate briefly on the Lionesses starting XI for the upcoming Euro qualifier against Sweden. 

This week Matt and Charli get into the nitty gritty on the title race. Can City take advantage of the fact that they're only fighting for the WSL? Can Chelsea use their incredible squad depth and winning pedigree to power through? Also there's a goal of the week (probably season) from our very favourite chaotic Swede. 

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away... (Spoiler alert, there are no actual Star Wars references in the episode).  This week Matt and Charli look ahead and discuss what will happen when one of the most prolific and successful managers in the women's game takes on one of the most prestigious jobs in football. How will Emma Hayes return the US Women's National Team to their former glory? And w...

Following International Women's Day Charli and Matt discuss how we can strive to push past the hundreds of years of misogyny and sexism surrounding the women's game. They also (of course) find any excuse to talk about Leicester - but quite rightly, as they've just made history by getting through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time. They also speculate a little bit on the state of M...

With Arsenal still hanging on in there in the title race, Charli and Matt discuss their challenges breaking down low blocks, how best to use their myriad of attacking talent, and the versatility of Katie McCabe (try her as keeper Jonas, we dare you).  WARNING: SOME STRONG LANGUAGE

In part 2 of this mini-series, Charli and Matt wrap up their vibe check of the WSL "Other 8" by talking about Leicester, Liverpool, Spurs and West Ham. They even manage not to bang on about Leicester too much.     Shout out to u/Redspark17 on Reddit and Sam Biccarino (@stattorino) for their stats.    WARNING: SOME STRONG LANGUAGE

As the WSL title race appears to (for now) still be a title race, Charli and Matt naturally turn their attention away from the top 4 to talk about the "Other 8". Digging in to key stats, recent history and key players for Villa, Brighton, Bristol and Everton in the first part of this mini "series". Also strap in for Charli's longest and hottest take yet.    WARNING: SOME STRONG LANGUAGE

Does the WSL have a competition problem? Should we be more like the NWSL? We discuss the parity of the leagues in Europe and beyond. Charli explains why Man City probably have an imminent squad issue and we give our GASP of the week from the FA Cup 5th Round.

Charli and Matt speculate about the Lionesses squad ahead of their February friendlies, what this means for the near future and how Sarina can use this "year off" to build as we look towards the Euros. Charli makes an impassioned (some may say delusional) plea to Sarina to join the squad as a maverick star striker.  WARNING: SOME STRONG LANGUAGE

Matt and Charli discuss the commercial side of women's football and the outlook in the near future for the WSL and Championship with the takeover by s**tly named NewCo. They also give a shout out to a player who's scored the most ridiculous goal so far this season, and Matt suggest some interesting new rules for the Conti Cup.    WARNING: SOME STRONG LANGUAGE

It's the crossover no one asked for! In this episode, Charli and Matt discuss which of the Lionesses would do well on The Traitors. Spoiler alert for both series of The Traitors UK. They also delve into the problems at Manchester United and attempt to answer the question on everyone's lips - Skinner Out?    WARNING: SOME STRONG LANGUAGE

Welcome to Why Always She? - a podcast about becoming obsessed with women's football.  In our very first episode, Charli and Matt chat about why they came to become so invested in the women's game, give us their hot takes on player lists and awards, give a shout out to two players they're loving at the moment and pick their GASP (Goal, Assist, Save or Pass) of the week.  WARNING: SOME STRONG LANGU...