Ward backs Arsenal ace Miedema’s call for football authorities to consider player workloads in women’s game
CARLA WARD has backed Vivianne Miedema’s call for football chiefs to listen to fears over player workloads.
The Aston Villa chief’s squad contains several internationals including England star Rachel Daly and Scotland aces Rachel Corsie and Kirsty Hanson.
Today Villa take on Arsenal at home, four days after Gunners star Miedema, 26, flagged the higher number of international breaks in women’s football compared to the men’s game.
Ward, 38, said: “It’s a difficult one because what Miedema said is very true.
“I talked about it after the last window where there were World Cup qualifiers and we had players finishing a game on a Wednesday night with complete heartbreak and then they have to play 48 hours later.
“I’m not sure you’d see that in the men’s game.
“It’s a bigger picture, something that needs to be discussed — and I’ve spoken about that.
“You have to put the welfare of players (first) both mentally and physically
“There’s also mental challenges with that, how they cope with certain emotions of certain games, and then having to come straight back in.”
Today Sunday Villa hope to maintain the form that saw them qualify for the Conti Cup’s knockout phase after finishing top of their table after four group phase games.
And the Gunners will hope to snuff out Daly’s attacking threat with the forward and Man City’s Khadija Shaw currently topping the WSL’s scorers chart with eight goals each.
Daly’s form has seen her win a Barclays Women’s Super League player of the month award for a second time this season.
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall, 39, said: “Rachel Daly has been phenomenal so far this season.
“But it’s not only her unfortunately, we need to focus on Villa as a whole team in order to deal with them and to get the result we want.”
Ward added: “Rachel leads by example and she is the type of personality you need in the changing room.”