The Canada international has already helped the Reds stun two of the Women's Super League's top three and now she'll hope to inspire them to Wembley
It’s the penultimate month of the season and a quadruple remains on the table for Chelsea in their first campaign under Sonia Bompastor. The Blues are in pole position to win the Women’s Super League for a sixth successive season, have already lifted the League Cup trophy and are into the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and the Champions League. But, of course, despite being the dominant force in English women’s football, Chelsea won’t be counting their chickens just yet.
In Europe, they will travel to Catalunya next week to take on a Barcelona side that has won the last two editions of the Champions League. The Blues were actually victorious there when these two met a year ago, but defeat at Stamford Bridge sent them crashing out of the competition in Emma Hayes’ final season at the club. That will surely add more motivation as they prepare to return to the city.
But, before that, it’s all about the FA Cup. On Saturday, Chelsea have a different challenge on their hands, one which they will go into as favourites, as they prepare to welcome Liverpool to town. The Reds have had a mixed season, with Matt Beard leaving his role as head coach at the end of February. However, victory over Arsenal in the quarter-finals showed that they should not be underestimated – especially not with Olivia Smith in their team.
Getty ImagesStar of the show
When Liverpool upset Arsenal in the previous round, Smith was the star of the show. Completing a remarkable eight of her nine attempted dribbles, she quite literally ran rings round the Gunners at times in a shock 1-0 win.
Just five days later, she was at it again, scoring twice to fire the Reds to victory in the league against Manchester United. It was the women’s team’s first win at Anfield and the 20-year-old was right at the heart of it, thriving in a wide position that has suited her well since interim boss Amber Whiteley changed Liverpool’s shape.
Under former boss Beard, Smith was deployed as a striker in a 3-5-2. However, in recent weeks, she has reverted back to the sort of out-and-out winger role that suited her so well in her first stint in Europe, at Sporting CP.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesImmediate impression
Mariana Cabral, Smith’s coach in Lisbon, vividly remembers the first time she became aware of this talented young forward. She was in a meeting with her head scout, Joao Almeida Rosa, when he showed her footage of the Canada international playing for Penn State, one of the top women's soccer college programs in the United States. It took Cabral just seconds to utter a response – and that was to “just go get her”.
“It was just that obvious that she was really good,” Cabral tells GOAL. “A really good fit for us as a young player with a lot of potential, not just with physical qualities but also with technical qualities. She was really powerful, really good on the ball, really good off the ball, pressing, and we were like, 'Yeah, this is like the whole package. Let's go'. “Fortunately, Liv also wanted to change a bit and to grow as a player and to sort of pursue her career a bit more. She wanted to take that step and that's how she got to Portugal.”
Liverpool FCNext steps
Smith spent just one season at college, admitting in an interview with that she just didn’t feel like she “fit in” to the style of play in the U.S. She perfectly suited what Cabral and Sporting were doing, though. In 28 games for the club, she scored 16 goals and provided 10 assists. It was no surprise, then, that Liverpool came calling after only one season.
Cabral admits it was “a difficult feeling”, knowing she was going to lose one of the best players on her team. “Sometimes you have games that are so competitive, that sometimes a player like Liv can whip up something and make a difference, and that's really important,” she notes. However, at the same time, she couldn’t help but be happy for Smith, knowing she was taking the next step of a promising journey that seems destined for the very top.
“Seeing her thrive in her career is really powerful, you know?” she adds. “I get really proud for her, so there's always that part that you get really happy for them and you just want the best for them. I want the best for her anywhere. As long as she's happy and doing well, that's great.”
Getty ImagesJustifying a record-breaking fee
At Liverpool, that certainly appears to be the case. The Reds valued Smith highly from the jump, paying a club-record transfer fee for her services, and she has certainly justified that. As the final four games of the WSL season approach, the 20-year-old is Liverpool’s top-scorer, ranks third on the team for chances created and has completed more dribbles than all but one player across the entire league.
It's not just about her attacking skills, either. Whiteley, the Reds’ interim boss, remarked after victory over Man Utd that Smith's efforts off the ball are "just as good". “We've changed to four at the back, it's so important that you've got your midfield in front working hard to protect your back line and she puts in an incredible shift,” the coach said on , describing Liverpool's No.11 as "phenomenal".
Indeed, only battling full-back Taylor Hinds has won more tackles among the Reds' players than Smith, who also cracks the top five for the number of times she has won possession back for her side.
