WSL talking points: Ill boss Hayes may miss game

Chelsea general manager Paul Green stepped in for Emma Hayes at training on Friday

Things are heating up at the top and bottom of the Women's Super League, with the title race and relegation fight both wide open.

Down at the bottom, Leicester are seeking a third win in five games as they try to claw their way out of the drop zone.

There are plenty of other talking points and matters to be resolved as the season's endgame comes into view.

Hayes a doubt for Man Utd

Chelsea face being without manager Emma Hayes at Kingsmeadow on Sunday after she missed both training and her press conference on Friday through illness.

General manager Paul Green stepped in for Hayes at the conference, and will take charge of the team alongside assistant Denise Reddy on Sunday if the manager is unavailable.

The pair have recent experience in the dugout, having taken charge of Chelsea for six weeks earlier this season when Hayes took time off to recover from an emergency hysterectomy.

Hayes remained connected to matters on the pitch via an earpiece - and the same method will be employed this weekend if she does not recover in time.

Green described Hayes as a doubt but added that she had a "higher than 50-50 chance" of being well enough.

Arsenal v Liverpool 'a poor advert'

Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-0 in the WSL in rainy conditions on Wednesday

Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall said their WSL win over Liverpool on Wednesday was a "poor advert for women's football", criticising the facilities and coverage of the game as "out of order".

The match was broadcast on FA Player, with the one camera used to show the game often blurry because of the poor weather conditions, while the scoreboard at Meadow Park was not working.

Speaking before Arsenal's match at Meadow Park against Reading on Sunday, Eidevall said it demonstrated the disparity between the big matches in women's football - such as the League Cup final played at Selhurst Park last Sunday - and the challenges faced on a regular basis.

"Wednesday was a poor advertisement for women's football," he said. "Sunday was great occasion, then on Wednesday we didn't have a scoreboard that worked, the broadcast quality was out of order.

"If we want to raise the standards for our games and women's football, it has to be better than that. We need a higher standard for the league."

'Remarkable' Shaw keeps scoring

After losing their opening two matches in the WSL this season, Manchester City have won 10 and drawn two of their subsequent 12 to move firmly into the title picture.

A large part of that is down to Khadija Shaw, who scored a hat-trick in the 3-1 win over Tottenham last weekend to move onto 13 goals from 14 league games this season.

Shaw could cash in again against Brighton on Sunday, with the Seagulls having the worst defence in the WSL so far this season, conceding 42 goals in just 12 games.

City manager Gareth Taylor said of the Jamaican striker: "We saw good things last season, but it is really impressive what she has done from the the first game of the season to now. Usually strikers have a lull, but she hasn't had one, it is remarkable."

Khadija Shaw is averaging a goal every 93 minutes in the WSL this season

Skinner under pressure

Liverpool face Tottenham this weekend in a game in which the winner can start looking towards mid-table while the loser faces being dragged further into the relegation mire.

Spurs sit just three points off the bottom after a truly dire run of form which has seen them lose their last eight WSL matches.

Manager Rehanne Skinner insisted this week that she is not concerned about her position, describing the job as a "long-term project" and that Spurs have "taken huge strides forward collectively".

She said: "The belief and confidence in the group is high. We have been evolving. We have played some really tough teams in the run we've had. I've got every belief and confidence in the players and what we're achieving here.

"It's just a matter of time really."

Liverpool's injury woes

Liverpool manager Matt Beard, whose side are five points clear of the drop, has a large number of players unavailable for their weekend WSL meeting with Tottenham.

Midfielder Mel Lawley has a hip issue, has seen a specialist and had scans with no timescale on her return. Forward Shanice van de Sanden is out for around two weeks, while defensive midfielder Niamh Fahey could return against Everton on 24 March.

Defender Jasmine Mathews has a hip issue, centre back Rhiannon Roberts is out with concussion, striker Natasha Dowie is about four weeks away from returning and fellow forward Leanne Kiernan is a long-term absentee as well.

"It's been a frustrating period," Beard said.