Wolves Women defender Anna Morphet dissects the central defensive position before delving into the future to predict what her career, Wolves Women and women’s football could look like in five years’ time.
Did you always want to play centre back?
Thinking back to when I was a little kid, I don’t think it was a position I chose. Like every person you start off wanting to score the goals and play as an attacker, but as you grow up and you work out what your strengths are and what you’re not so good at, it was a position that suited me.
What is the best part of playing centre back?
The main aim of football is to try and score goals and win games, but there’s something different in having that pride in keeping a clean sheet and do the dirty work and the stuff that won’t make the headlines. When you can shut out the opposition, it’s a big achievement.
What is the hardest part of playing centre back?
I would say the mental concentration. You’ve always got to be switched on because you are the last line of defence – bar the goalkeeper – so you have to make sure you’re doing things properly for the whole game because any mistake could lead to a big chance.
What qualities are needed to play centre back?
You must have good communication because you’ve got to keep the back line in order and in position and you’ve got to keep an eye on the other team as well. You’ve also got to be brave, willing to put your body on the line, happy to do the hard graft but also be composed with the ball at your feet.
What do you work on most as a centre back?
It can vary. The way we as Wolves approach games is that, although we have our own way of playing and identity, we adapt game to game with who the opposition are, but we always work tactically and positionally when we’re out of possession.
What other position would you like to play?
It’s very similar, but I would like to play as a number four or a central midfielder so I could get forward a little bit more. I only score goals because I’m on set-pieces and I’d be lying to say I didn’t want to score more goals, so maybe that would be my chance.
What is the hardest other position to play?
All positions have their challenges, but probably central midfield because of how aware and tidy on the ball you’ve always got to be. You’ve always got to be looking over your shoulder, you’ve got to be reactive and you’ve got to be creative at times.
Which other centre back do you watch and learn from?
I always pick out Millie Bright. She’s always very good at dominating in the air and especially in the women’s game, although it’s still very physical, it’s really noticeable when you have a really dominating player. But both defending and attacking, she offers so much for her teams.
In five years’ time…
Personal achievements
I would love to be playing in the Championship with Wolves. It’s been a goal of mine and for the club for the last year or two, and personally, I want to push myself on as high up the leagues as I can go. It’s difficult to look so far ahead, but playing in the Championship with Wolves is definitely a priority for me to try to achieve.
Wolves’ future
I’d want Wolves to be playing in the Championship, absolutely. It’s obviously been the goal for the last two years and this year as well. It’s where we’re hoping to get to and we are making progress, but with how quickly the women’s game is growing, it just makes things tougher. But with the backing of the club and the quality in the team at the moment, we’ve certainly got the chance to make a really good challenge to get there.
Hopes for the women’s game
I hope it progresses in the same way it’s doing now. To see tier three teams going semi-pro or professional is amazing, and I hope it continues that there is support all the way down the pyramid of football and it doesn’t become too segregated between the top two leagues and the rest of us.
Changes to women’s football
I hope the sport gets more support, financially and otherwise, not just for the top two leagues, but also for tier three and wider across the board at grassroots level because you don’t want a gap between the tiers. But even in the tier we’re in at the moment, there’s quite a gap in funding and financial support between teams, so I hope it continues to progress, but that there doesn’t become a gulf between leagues.
Remembering the current Wolves team
We pride ourselves at being such a city club. You always want to be remembered as every player that plays for Wolves lives and dies for the shirt – not being cringey! You want to be remembered as a team that always gives their all on the pitch, and it’s always team first and badge first, and that’s a big part of the way we’re playing now.
This article originally featured in Wolves' official 2023/24 matchday programme. Last season's programmes are still available to purchase online through retailers Curtis Sports.
