Best league in the world? That’s open to more debate than the English media may have you believe, but it’s fairer to say that the Women’s Super League is an outlier among its prominent European contemporaries, in that it’s difficult to predict with certainty just who will lift the trophy come the season’s end.
With that in mind, let’s look at last season’s Top 5, and how the best laid plans could work—or not work—for them this season.
CHELSEA
If Things Go Well
Emma Hayes has gone, so are perennial champions Chelsea now vulnerable?
Well, consider this. Chelsea will probably line up in some version of a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 formation. Here are the options for their front three or four: Lauren James, Guro Reiten, Aggie Beever-Jones, Mayra Ramirez, Sandy Baltimore, Maika Hamano, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, and, injury questions notwithstanding, Cat Macario, Mia Fishel, and Sam Kerr.
One could argue that, as far as volume, versatility and quality goes, a better battery of attackers cannot be found at any other club in any other league. Chelsea have numerous get-out-of-jail cards if they find themselves in trouble during the season. And more pertinently, they understand how to navigate a title run-in, whether leading from the front or chasing the leader.
Chelsea have it in them to win every domestic trophy, as they will start most games they play this season as presumptive favourites. But this isn’t always the case in the Champions League. However, the past couple of seasons has seen them get closer to knocking off the current holders, Barcelona—something Bompastor has managed at Lyon. Do not be surprised if this is the campaign in which Chelsea lift the Champions League for the first time.
If Things Don’t Go Well
Emma Hayes has gone, so are perennial champions Chelsea now vulnerable?
While Hayes’ departure isn’t likely to precipitate Chelsea imploding, there’s definitely scope for a measure of disruption. Not because Bompastor isn’t capable, but a new voice after the last one proved so successful can bring some unease. The test will come when Chelsea have a wobble, such as going a couple of games without a win; would some of Hayes’ stalwarts start to question Bompastor’s methods? Whatever their public messaging, do the players truly comprehend that when things get tough, Emma Hayes is not walking back through that door?
There’s also questions in defence. It’s just as well that captain Millie Bright is one of the most resilient players in the game, as she’s played through the pain barrier for around two years. Their remaining centre-halves have shown themselves to be good, but not great. Jess Carter was blossoming into a world-class defender, as well as a versatile one. Her departure for Gotham FC will denude the backline. Despite Chelsea’s attacking riches, titles are usually won off the back of clean sheets.
And while their numbers in attack are plentiful, we can’t be certain of what condition Sam Kerr and Cat Macario will be in as the season progresses. ACL recoveries aren’t always in a straight line. If Kerr and Macario’s contributions are limited this campaign, then it puts real pressure on goals to come from elsewhere, particularly Ramirez and Beever-Jones.
MANCHESTER CITY
If Things Go Well
If you win the league, it’s because you deserved to. But it’s also true that while Chelsea were worthy champions, last season’s WSL was City’s to lose—and they found a way to lose it. A painful lesson, but one that could give them the requisite experience to ensure they don’t falter in the run-in again.
The main thing this City squad lacked was depth. But they have gone some way towards rectifying that in the summer. Injuries will be—on paper—less damaging to their hopes of success this season. They have arguably the WSL’s best centre-half in Alex Greenwood, definitely the best Number 6 in Yui Hasegawa, and currently the best 9 in Bunny Shaw.
And then we have the addition of Vivienne Miedema. As mentioned before on these pages, Miedema is something of an unknown after her ACL injury. But if she’s even 75% of the player she was before 2023, City basically have a hand grenade that can blow apart any locked door.
This team should finish no lower than 2nd. They will expect to finish 1st.
If Things Don’t Go Well
Yes, City have a bigger and better squad. But they’ll likely have a number of extra matches to play. Champions League qualification means they’ll have to navigate three matches a week, at least until the winter break. This is uncharted territory for manager Gareth Taylor. Not just managing his players’ minutes, but also the differing challenges of European football, as well having less time to prepare for games.
While Taylor silenced some sceptics (me, I am sceptics) with how well he managed the team last season, he will be under considerably more scrutiny this season. And after that aforementioned loss to Arsenal, Taylor admitted the players lost control defending a 1-0 lead, which ultimately cost them the title. Any such loss of nerve this time around and one will start to wonder whether City are destined to be nothing more than regular silver medallists.
By all accounts, they are a close-knit group. But there were whispers that Chloe Kelly had one eye on the exit door when she lost her place in the starting XI to Mary Fowler. City’s bench will regularly feature three to five players who will expect to start. This is an issue at most top clubs, but until we see City deftly manage this, we can’t say for certain that it won’t unsettle them. Dealing with an increased workload and ensuring the stability of the group are City’s two key challenges. Fail to manage one of them, and it could be another trophyless season. Fail to manage both, and they might find themselves in a battle just to remain in the WSL top three.
ARSENAL
If Things Go Well
The narrative has been set: Arsenal are out of excuses. So anything less than the WSL title (or the Champions League) will cause enough eye-rolling to put one’s retinas at risk. Personally I’m not of the mind that this campaign is the title or bust. However, Arsenal do have to make a challenge of the type not seen since manager Jonas Eidevall’s first season in North London, when they missed out on being champions by a single point.
There aren’t many holes in their squad, so unless they have an apocalyptic injury crisis to match the one they had in 2022/23, any Arsenal XI will be among the strongest an English team can provide. Last season, their stellar record against direct rivals showed that Arsenal have a very high ceiling; add consistency to this and they become part of the title conversation in practice, instead of just in theory.
Their run to the Champions League semi-finals two years ago demonstrated they also have it in them to do some damage in that competition-assuming they come through the preliminary stages-and it’s worth mentioning that despite having lifted it more than any other team, it’s been eight years since Arsenal won the F.A. Cup; it’s a trophy that seems overdue for them to win.
If Things Don’t Go Well
Make no mistake, there’s no WSL manager under more pressure this season than Jonas Eidevall. For reasons partly unrelated to results, Eidevall has become an immensely polarising figure. And with him being solely (and unfairly, in my view) blamed for Miedema’s departure to Manchester City, every decision he makes, and every bad result, will be framed under the prism of Miedema no longer wearing Arsenal’s red and white. Their early fixture list is an awkward one. They could easily reach Halloween having already lost twice, and it doesn’t seem like it will take much for the mood from fans to swiftly curdle.
While I also feel Eidevall has a strong understanding of the game, I’m less confident about his ability to manage his players on a human level. Essentially, he and his coaching staff seem like a group of knowledgeable “bad cops”. Without a “good cop” to balance things out, there’s a danger of the season unravelling when difficulties present themselves. The mental state of this team will probably be revealed when they go behind in a game; or how they respond after a bad result.
A more prosaic problem is that while Arsenal have a number of good attackers, who’s going to score consistently? To win the title, your top scorer probably needs a goal total in the high teens/early twenties. Alessia Russo, Beth Mead, Stina Blackstenius—all capable of hitting double figures, but will any of them get around 18 or more? (I also wouldn’t be mad if any of them see this and end up scoring a ton of goals just to spite me.)
A bigger issue could be the absence of Victoria Pelova due to an ACL rupture. For my money, she was Arsenal’s star performer last season, and is highly skilled at connecting the midfield to the attack. This puts extra demands on Kyra Cooney-Cross, who, while offering something different in midfield, isn’t as technically adept or press-resistant.
New signing Raso Kafaji is not only an exciting addition, but—at this early stage in her career—also feels like a player who might sum up where this Arsenal side are: a team with a very high ceiling, but too low a floor to stay the course over the whole season.
LIVERPOOL
If Things Go Well
Matt Beard showed himself one of the best managers in English football, guiding an unheralded Liverpool team to 4th last season. But success for Liverpool this campaign would be consolidation. Too often teams that overachieve falter next time out with the attendant rise in expectation. More than their final league position, Liverpool should aim to replicate their points total from 2023/24. Anything in the realm of 40 points would show a level of consistency not seen from them since they were challenging for the WSL title.
Beard’s shrewd management means Liverpool can be tough opposition in one-off games, making them a threat in the two cup competitions. And there’s no side more dangerous at set-pieces.
It’s not always pretty with Liverpool, but there’s nothing inferior about playing direct, especially when Sophie Roman Haug is your centre-forward. And with Olivia Smith joining the club, the prospect of her and Mia Enderby forming a front three with Roman Haug is an exciting one, particularly for a team that excels at defending deep and killing sides in transition.
If Things Don’t Go Well
Few sides outside the WSL’s established elite can defy gravity. Everton, Tottenham, and Aston Villa all have recent experience of being the league’s very own Icarus. While Liverpool have made some encouraging steps to progress the club for the long term, they’ll probably have negligible impact on the team right now.
Smith and Enderby both have huge potential, but their youth means consistency will likely be absent from their games. They don’t have much depth if key players get injured, the loss of Emma Koivisto to AC Milan could be profound, and increased scrutiny will be new to many of these players. One also wonders if Beard’s 5-3-2 formation will continue to thrive in a league where many clubs are preaching a front-footed, assertive approach. Beard got a lot of change out of his “wing-backs and set-pieces” style last season. You would think the rest of the league will have more of a plan to counter that this time.
If Liverpool make a slow start to the season, they could easily end up as a team that’s not a major WSL side, but a club that’s just there.
MANCHESTER UNITED
If Things Go Well
First of all, United have to stop being—along with Arsenal last season—a punchline. A combination of lacklustre results, some of manager Marc Skinner’s public statements, the seeming indifference of minority owners INEOS towards the team, and the continued shedding of senior players mean the optimism of the 2022/23 season has largely gone.
But they did win their maiden trophy last season. And their player pool is hardly parlous. Before expectations rose after the second-place finish two seasons ago, United were adept at being the wasp at the picnic for Chelsea, City, and Arsenal. It’s not unreasonable to expect them to do something similar this season. They have it in them to be the WSL’s chief disruptor, and should be well placed to take advantage if any of Arsenal, City, or Chelsea dip below their expected level. They’re also not a team you’d look forward to playing in the cups.
A perusal of United’s fixture list is also encouraging. Bar a trip to Chelsea, four of their first five games are ones in which they will be favourites. They could easily go into the start of November with 12 points from 15, putting them among the leaders. This could engender a wave of positive momentum that makes United a team we have to take seriously again.
If Things Don’t Go Well
The losses of both Mary Earps and Katie Zelem hardly speak well of a club pointing in the right direction. Meanwhile, Skinner’s insistence to act as INEOS’s PR representative is mystifying given that they don’t seem inclined to fully support his team, or have much confidence in his ability to manage them, as they’ve only given him a one year contract.
The club badly needs a measure of calm and stability, as there are questions around cohesion in their squad. United were incredibly open defensively last season, especially defending the channels. Their possible first choice full-backs, Jayde Riviere and Gabby George are either injury prone or are returning from an ACL rupture, meaning new signing Anna Sandberg may need to hit the ground running. Alternatively, does Skinner see Dominique Janssen as a left-back, or a partner for new captain Maya Le Tissier at centre-half?
While there’s understandable enthusiasm at Grace Clinton’s return from loan, where does she fit into the midfield? Clinton, Ella Toone, and Lisa Naalsund are all good individually but offer little defensive security. While you can get that with Hayley Ladd, the way Skinner deploys her betokens that he doesn’t seem to rate her as much as I do.
What United can’t afford to do is go into this season with delusions of grandeur. No, but we’re Manchester United! No, attack, attack, attack! Too often last season United were like a boxer who led with their chin. One hopes the 6-0 drubbing by Chelsea has sufficiently humbled them. If they don’t learn to play smarter, they’ll be knocked out of the top rank of the WSL sides once more.
