After the Premier League title race took centre stage last Sunday with Liverpool v Manchester City headlining, the Women’s Super League has a potentially defining Friday when Chelsea host Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. As in the Premier League, there is a three-horse race in the WSL for top spot. Chelsea lead the way, level on points with Manchester City, with Arsenal three points behind.
In a 12-team division the champions have never lost more than two games. Chelsea and City have reached that mark, while the Gunners have suffered three defeats. Whoever lifts the trophy may need to be flawless in the final seven games.
Arsenal laid down a marker by beating Chelsea 4-1 at the Emirates in December and cannot afford to lose on Friday. Defeat would open a six-point gap to first place and in effect put them out of the race. Chelsea losing would put City in an extremely strong position. The pressure is on.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea Women | 15 | 32 | 37 |
| 2 | Man City Women | 15 | 29 | 37 |
| 3 | Arsenal Women | 15 | 19 | 34 |
| 4 | Man Utd Women | 15 | 13 | 25 |
| 5 | Liverpool FC Women | 15 | 2 | 25 |
Tactics will play a big part because I am not sure how fit some of Chelsea’s players are, putting a lot of onus on the work of Emma Hayes. Arsenal are very good in transitions. In the 4-1 win, they were extremely quick on the break, especially the front four. Stina Blackstenius scored a hat-trick last week against Aston Villa in the Continental Cup and it is always a problem to face someone with that pace who can run in behind. Chelsea will need to defend extremely well to pick up the points.
Arsenal have arguably the best squad in the league and the opportunity to chase down the other two. Their home victory over Chelsea was the performance of the season and they need to replicate that. The Gunners have great variety in attack, making them able to adapt to circumstances. Whether they need runners in behind or more crosses into the box, they have a squad of problem-solvers.
Arsenal have scored the fewest of the top three – 12 fewer than Chelsea – and their top scorer, Alessia Russo, has only six goals but not every team needs a prolific striker to be successful. Arsenal do, however, require everyone to keep chipping in. Beth Mead is back after her injury, they have Caitlin Foord on the other wing and Blackstenius is another good option up front.
City suffered the disappointment of being knocked out of two domestic cup competitions in the space of a week but that allows them to focus on the league. Chelsea, on the other hand, are like Liverpool’s men in that they are battling on four fronts with injury problems. They have the Continental Cup final, the FA Cup semi-finals and are still in the Champions League, facing Ajax in the quarter-finals over two legs, which will put additional strain on the squad.
In attack, Sam Kerr and Mia Fishel are out with anterior cruciate ligament injuries and Mayra Ramírez was forced off in the Continental Cup win over City. Hayes’s options are dwindling and finding answers to her selection problems is becoming more difficult. Consistency in attack is imperative and the constant requirement to change could become an issue for Chelsea.
There is a further similarity to Liverpool in that Chelsea’s manager will be leaving at the end of the season after a highly successful period in charge. A lot of the players were brought in by Hayes; she was highly influential in bringing me to the club and I am sure others will have felt a similar pull. They will be wanting to win it for her but some will be apprehensive about the future, wondering who is coming in next and what effect that will have on them. Hayes has driven the standards at Chelsea for a decade and everyone will want to make sure she goes out on a high but will want to do it for themselves, too.
City will not mind ruining the fairytale ending. They have conceded nine goals in 15 games and have the league’s top scorer in Khadija Shaw, who has three more than her nearest rival, Chelsea’s Lauren James. A key reason for their success at the back is the emergence of the 19-year-old Khiara Keating, who is the epitome of the modern goalkeeper: good with her feet and an excellent shot stopper. She’s made a number of match-winning saves.
City have won five in a row in the league and I would not put it past them to win their final seven, including at home to Arsenal on the penultimate weekend. The only thing that could hold City back is if they lose one of their forward line. Shaw, Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly have been excellent so if that trio is broken up for whatever reason it could have a damaging effect.
Whereas other clubs have needed to change their front line regularly, City’s have been the most consistent. They complement each other very well; a centre-forward is reliant on service and Hemp and Kelly provide that by being able to beat full-backs and put in a cross.
With so little room for error, this is a pressure cooker of a run-in for the top three. One misstep could result in the dream of lifting the title in May evaporating, so each team will need their best players to keep their cool. It is a question of who can maintain their nerve and standards.
