Girls’s Tremendous League motion has been placed on pause this weekend as gamers shift their focus to the primary worldwide break of the 2024/25 marketing campaign.
With a few of our favorite gamers embarking on a sequence of friendlies internationally, we have been given the chance to replicate on how the season has unfolded to date.
Because it stands, Manchester Metropolis sit prime of the desk with no group in a position to break their successful streak, carefully adopted by Chelsea and Manchester United.
Nonetheless, it is essential to notice that the Cityzens have a transparent benefit. They’ve had the luxurious of enjoying yet another sport than Chelsea and United, after a scheduling battle regarding the Uefa Girls’s Champions League noticed their conflict postponed and but to be rearranged.
One factor that is clear although, is the large improve in normal throughout the board this season. We have witnessed some golf equipment capitalising on that within the first few weeks, whereas others have struggled to maintain up.
Listed here are 90min’s 5 learnings to date.
Dario Vidosic secured his ticket to England’s south coast over the summer time, appointed Brighton & Hove Albion’s latest head coach after a tumultuous couple of years. Bringing his favoured possession-based type from Melbourne Metropolis throughout to the WSL was all the time going to be a problem.
Vidosic was set as much as be a small fish in a giant pond, having solely simply entered the career in 2022 when he hung up his personal boots. However, after a struggling Ninth-place end within the WSL and a halfway managerial shuffle final season, it’s protected to say that Vidosic has unwrapped a new-look Seagulls facet.
Brighton arrived within the switch window with clear intent, signing established veterans like Fran Kirby and Nikita Parris. However the Seagulls additionally welcomed Barcelona prodigy Bruna Vilamala and Arsenal academy starlet Michelle Agyemang on mortgage offers.
The Seagulls have since stormed out of the gates, wrapping up the primary league block in fourth place. Vidosic’s facet buried Everton 4-0 on the opening day, earlier than placing one other 4 objectives previous Aston Villa in a 4-2 thriller. A slender 1-0 defeat by the palms of Manchester Metropolis, plus a well-managed 1-1 outcome towards Manchester United are additional optimistic indicators of what’s in retailer for supporters.
Vidosic is just not backing down from the problem, as his Seagulls proceed to check his possession-based type towards the league’s most formidable opponents. It’s a good time to be a Brighton fan beneath the new-look managerial type of Vidosic.
Indicators had been principally optimistic for Arsenal after a gap day 2-2 draw with Manchester Metropolis noticed the Gunners, avoiding defeat with a late equaliser on the Emirates Stadium. Nonetheless, the trajectory that adopted was fairly the other.
Arsenal scraped a degree from a 0-0 stalemate towards Everton, earlier than a humbling night towards Bayern Munich within the Girls’s Champions League noticed the Gunners thrashed 5-2 in Germany. Woes solely grew to become worse from there, after Chelsea ran away with the London bragging rights of their first ever win at Emirates Stadium.
If the Gunners weren’t already in a state of ambiguity, Jonas Eidevall’s sudden resignation as Arsenal had been as a consequence of meet Valerenga was definitely no assist. Interim head coach Renee Slegers managed to steer the group to consecutive victories, beating Valerenga and West Ham 4-1 and 2-0, respectively.
Arsenal should now chase down a four-point deficit between themselves and Chelsea within the league desk, with the Blues nonetheless holding an additional sport in hand. If it appears dire on paper, it definitely seems the identical on the pitch.
Alessia Russo hasn’t scored a WSL objective this season. Stina Blackstenius hasn’t discovered the again of the web for the Gunners in any respect since Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Manchester Metropolis on 5 Could, though her affect off the bench was essential to beating West Ham.
Persistent harm woes have seen each Leah Williamson and Lotte Wubben-Moy out and in of the beginning XI, while Kim Little has appeared to lack her traditional medical edge.
Regardless of strengthening with summer time recruitment, it’s protected to say that Arsenal have been a ghost of their true potential within the WSL to date.
It was unsure occasions for Chelsea followers following the departure of membership legend Emma Hayes. Former Lyon head coach Sonia Bompastor took up her put up within the managerial seat. It has been a high-flying affair ever since, with the Blues successful all six aggressive fixtures beneath Bompastor’s administration. The guiding gentle on the Chelsea ship nevertheless, is Johanna Rytting Kaneryd.
Unarguably essentially the most in-form participant within the WSL in the intervening time, Rytting Kaneryd has already tallied three objectives and two assists in simply 4 league video games to date. Probably the most memorable maybe, got here from a spectacular volley in Chelsea’s 5-2 rout over Tottenham Hotspur final Sunday.
When she is not terrorising opposition defences with the ball at her ft, Rytting Kaneryd is offering her teammates with gold-platter service inside the field. As Chelsea search to increase their WSL dominance, Rytting Kaneryd might be integral to the reign of the English champions.
Tottenham Hotspur reached new heights within the 2023/24 season, attaining their greatest ever factors tally within the WSL (31). Spurs additionally managed ther first ever north London derby winafter a brilliantly labored end-to-end show completed with Martha Thomas burying the winner in a 1-0 conquer Arsenal.
Probably the most monumental second got here when Robert Vilahamn reached the membership’s first ever FA Cup Remaining beneath the arch of Wembley Stadium. Regardless of Manchester United’s 4-0 triumph that day, there was loads for Spurs followers to be enthusiastic about heading into the 2024/25 season.
The double lack of Grace Clinton, who was on on mortgage, and Celin Bizet was all the time going to be troublesome for Tottenham to bounce again from and the pair have thrived in Manchester.
The gaps within the foundations of Robert Vilahamn’s attacking type of soccer have been opened for exploitation, and Chelsea managed to show up the warmth in these areas in a 5-2 thrashing previous to the worldwide break. Tottenham typically seem one-dimensional, with the facet typically putting their full concentrate on both defending or attacking, not often each.
Regardless of commencing the brand new marketing campaign with an emphatic 4-0 feat over WSL newcomers Crystal Palace, Tottenham are nonetheless looking for a second win, 5 video games in.
Challenges are all the time going to come up in a supervisor’s second season. Vilahamn’s enjoying type would require each time and funding to be able to correctly shine. Nonetheless, the betwixt and between is a irritating area for followers to be in in the meanwhile.
After failing to recreate the history-making season of 2022/23, Manchester United definitely had work to do approaching the brand new marketing campaign.
A profitable mortgage spell for Grace Clinton noticed her welcomed again to Carrington with open arms, while spectacular signings like Dominique Janssen, Elisabeth Terland and Celin Bizet had been all causes for United followers to be excited.Â
An announcement 3-0 thrashing over West Ham United at Previous Trafford on the WSL’s opening day set the tone going ahead for the Pink Devils.
The undefeated push continued as Marc Skinner’s facet floor out a 1-0 victory on the street at Everton, earlier than firing residence three objectives to see out Spurs at Leigh Sports activities Village. A visit to the AMEX Stadium had United predicted victors, and a first-half end from Clinton put them forward at half-time. Brighton got here out sturdy after the interval, leading to a 1-1 stalemate on the south coast.
United have begun to tick beneath the management of recent captain Maya Le Tissier, Dominique Janssen’s seamless integration right into a screening midfielder has managed to strengthen the defensive traces. Terland opened her scoring account with a medical brace towards Tottenham, with the striker already ready to stay as much as the expectations set out for her.
It appears as if all indicators level towards the reprise of the United machine we noticed to seasons in the past. If the Pink Devils stick with it their latest type, the WSL is assured to have a battle for Champions League locations – and perhaps extra – past simply the same old suspects.
However whereas you will need to commend United’s type, we should additionally analyse the outcomes additional.Â
Two of the wins have come towards the underside two groups within the WSL league desk, and a questionable Spurs facet which are but to ascertain themselves as a real menace. On prime of this, Dario Vidosic’s half time alterations final Saturday put United on the again foot, unable to reply.
Scraping outcomes continues to be an important talent within the WSL. Arsenal have already proven this after dropping factors to lowly Everton on the Emirates Stadium. All eyes might be on United following the worldwide break, because the Pink Devils battle to re-establish themselves within the title race dialog.
