Epic title enjoyable
Fancy the fixture pc blessing us with a title crunch match in week one. Fortunate devils. Chelsea vs Manchester Metropolis appears like the proper icebreaker, does not it?
The six-time reigning champions, who haven’t misplaced within the league since Could 2024, get their first likelihood to throw down the gauntlet, whereas new Man Metropolis boss Andree Jeglertz will get a correct introduction to the league from the most effective within the enterprise.
Chelsea’s rivals, direct and oblique, have spent all summer season plotting their takedown. Maybe that occurs throughout each low season, however this feels totally different.
Such a chronic interval of home dominance has made them each the envy and enemy of the whole WSL. Golf equipment have strengthened available in the market like by no means earlier than, spending bigger sums than common as they attempt to get the soar on Sonia Bompastor’s Blues.
Arsenal have gone as far as to spend 1,000,000 quid on one participant. Dramatic. However ought to add a brand new stage of spice and unpredictability to large video games.
Anticipate the openness of this 12 months’s title chase to be evident as early as Friday evening.
The Europe impact
2025 will lengthy be remembered because the 12 months England conquered Europe.
Arsenal beat Barcelona to develop into Champions League winners for the second time of their historical past, earlier than the Lionesses reigned supreme at this summer season’s Euros to assert back-to-back titles.
We make that England 2-0 Spain.
Of that Euros-winning staff, practically all play within the WSL. Chelsea boast six Lionesses, Arsenal have 5 (with Michelle Agyemang on mortgage at Brighton), Man Metropolis brag 4, whereas Man Utd personal three.
The domino impact on membership rivalries following such a monumental summer season needs to be fascinating. And if you happen to want convincing additional, the WSL’s expertise ranks are even deeper than ever earlier than.
Of the 30 Ladies’s Ballon d’Or nominees for 2025, over a 3rd play within the English top-flight – which means the WSL is the best-represented division of any to function on the shortlist.
Gladiators, prepared…
Bunny Shaw? Alessia Russo? Elizabeth Terland? Sam Kerr? Perhaps even Michelle Agyemang?
The WSL has a number of the greatest attacking expertise on the planet. These gamers are gladiators.
Russo is coming off the most effective season of her profession, Shaw and Kerr are raring to go after respective damage hits and other people sleep on Terland’s tireless consistency.
Agyemang burst onto the scene on the Euros – is she able to take the WSL by storm?
The bookies favorite for the Golden Boot is Man Metropolis’s Shaw however, actually, the sphere is huge open.
And if you happen to fancy an out of doors shot, Rachel Daly and Izzy Goodwin could possibly be within the combine too.
Kerr remains to be a BIG deal
Clearly Sam Kerr wants no introduction. So, we cannot try to present her one, in need of marking her damage return as some of the highly-anticipated moments of the brand new season.
Kerr has been lacking since struggling an ACL rupture again in January 2024 and oh how the league has missed her objectives.
Chelsea’s social staff teased us final week with an image of their prized striker on Instagram, with a caption studying ‘one week to go’, and it despatched followers right into a frenzy.
She will likely be eager to make up for misplaced time and we’re thrilled by the prospect of it.
The million pound query
Olivia Smith was, for a number of weeks at the least, the most costly participant on the planet and the primary to smash via the £1m barrier.
If there’s ever anybody to take that type of hype of their stride it is Arsenal’s new winger.
She’s been within the highlight since she was 15, which is when she made her debut for Canada.
The fearless ahead bought higher by the week throughout her time at Liverpool – seeing how she develops at a title contender surrounded by higher gamers could possibly be electrifying.
Hey, large spender
Plenty of consideration has been positioned on London Metropolis Lionesses’ aggressive recruitment drive this summer season – and rightly so.
Different groups have been making daring strikes too, although, and it is solely truthful we shine a highlight on a few of what we take into account to be the neatest enterprise.
Everton are rebuilding and have spent large on holding midfielder Ruby Mace, signalling their intention to maneuver up the league.
Brighton’s seize of Arsenal loanees Rosa Kafaji and Michelle Agyemang may add firepower to a staff already on the rise.
Aston Villa bringing Ellie Roebuck again to the UK after a stint in Spain can be a noteworthy signing in Natalia Arroyo’s first full season in cost – as is thrilling younger Japan ahead Maya Hijikata.
Beneath new administration
Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester Metropolis and Tottenham all go into the season below new administration.
Jeglertz is without doubt one of the extra fascinating hires in recent times, promising to empower Metropolis’s gamers as he makes an attempt to finish their decade-long title drought.
Martin Ho had success in Norway after stepping out of Marc Skinner’s shadow however his first job is to get his Tottenham squad believing once more.
Gareth Taylor’s bringing his passing type to Liverpool, who’ve misplaced not solely Smith however captain Taylor Hinds too.
As for Leicester, whoever replaces Amandine Miquel – phrase on the road is Matt Beard – after her shock sacking has a troublesome process forward after loads of participant departures this summer season.
London Metropolis lure
London Metropolis Lionesses are this 12 months’s debutants.
The membership are an entire anomaly, however nonetheless intriguing – owned by Michele Kang as a part of a multi-club mannequin that additionally contains French membership Lyon and US aspect Washington Spirit.
They’ve loads of pedigree, with the squad nearly unrecognisable from the one which was promoted from the Championship in Could.
Danielle van de Donk, Nikita Parris and Katie Zelem are among the many greatest names to be satisfied by the mission. Twelve new signings have joined in complete this summer season.
Jocelyn Precheur has bought his work lower out to assemble a staff able to compete with the most effective.
End final and keep up?
The WSL is increasing – an enormous second – however to permit the competitors to open its doorways to 14 golf equipment from subsequent season, one should be misplaced.
Hold on, there is a catch. Plot twist!
On the finish of this 12 months, the staff ending backside of the WSL will face the third-placed aspect from WSL2 in an epic winner-takes-all tie.
Critics are irritated relegation for the worst staff within the WSL is not automated however who does not love a play-off?
It’s going to be England’s cruellest recreation for the eventual loser however full of leisure worth for us observers.
‘As soon as in a lifetime’
Bompastor mentioned it herself. To go a full 22-game marketing campaign unbeaten is a “once in a lifetime” achievement.
Chelsea broke all kinds of data final season, amassing probably the most factors (60) of any staff ever – that they had received the title by April, the earliest level it had been claimed for years.
However lightening is unlikely to strike twice.
Bompastor should discover new methods to fend off groups intent on their undoing in 12 months two, which is able to provide an actual examination of the Frenchwoman’s tactical discretion.
She has made no secret of her want to get Chelsea enjoying a prettier type of soccer – the query is, can they do each?