After a long, but not-so-hot English summer dominated by the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia, the Women’s Super League is back, and so it’s time for ESPN’s preview of each team.
With transfer fees on the rise with the increased interest and investment in women’s football, almost all WSL clubs (except for you, Manchester City) were notably active in the transfer window. And, despite it having been said for years, it feels like some of the gaps in the league are closing and we’re actually shaping up for the most competitive season to-date.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
Last season, we had title and relegation races going down to the wire — not a stark rarity on its own — yet so much of the league was still broken up into mini-leagues. This season, however, promises to be different and despite the teams at the top adding more depth that you’d think would keep them clear of the chasing pack, that particular chasm has been bridged.
Heading into the new campaign, it feels like around six teams will be vying for those top three* spots that carry European qualification, and much of the league will be decided on who can outscore who with many teams claiming to preach a possession-heavy, high-pressing style.
(*Based on England‘s co-efficient, WSL is one of the few leagues to receive a third UWCL berth.)
Manager: Jonas Eidevall
Finish last season: Third
Predicted finish this season: Second
Key player: Kim Little
Heading into his third season with Arsenal, Jonas Eidevall’s Gunners are one of the more known quantities and with no Women’s Champions League to distract the north Londoners after their shock exit to Paris FC during qualifying, many expect them to push even harder for league success. However, there are some concerns, with a new-look defence that will take some time to gel as well as a lack of depth in central defence, with Laura Wienroither the latest to end up injured with a torn ACL last season.
Possessing more depth this time around, Arsenal will hope their injury concerns are finally behind them, but only time will tell how they cope with the increased load of back-to-back summers with major international tournaments. Falling short last season due to their increased commitments in Europe and mounting injuries, the Gunners slipped down to third, though I’d expect them to regain their familiar runners-up spot this season.
Manager: Carla Ward
Finish last season: Fifth
Predicted finish this season: Third
Key player: Rachel Daly
The team who tried to upset the top four last season only to finish 10 points back, Villa’s growth under Carla Ward was at its most effective as her front-line laid waste to most WSL defences, with “Wardball” very much on show in claret and blue.
As well as adding from further afield, with the recruitment of Dutch goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar and forward Ebony Salmon, two key pieces of business for Ward have been securing the services of defender Anna Patten and forward Kirsty Hanson, both of whom were only on loan at Villa (from Arsenal and Manchester United respectively) last season. Although the moves were expected, they’re both still key for the stability of the team with Villa not lacking in any area of the pitch heading into the new season.
The question for the Villanesses will be how they perform against those who finished above them last season. Even though they received an unexpected trouncing at Old Trafford at the end of 2022, Villa showed their strength in the cups against both Man City, Chelsea and United; should they dig out a vein of consistency this season, they should be on course to break into that hallowed top four.
Manager: Melissa Phillips
Finish last season: 11th
Predicted finish this season: Fourth
Key player: Pauline Bremer
Having struggled through multiple managerial upheavals lasts season, it’s time for the Seagulls to finally push ahead with their aim of finishing in the top third of the league — a lofty goal held by the club since their promotion to the WSL in 2018. The idea of a clean slate is key for their fortunes, even though Melissa Phillips came in at the tail end of last season and had some mixed results en route to securing another season of top-flight football.
Since the end of last season, the club has recruited smartly with a clear plan in mind and although a player like midfielder Vicky Losada — who should be known to the WSL faithful having had stints at both Arsenal and Man City — is beyond her peak years, she remains one of the most intelligent players on the pitch. There’s a similar degree of risk/reward with forward Pauline Bremer, who has struggled with multiple injuries since leaving Lyon, but can score with ease when fit. There is a degree of a gamble but should both stay available, they will be key for Phillips who is clearly building her squad with the bigger picture in mind.
Although a very different prospect to an Aston Villa or Man City on paper, Brighton could prove to be one of the surprise packages of the season.
A very different team to the one that was relegated at the end of the 2020-21 season, the Robins have grown and invested off the pitch despite their limitations. Indeed, Lauren Smith’s installation as manager — one that came with a sizable amount of work to simply field a starting XI at times — the vibes have returned to the west country and there can be no question the once great team more than earned their promotion back to the top flight. That said, the season ahead for the Robins is likely to be strewn with obstacles that come with the increased competition and investment in the WSL and the squad, dotted with talent, will be pushed to the limits.
Just as we saw at the end of Bristol’s last spell in WSL, having talented players will only get you so far if you can’t get a foothold in games and one of the Robins’ key issues when they were relegated was how often they found themselves pushed back, asked to defend rather that finding a way to get the ball to their attackers.
One team will have to go down and for this prediction, it’s Bristol who have the unfortunate honour of claiming last place.
Manager: Emma Hayes
Finish last season: First
Predicted finish this season: First
Key player: Guro Reiten
Although they were less convincing in winning the title last season, Chelsea again showed that they can even do it on a cold night in Shkodër if needed. That said, a busy summer of adding strength in depth means they look renewed and refreshed for a long campaign.
Making up for key players they lost — namely defender Magdalena Eriksson and forward Pernille Harder to Bayern Munich — manager Emma Hayes has added depth across the pitch, from Catarina Macario and Mia Fishel in attack to Sjoeke Nüsken in midfield, Ashley Lawrence in defence and even Hannah Hampton as another goalkeeping option. The savvy coach has also continued to show her commitment to future seasons with the singings of defender Alejandra Bernabe (Real Sociedad), defender Brooke Aspin (Bristol City) and midfielder Wieke Kaptein (FC Twente), all of whom have been loaned back to their former clubs for the season to come.
Having added further to the team over the summer — notably getting Janina Leitzig to sign a permanent deal after a string of memorable performances on loan, as well as Champions League winner Janice Cayman from Lyon — the squad possesses both depth and balance. Although still not a match for a giant like Chelsea, the mix of experience and added depth for rotation will be key for Kirk and Leicester this season; they’re unlikely to find themselves getting pulled into a relegation scrap.
Manager: Matt Beard
Finish last season: Seventh
Predicted finish this season: Seventh
Key player: Fuka Nagano
A team reborn under coach Matt Beard, the Reds struggled for consistency on their return to WSL last season, memorably beating Chelsea in their first game back as well as losing heavily to relegation-threatened Leicester. If Liverpool are to make any serious inroads up the table, the wild fluctuations in results needs to stop even if they were frequently unlucky last season, running teams close on the pitch only to fall short.
A team that managed to find more balance across the pitch after the winter window, Liverpool will be looking to build on that stability, keeping Prenton Park as a strong base — it’s where the majority of their points came last term — while improving their away form.
Manager: Gareth Taylor
Finish last season: Fourth
Predicted finish this season: Fifth
Key player: Khadija Shaw
Along with Chelsea and Arsenal, Manchester City have dominated the silverware in England, with the blue half of Manchester one of the regular top-three finishers in the league (save for last term) and no strangers to cup finals. Yet for all their might since being fast-tracked into WSL, Man City did look vulnerable last season and are, again, one of the bigger question marks.
Only signing one player in the summer — Jill Roord from Wolfsburg — there is a clear desire to final find some real rhythm and consistency. While the team looks strong on paper, it’s also overly predictable and reliant on Khadija “Bunny” Shaw. This isn’t an issue when Shaw is fit and firing, but there is a lack of contingencies if the goals or fitness desert her.
It’s highly possible that talent will simply find a way as it so frequently has for City over the years, but with the whole league improving around them, their margin for error has never been slimmer.
Manager: Marc Skinner
Finish last season: Second
Predicted finish this season: Sixth
Key player: Ella Toone
Finishing last season in second, Manchester United, much like their cross-town rivals, have a question mark hanging over their heads: can they build upon last season’s strong finish, or was it pure over-performance?
Leaning on a strong defence last term, United managed to do what rivals Chelsea have so often and ground out wins, winning “ugly” where necessary. There was consistency on the pitch, too, with Marc Skinner not one to rotate much between or during games; it worked out, luckily, as several teams struggled to do the same.
This season, should they qualify for the Champions League group stage, the added travel and calibre of opposition will make rotation a necessity; however, if they fall to PSG next month in the final qualifying round, their only remaining target would be the Conti Cup, which is where we saw unsuccessful rotation from Skinner last season.
