It’s been a brilliant start to the 2024/25 Women’s Super League (WSL) campaign as Chelsea look to retain their title and Crystal Palace aim to cement their place in the top flight.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!There’s been some blockbuster clashes, including Arsenal’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City at the Emirates on the opening weekend, Liverpool’s last-gasp 3-2 triumph over Tottenham back in October and Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over their title rivals City.
Sonia Bompastor’s side lead the way at the top of the table, while several clubs are still at risk of being dragged into a relegation battle in the new year. There’s also already been a managerial change as Jonas Eidevall vacated his position back in October and Arsenal are in the process of appointing his successor.
With that being said, 90min have ranked the most improved WSL teams so far this season…
It may sound crazy to suggest a team that have won six of the last seven WSL titles has improved, but somehow Chelsea have. Nobody quite knew exactly how they would get on this season following the departure of the long-serving Emma Hayes, and arrival of former Lyon boss Bompastor.
But, it’s fair to say they are absolutely flying in this new era. Prior to the final international break of the year, Chelsea had won every single one of their games across all competitions and boasted an early five point lead at the top of the table.
To put that into context, at the same point last season, they had dropped points away at Manchester City in the WSL and away at Real Madrid in the Champions League. In early December last year, they also suffered a shock 4-1 defeat away at Arsenal in the league.
Chelsea’s formidable form this season is testament to the way Bompastor has settled at the London club, and the calibre of player they signed over the summer. It’s worth noting the current champions achieved their run of results in the early months of this season without the likes of Sam Kerr, Mia Fishel, Sophie Ingle and Niamh Charles, while they also lost Lauren James and Kadeisha Buchanan to injury.
Arsenal may not be where they want to be in the WSL standings, but they make this list as a result of the way they’ve turned things around after a lacklustre start to the campaign. The Gunners made the top three and qualified for Champions League football in 2023/24, but were still some way off their rivals in City and Chelsea.
The start to the current season undoubtedly failed to meet expectations. Under Eidevall in the early weeks of the campaign, they drew at home to City in the league, scraped past Leicester City a week later, failed to break the deadlock at home to Everton, were thrashed by Bayern Munich away in the Champions League, and were then beaten by league leaders Chelsea at the Emirates.
The Chelsea result prompted a change in the dugout as Eidevall resigned from his position, and it’s fair to say Arsenal have been resurgent ever since under the stewardship of interim manager Renee Slegers. In her first seven games in charge throughout October and November, the north London club remained unbeaten.
They overcame the likes of Valerenga and Juventus in the Champions League to boost their hopes of qualifying for the knockout rounds, and they won three of their four league games against West Ham, Brighton and Tottenham. They dropped points away at Manchester United, but did secure a hard-fought 1-1 draw.
All may not be perfect at Arsenal, but they’ve comfortably turned things around after such a poor start. They’ve also done so in a short space of time to significantly boost their hopes of securing another top three finish this season.
Brighton have undoubtedly been the surprise package this season under new manager Dario Vidosic. After finishing ninth in the WSL standings last season, to start December in the top three represents remarkable progress for the Seagulls.
They recruited extremely well over the summer as they signed experienced figures in Fran Kirby and Nikita Parris. Kiko Seike’s arrival from Urawa Reds also helped ease the departure of Elisabeth Terland to Manchester United.
Their most significant defeats have come at the hands of Arsenal and Manchester City, but otherwise they’ve put together a very solid run of results. If Brighton can maintain this form in the second half of the campaign, they will most certainly be in line to finish as the ‘best of the rest’ outside the usual top four, potentially even higher.
Given they were among the favourites to be relegated this season, it’s fair to say they are one of – if not the most – improved teams this term.
READ THE LATEST WOMEN’S FOOTBALL NEWS, FEATURES & ANALYSIS
2024-12-10 11:00:01
