The plan
How do Chelsea preserve their dominance of ladies’s soccer in England? That’s the one query to ask of the aspect going into the beginning of the brand new season however, as they’re aiming for a fifth consecutive title, it’s much less of a query and extra an expectation of what’s going to come to cross. The supervisor, Emma Hayes, is the grasp of constructing squads able to successful when at their greatest or in transition and even out of kilter.
Final season was much less of a cruise than the previous ones, with Fran Kirby and Millie Vivid amongst these on the absentee record for stretches of the marketing campaign, however nonetheless they completed with a WSL and FA Cup double.
They’ve a goal on their again, as all the time, however the goalkeeper Zecira Musovic says “that’s the privilege [that comes] with enjoying for such an enormous membership”. She provides: “While you come to the membership you already know what the calls for are, what’s anticipated of you, and to win all the things that’s attainable is one thing we don’t have to speak about. It’s an unwritten factor for us.”
That would be the aim once more this season, with the Champions League the elusive trophy. Hayes has added the skilled Canada defender Ashley Lawrence from Paris Saint-Germain and the thrilling US ahead Catarina Macario to assist cowl for the outgoing Pernille More durable and Magda Eriksson. Chelsea have additionally added younger expertise in Mia Fishel, the Germany midfielder Sjoeke Nüsken and the England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton.
As a part of her recruitment course of, Hayes focuses in on the kind of individual a participant is, one thing Johanna Rytting Kaneryd describes as a “key to the success of the staff. You don’t simply want good gamers; you want good individuals as properly. I believe you may inform from the skin [that we have that].”
How Hayes navigates the staff by a primary season with out membership captain Eriksson and manages her squad rotation as they struggle on 4 fronts as soon as extra will probably be fascinating to look at. Can Chelsea win all of it? The Champions League could be a step too far nonetheless however you may by no means wager towards them.
The supervisor
Emma Hayes is a grasp of squad and folks administration and has a trophy cupboard that’s the envy of most managers within the recreation to point out for these expertise. Hayes is so good in her recreation evaluation, as proven by her TV punditry. Final season her ways have been questioned after Chelsea’s defeat to Arsenal within the Continental Cup closing, however that was a uncommon blip in an in any other case terribly spectacular tactical edge throughout the course of the marketing campaign.
Star participant
This season needs to be Lauren James’s season and we’re all fortunate to be alongside for the journey. After shining on the World Cup, and studying an necessary lesson after her petulant stepping on Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie and subsequent sending-off, James is able to make her mark for Chelsea. Having been wrapped in cotton wool as she developed and was built-in into senior soccer, she is now 21 and it’s time for her phenomenal expertise to be unleashed.
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Excessive-profile summer time signing
Catarina Macario is one in every of an elite group to have received the Hermann Trophy – awarded to the highest school participant within the US – twice whereas starring for Stanford. The USA worldwide, who was eligible to play for the US or Brazil, joined eight-time European champions Lyon in 2021. She suffered a season-ending ACL harm within the closing match of the 2021-22 season, which additionally ended her World Cup ambitions however the vastly gifted ahead will probably be again and able to shine in London.
World Cup 2023 delight/heartache
The poster-girl of the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Sam Kerr’s match didn’t go to plan. A calf harm picked up in coaching scuppered her marketing campaign. The talismanic ahead performed 10 minutes of Australia’s 2-0 last-16 defeat of Denmark and got here on within the 55th minute of her aspect’s outstanding penalty defeat of France. Within the semi-final towards England, Kerr began and scored a wondergoal to cancel out Ella Toone’s first-half strike but it surely was not sufficient, with Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo delivering heartbreak. It was, nevertheless, a glimpse of what might need been had the ahead been absolutely match and main the road from the off.
Chelsea have near 1,000,000 X (previously Twitter) followers and it’s no accident. The Blues maintain the content material coming and it’s got more and more numerous with behind-the-scenes footage and a playful tone. With their season opener at Stamford Bridge, the membership has gone all out on social media to drive ticket gross sales.
