Women's Super League: Season Preview

The Women's Super League (WSL) starts again on Saturday (05/09/20) with Aston Villa hosting Manchester City.  The match up sees last seasons WSL runners up, Manchester City, facing the reigning WSL2 Champions. City will be strong favourites for the title this season and will be expected to breeze past Villa on the opening day. The rest of the teams play on Sunday, with the standout game being Manchester United vs Chelsea, last seasons Champions vs 4th placed United.

Last Season

The 2019-20 season ended in controversial circumstances, with Chelsea being granted the title on a Points Per Game basis. Manchester City were on 40 points when the season was halted, with Chelsea 1 point behind them with a game in hand. This game in hand proved crucial as it allowed Chelsea to move ahead of City when using a Points Per Game measure. Chelsea were unbeaten on 39 points from 15 matches, scoring an impressive 47 goals and conceding only 11.

Chelsea are the current holders of the WSL, the FA WSL Cup and the Community Shield and therefore the favourites to win the title once again. Their summer signings have also pushed them even further and made them a stronger team, with the aim of a strong Champions League campaign. Last weekend Chelsea faced Manchester City in the community shield, coming out 2-0 winners. City are the second favourites for the upcoming season, with their summer business also strengthening them. With the 2 teams being so close at the end of the season last year, City could use their narrow PPG loss to Chelsea as motivation to beat them to the title this season. 

FWA Women's Footballer of the year Vivianne Miedma led Arsenal to a third placed finish with an incredible goal scoring campaign. They were only 3 points behind title winners Chelsea when the season ended so may also be looking for an even stronger finish in the 2020-21 campaign.

The gap between 3rd and 4th was a large one, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City the three runaway teams in the WSL. Manchester United finished 4th in their debut WSL campaign, 13 points behind Arsenal and 2 in front of 5th placed Reading. The main issue for United was a lack of goals. 18 year old Lauren James was their top goal scorer with 6 goals in just 796 minutes. Over the season United scored 24 compared to Chelsea's 47. To bridge the gap, United will need to score more goals. With more minutes Lauren James may continue her impressive form. 

Towards the bottom of the league, Liverpool were relegated after gaining only 6 points from their 14 matches, winning only 1 of them. Birmingham City narrowly avoided relegation, finishing on 7 points from 13 games. Aston Villa have taken their place in the WSL after a strong WSL2 campaign, winning 13 of their 14 games in an unbeaten season. Birmingham look set for another tough campaign, losing key players such as Rachel Williams and Lucy Staniforth and only bringing 2 players in.

Vivianne Miedema was the standout player in the league last season, contributing to 16 goals and 8 assists in only 1226 minutes. This works out at 1.76 goals and assists per 90 in the 14 matches she played before the season was halted. She hugley outperformed her xG of 9.6 to score more than a goal a game. This suggests that she is a great finisher and one to watch again going in to the 2020-21 season. Arsenal will hope she can continue her excellent form and elevate them up the table once again. 

Bethany England was second to Miedema in the scoring charts, with 14 goals. With 4 assists also to her name, England was playing at 1.23 expected goals and assists per 90 last season. With the addition of Sam Kerr to the squad and others such as Guro Reiten and Ji So-Yun also contributing, Chelsea will be a scary proposition for any side this face this season. With an xG of 12.7, England was expected to score more goals than Miedema. She still overperformed her xG and the fact that she had the chances to warrant 12.7 xg, suggest that her Chelsea teammates created her a lot of chances. 12.7 was by far and away the highest xG in the league, beating 2nd place Miedema by 3.6 and 3rd placed Rianna Dean by 6.7. Dean had an xG of 6 however only scored 4 goals. This shows that the quality of chances created by Chelsea was the leagues best by far, and Beth England put them away at an above average rate.

Vivianne Miedema (23)

Above you can see the top players in the 2019-20 season for Shot Creating Actions. The 2 top players are both from Chelsea, providing an explanation as to why Beth England had such a high xG. She was provided with lots of shooting opportunities. Ramona Bachmann, who comes in 2nd in the list, has left Chelsea to join PSG. Lucy Staniforth comes in at 3rd with 4.5 shot creating actions per 90 minutes. She only registered 3 assists during the season but was playing in a poor Birmingham City side who only scored 5 goals in 13 matches. With 1 goal as well as her 3 assists. Staniforth was involved in 4 of Birmingham's 5 goals, showing how crucial she was to their minimal creation. Staniforth has moved on over the summer to Manchester United and it will be very interesting to see how she can perform when surrounded by better players. 4.5 sca/90 shows that she can create chances, if she has better players around her to finish them off, she could be a standout player for United in the 20-21 season.

Manchester City also create a lot of chances, with 4 of their players featuring in the top 15. In her limited minutes last season, Pauline Bremer impressed, scoring 10 goals from an xG of 5.2. Bremer however, has left to play for German side Wolfsburg, meaning that City have lost their top goalscorer. Tessa Wullaert, another name in this list, has also left the club to join Anderlecht. Weir and Beckie are two important players for City. Beckie was last seasons joint top assister and Weir played every minute of their 16 matches before lockdown. Chloe Kelly, who features on this list is now a Manchester City player, taking their tally to 5 in the top 15. Signed from Everton over the summer, she will be keen to make an impact in an already talented squad.

Transfers

To add to an already impressive list of players, the summer has allowed WSL teams to strengthen even further by bringing in talent from across the world. Players from the USA are are highly saught after due to their world cup success and Manchester City have signed up Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis to bolster their midfield. Lavelle was a regular in the USWNT during their World Cup win, starting 6 matches and scoring 3 goals. She also completed 71.2% of her 184 attempted passes and is comfortable using either foot. She also provided 4.05 SCA/90 so will fit right in at Manchester City. Mewis was also a key player for the American team, starting 5 matches at the World Cup. Despite starting 1 game less, Mewis played 45 minutes more. She scored 2 and assisted 4, completing 181 of her 253 attempted passes (71.5%). Mewis favours her right foot but is also comfortable on her left, which compliments Lavelle's style. Mewis won 19 tackles during the World Cup and Lavelle won 7. This suggests that Mewis is the more defensive of the 2, despite registering more goals and assists. She attempted 61 long passes compared to Lavelle's 41 and completed 40 of them, showing that she can play a long pass or play out through the midfield, linking up with Lavelle. New Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor is looking to play a passing oriented style, and Lavelle and Mewis will be key to retaining that possession in the midfield areas. At just over 5"10, Mewis is also an aerial threat, winning 69.4% of her 36 attempted aerial duels at the World Cup. Lavelle and Mewis already have a good connection from the national team and are great friends off the pitch. To add to an already solid window, City have been strongly linked to free agent Lucy Bronze. Bronze left City for Lyon to achieve on the European stage and she has done just that. Winning 3 Champions League's in a row, Bronze has proven herself in France and it is being heavily rumoured that she is going to return to Manchester. After finishing 2nd in the Ballon d'Or, Bronze is a proven world class talent. Also linked to City is Alex Greenwood who has also left Lyon after Champions League success. If these 2 signings go through, the top of the table could be incredibly tight!

Rose Lavelle (Left) and Sam Mewis (Right)

To try and reach Champions League glory and retain their title, Chelsea have brought in a few players to boost their squad. Jessie Fleming is a Canadian international, signed from UCLA. Melanie Leupolz and Niamh Charles were also brought in. Sam Kerr is not a summer signing for Chelsea as she was signed in January, however she is yet to make an impact in the WSL, only playing 294 minutes so far. Kerr has been prolific wherever she has played, scoring 18 and assisting 5 in 21 games during her last season at Chicago. 22 year old Fleming, was a mainstay in the Canada team during the 2019 World Cup, completing 82.3% of her passes in the midfield. Niamh Charles has been brought in from relegated Liverpool to add depth to Chelsea's front line. She played 1064 minutes last season, scoring 2 goals. Liverpool only scored 8 goals in total, so hopefully with better players around her, Charles can become more prolific. Recently, Chelsea have announced the signing of Pernille Harder, a 27 year old forward from Wolfsburg. At Wolfsburg she scored 103 in 113 matches. Chelsea are going to be a frightening proposition with the firepower they possess. Kerr, England, Harder, Cuthbert, Reiten, Ji are all capable of scoring goals. Wolfsburg have been at the top of the Women's game for years and Chelsea have brought over one of their top players. In each of the last five years she has also been named as Denmarks player of the year. According to Wolfsburgs sporting director, the move for Harder is a 'record for the women's game.' It will be exciting to see her linking up with her teammates in the new season!

Pernille Harder - The most expensive Female footballer ever

Arsenal brought in four players to add to their squad, with the aim of challenging Chelsea and Manchester City for the title once again. 2 Australians signed from Melbourne City have been brought in to try and strengthen their defence. Defender Steph Catley and Goalkeeper Lydia Williams both came over from Melbourne during the summer window. Catley is a 26 year old left back who has made over 80 appearances for the Australian national team. Catley is a tidy player, completing 248 of her 268 attempted passes at the World Cup, a 92.5% success rate. 193 of them were 'medium' length passes (passes between 5 and 25 yards) and 52 were 'long' passes (passes over 25 yards). She completed 85.2% of her long passes, showing that she is a quality passer of the ball, whether it is short and simple passes or longer more ambitious balls. Maritz is a hugely versatile player, fitting in at both left back and right back for her previous club Wolfsburg. She can also play further forward if required. As Catley has also been brought in, Maritz will likely play in the right back position or slightly further forward. She is a Champions League winner and a serial domestic trophy winner with Wolfsburg and this impresses manager Joe Montemurro. He has clearly identified the full back positions as areas for improvement and Catley and Maritz should do just the job.

Towards the bottom of the table there has also been some movement. Birmingham City have lost more than they have gained despite such a poor season last time around. Key players such as Staniforth and Williams have left the club and others include Freya Gregory, Abbey Jones and Olivia Rebjohn who all left to join promoted Aston Villa. Gregory was the only of the 3 to make an appearance last season, however Villa will be hoping they can add some depth to their squad as they look to stay up in their first season. Birmingham may struggle this season, with only 7 points last term and so many departures, it could be a tough job for them to stay in the division. Another big loss for City is Adrienne Jordan, the full back who made the most tackles blocks and interceptions for the club. Christie Murray has been brought in from relegated Liverpool. She only played 86 minutes for them in the league last season, registering 1 assist. She is a Scotland international who City will hope can provide some WSL experience in the centre of the park. Their other signing also happens to be a Scotland international, Rachel Corsie. Corsie is a centre back who has been brought in on loan from Utah Royals. She played 1710 minutes in the NWSL last season with Utah Royals finishing 6th in the league. They conceded 25 goals in 24 matches, the second lowest in the league. Their problem seemed to be their attack rather than the defence and Birmingham will hope that she can bring some defensive solidity over with her.

Rachel Corsie will hope to sure up Birmingham City's defence

Bristol City also struggled last season, racking up 9 points from their 14 games. They have been more active in the window, bringing in 4 players. Ella Mastrantonio, Aimee Palmer, Megan Wynne and Jemma Purfield. Wynne was on loan with the club last season and has now joined as a permanent signing, however is currently recovering from a nasty injury.  Mastrantonio is a central midfielder brought in from Western Sydney Wanderers, she played 987 minutes last season, registering 2 assists. She won 14 tackles and made 18 interceptions so is an industrious player in the centre of midfield. She also recieved the most yellow cards and conceded the second most fouls. Perhaps the most exciting signing for Bristol City fans is the return of Aimee Palmer. She returns to the club where she began her career after a couple of years at Manchester United. She is only 20 years old and has represented England's youth teams. She did not make any appearances for Man United in the WSL last season, however she will hope for a starting spot in the Bristol City lineup.

This season

With the additions to all of the squads, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City are once again favourites to be top of the pack. Chelsea go in as favourites, being the current holders of the title and after an impressive Community Shield win at Wembley against Manchester City. City have a new manager and some new faces which may need some time to adapt to his style. They are still a team of huge quality and will be seeking revenge after being narrowly beaten to the title last year without the chance to play the rest of the matches. Arsenal are also going to be strong. With their new full backs and Vivianne Miedema, they will look to dominate games, keep tight at the back and allow their star player to keep banging in the goals. In the middle of the pack, Man United, Everton and Reading will be battling to catch up with the top 3 and be the best of the rest. United are probably favourites to do so but you never know. West Ham, Spurs and Brighton all look quite stable, unlikely to be drawn in to a relegation battle, but also unlikely to mount any more of a threat to the top of the table. Bristol City and Birmingham City will likely be scrapping it out once again at the bottom of the table, with newcomers Aston Villa looking to establish themselves as a WSL for the forseeable future.

Key Player for each team

Aston Villa - Shania Hayles

With 8 goals in 5 starts last season, 20 year old Shania Hayles was Aston Villa's second top goalscorer. 

With that form, she is bound to get more starts this season and being another year older, lets hope she can continue in that fashion. She has been in fine form during pre season, scoring 4 goals in 2 matches.

Arsenal - Vivianne Miedema

What else needs saying? 16 goals, 8 assists, 14 games. 22 goals, 10 assists, 22 games in the season before. If she carries on that form and stays injury free, Arsenal will always be in with a chance

Birmingham City - Rachel Corsie

With the attacking talent that some of the top clubs possess, Birmingham will need a solid defence to keep those goals out. Corsie has been brought in on loan from Utah Royals and City fans will hope that she can made an impact and help them stay up this season. Utah had a solid defence last season which Corsie was a large part of, if she can bring that solidity over to Birmingham, they may stand a fighting chance.

Bristol City - Sophie Baggaley

The Bristol City shot stopper offers them a lot more than just saving the shots that she faces. She played the most passes and had the most touches of any Bristol City player last season. Her progressive passing distance was over double anyone elses in the squad. Her passes gained 7259 yards with second place Jasmine Matthews only gaining 2881. Baggaley completed over 50 more passes than Matthews. It really shows Bristol City's quality level and their style of play that their goalkeeper has the most touches out of the whole squad. They are in for another long season and will hope that Baggaley can provide a solid presence in between the sticks. As much as she is a hugely important player for City with her constant involvement, her shot stopping leaves a lot to be desired. Bristol City conceded the most goals in the WSL last season with a staggering 38 in 14 matches (they did get battered 11-1 by Arsenal which accounts for a lot). According to statsbomb, her post shot xG is 30.9, meaning she conceded about 7 goals more than you would expect. This suggests that she needs to work on her shot stopping and maybe with a bit of luck and being a year older, she will improve on that this season.

Brighton and Hove Albion - Rebekah Stott

Brighton finished 9th last season on 13 points from 16 games. They will be looking to improve that record this season. In those 16 games they conceded 30 goals so a key area of improvement is the defence. Rebekah Stott has been brought in to try and provide some solidity and experience at the back. Stott has played 70 times for New Zealand and has been brought in from Melbourne City. That high level experience will hopefully bring the rest of the defence up a level, providing them with a more solid foundation to build upon.

Chelsea - Millie Bright

Where to start with Chelsea. They have so much talent it is hard to pick out just one player that may stand out. Harder, Kerr, England and Ji among others are bound to have great seasons, scoring and creating plenty of goals. With that being said, if they want to retain their title, a solid defence is crucial and Millie Bright is ever prescent in their back line. She played every minute of their 15 WSL matches last season. Bright had 1179 touches, the highest in the squad, she also played the most passes (790). She also won 40 headers, the 4th most in the league and has the second highest aerial duel win percentage at 75.5%. Despite not being one of Chelsea's flair players, Bright will be crucial to any success that Chelsea have this season. With all of the goals that they have the ability to score, Bright and her defensive line will need to keep it tight and concede minimal goals.

Everton - Valerie Gauvin

After losing top goal scorer Chloe Kelly to Manchester City, Everton needed find a replacment. Valerie Gauvin has been brought in from Montpellier where she scored 14 goals in 16 games for them last season. A proven goal scorer for club and country, Everton will hope she can fire them up the table after a mediocre season last time around. They finished in the middle of the pack, scoring 19 but also conceding 19. To push them up to the top of the league Gauvin will need to fit in quickly and find her goal scoring form.

Manchester City - Steph Houghton

Much like Chelsea, Manchester City have a wealth of talent in their squad. With the 2 new American additions in midfield to Chloe Kelly and Janine Beckie going forward, City are bound to score goals. If Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood do sign, they will also have a huge impact, but as of yet they have not been confirmed. Steph Houghton is City's captain and a hugely experienced player. Registering X touches and completing 972 passes, Houghton is key to City's style of playing out from the back. She registered over 10,000 yards progressive distance with her passes, something which no other player got close to. If the short passing style is not working, she is not adverse to going long in to the channels for her wingers to run on to as she has a good range of passing. As England and Manchester City captain, she has those leadership qualities which will be essential to a push for the title this season.

Manchester United - Lauren James

In her limited minutes last season, Lauren James was hugely impressive. She was the league's 5th top goal scorer, racking up 6 goals in only 796 minutes. She is still only 18 but made a big impression on the WSL last season. Another year older, she will be sure to get more minutes under her belt this season and hopefully continue that goal scoring form. If United want to bridge the gap between themselves and the top 3, they will be hoping James can develop in to one of the WSL's finest.

Reading - Jess Fishlock

Wales most capped player and captain Jess Fishlock is spending her season on loan at Reading from Reign. A double Champions League winner, Reading fans should be excited to see what Fishlock can bring them. At 33 years old, her powers may be fading, but she still has a lot to offer and it will be exciting to see her in action in the WSL. After finishing in 5th, 2 points behind Manchester United, Reading will be looking to break in to the top 4 and possibly challenge the elite of the league. The signing of Fishlock will provide them with some high level experience.

Tottenham - Rianna Dean

Dean was Spurs' top scorer last season with 4 goals, however 2 of those came from the penalty spot. With an xG of 6 and a non penalty xG of 4.5, she seemed to underperform when it came to her finishing. At 21 years old, she still has a lot of room to grow and will be looking to add to her tally this season. She also applied 300 pressures last season and was successful with 100 of them. This shows her aptitude at pressing from the front and winning the ball back high up the pitch. In Spurs' first WSL season she was one of their standout players and will be looking to improve even more this season.

West Ham - Adriana Leon

West Ham's top goal scorer last season, Leon bagged 5 open play goals in only 641 minutes. These came from an xG of only 2.3, showing that she is a quality finisher. The attacking midfielder links the play together for the Hammers and contributes to her fair share of goals. She will be hoping for more minutes in the league this season where she can continue to show her quality.

This season of the WSL is bound to be the best yet in terms of excitement and quality. The top sides have strengthed with talent from all over the world with the aim of being more competitive on the European stage. These new players will bring more excitement to the league in what should be a tense title race. Mid table teams have also strengthened with foreign talent which will only improve the quality of the league. However down at the bottom it may be a tough slog for a couple of teams, battling it out for survival. I am looking forward to the new season getting started and seeing some exciting high quality football!