The race to stay at the top continues to reach fever pitch at the bottom of the Women’s Super League (WSL) table, with just four points separating seven clubs.
Top-flight newcomers Crystal Palace made a disastrous start to their first WSL campaign, going down 7-0 to Chelsea at Selhurst Park on the opening day.
West Ham United have struggled at the bottom of the table in consecutive seasons, but a recent change of form has given their campaign a new lease of life. A coachless Aston Villa may appear to be five places ahead of the relegation zone, but only four points separate them from the Championship.
Everton continue to struggle under Brian Sorensen, and a toothless Leicester City have finally shown some bite after Amandine Miquel’s side took on Chelsea on Matchday 10.
Unlike the title race, the WSL relegation fight is much harder to predict. While it would simply be saying that Crystal Palace are destined to return to the Championship, it would be too naive to say so.
Laura Kaminski has shown her managerial strength even when the Eagles have struggled. Despite losing to Chelsea and Manchester City by wide margins, both matches included parts of the game where Palace were leading the charge. This young Palace team refuses to back down from a fight, and with the right roll of the dice in the January transfer market, their WSL hopes are far from over.
The Eagles head coach recently praised Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish, telling The Guardian: “I can’t say enough about the support of the board. “I can pick up the phone with Steve (Parish) whenever I want and there aren’t many managers who can say that.”
Kaminski hopes this support will translate into investment during the winter transfer window, as the team will need an injection of experience to stay afloat. Palace will also be keen to welcome back star striker Elise Hughes, who is in the final stages of her ACL recovery.
Unless they suffer another wave of terrible injury luck, Everton have done enough to show why they will remain in the top flight at the end of the season. Brian Sorensen continues to fly under the radar and his strong management skills are overlooked despite a string of strong performances.
The Toffees took a point off Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, before claiming victories over Liverpool and Manchester City in the run-up to Christmas. The completion of their transfer of ownership has already seen Everton make the move, signing French striker Kelly Gago from FC Nantes for an undisclosed fee.
As for West Ham United, the club made great use of the winter window last season when they welcomed captain Katrina Gorry to the club. With transfer season approaching, Rehanne Skinner’s side should be looking to get in on the action. Talented forward Viviane Asseyi has done enough to get the Irons over the line several times, and the team will be relying heavily on her if they are to keep up this season.
Leicester City may be an outlier, as Amandine Miquel’s first season in charge of the Foxes continues to show ominous signs. The French coach has many strengths on the bench, but they have all been nullified by the terrible luck of injuries that have ruled out almost all of Leicester’s forward power.
It will simply be another question of whether the Foxes can utilize the transfer window if they want to be competitive in the new year.
Prediction: Leicester City
