Chelsea Women may not be the flashiest team, but they don’t need to be
The Chelsea Women aren’t the FAWSL’s flashiest side, but they don’t need to be. In a competitive division, points are the only things that matter.
This summer has been a blessing for the Women’s Super League as some of the world’s most popular players have made the move overseas to join sides like Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham. As these players—mostly from the United States—invaded England, Chelsea chose to stay away from the action. The Blues made more subtle moves, with Pernille Harder being the exception.
Chelsea didn’t join in on the American craze for two reasons. First and foremost, the Blues didn’t need to. After winning the FAWSL last season, they only needed to make a few additions and they made them early on. Second, Chelsea has never been the flashiest club. While this may sound like an indictment of the women, it certainly isn’t. The Blues focus on results rather than the spotlight and that strategy has paid off thus far.
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All of the chatter this summer and early on in the year has been centered around Arsenal, Tottenham and the Manchester clubs—and rightfully so. Arsenal has obliterated its opponents, Tottenham signed Alex Morgan, Man United added Tobin Heath and Christen Press and Man City brought in Sam Mewis, Rose Lavelle, Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood. However, supporters should be careful to not leave the Blues out of those discussions.
Chelsea made some top signings of its own, but only Harder can compare to the hype of the aforementioned. Other additions included Melanie Leupolz, Niamh Charles and Jessie Fleming. While underrated to casual football fans, these women are just what the doctor ordered after an FAWSL title for the Blues last year. Chelsea is off to a hot start and should be considered contenders again, despite the dialogue surrounding its opponents.
Although the side from Kingsmeadow is occasionally on the right side of an obliteration, dominating matches isn’t its strong suit. Clubs like Arsenal and Man City are more well known for those wins. The Blues are all about results, evident in their recent victories over the best clubs the country has to offer.
On the back of a dominating 4-1 win over north London rivals Arsenal, Chelsea is preparing for its toughest stretch of the season. The women will square off against Man City this weekend before hosting Spurs, Everton and traveling to Arsenal in the next month or so. The lack of hype around the Blues hasn’t impacted them in the past and it surely won’t this season.
Emma Hayes’ team, despite not being the most popular or flashy, has the prize every club wants and it won’t go down without a fight. Talks around Chelsea don’t dominate the press, but in a world driven by results, points are the only thing that matter to the Blues.