For the first time in the month of October, Chelsea are back in action after a preparatory international break ahead of the World Cup this upcoming summer. Back-to-back wins following a shocking loss to Liverpool on the road in the Women’s Super League have given Chelsea plenty of momentum to build off of with the new challenge of balancing two competitions after the introduction of the Champions League groups this past week. Three consecutive road contests will test the mentality of this club, starting with a trip to Walton Hall Park to take on a surging Everton side that sits right behind the Blues in the table.
CFC has beaten Everton by three or more goals in five straight contests in the WSL, but with the additions of 10 new players, including Dutch striker Katja Snoeijs and Emily Ramsey between the sticks on loan from Manchester United, the Toffees are on a mission to reinvent themselves following a 10th place finish in the previous campaign.
Everton made a statement to the rest of the WSL after defeating newly promoted Liverpool in convincing fashion after the Reds snatched all three points away from the defending champions in the first week of action. Brian Sorensen joined Everton over the summer, looking to provide some stability at the managerial position that saw four different bosses at the helm last season including two that finished as interim managers from February through the end of the campaign.
After Willie Kirk left his position following nearly three years at the helm to take a position as the director of football at Leicester City, Everton was in a bind to find its new leader. Following several successful seasons in the Danish top-flight where he led Fortuna Hjørring to three major trophies, Sorensen earned the job with the Toffees, signing a contract that began at the start of this season in April of 2022.
Sorensen has begun to right the ship back to where the club was two seasons ago. Having only allowed one goal so far during this campaign is quite impressive given the fact that the Toffees let in the third-most goals in the entire WSL last season. He is quickly establishing a new style of play that is igniting the rebuild at Everton. So far, the team has been incredibly comfortable in possession, having out-possessed the opposition in every match leading up to the clash against Chelsea.
Last season, Everton began its campaign with back-to-back four-goal losses to Manchester City and the Blues at Kingsmeadow led by a two-goal outing by Sam Kerr. Chelsea put up 27 shots against the Toffees at home last season, but this time around, the Blues need to be ready for a sturdy resistance who have only allowed one goal so far this season, and put together two straight clean sheets.
If this season has taught Chelsea and the rest of the league anything, it is that anyone is beatable on any given day. The Blues could see the potential return of Everton higher up in the table, putting one of its most promising youngsters, Aggie Beever-Jones in the hands of the club for an entire season. The 20-year-old loanee from Manchester City Jessica Park has already collected a goal and an assist through three games in the Toffees attack Her sensational play on the flank against Liverpool was one of the key reasons for the lopsided scoreline when the final whistle blew.
Hayes knows that while her team has a massive midweek fixture away at Paris Saint-Germain to open up a highly-anticipated Champions League campaign, the goal could be to rest some of its everyday starters. With the depth that has been on display, especially against West Ham, the Blues have the ability to sit someone like Lauren James on the bench because the drop-off to the next-best player is not very substantial.
Seeing some like Pernille Harder see the pitch for her first outing of the season could be a goal of Hayes just before the fixtures begin to become more challenging. Ann Katrin-Berger’s inspiring play between the sticks has earned her the starting role once again while Fran Kirby hopes to continue to add to her Player of the Season campaign.
Avenging last season’s Champions League may be on the mind of Hayes and the CFC Women, but at the end of the day, the Toffees are flying in top form, and are not the team that many did not take seriously last season. A trip to Walton Hall Park right after the international break has trap game written all over it, and while last season’s contests against Everton were not as competitive, every game this season counts if the Blues want to win yet another league title in May.