The season may have begun with one of the biggest upsets women’s football may see this season, but since then, the Blues have taken on many challenges en route to the top of the WSL table, and the top of their Champions League group. From the injuries to Pernille Harder, Fran Kirby, and Jelena Cankovic to the absence of Emma Hayes, Chelsea has demonstrated the drive of this club to continue this sustained success in all competitions.
Erin Cuthbert may have cost CFCW a clean sheet against Manchester United, but she and Lauren James have been exceptional for the Blues in the season’s early stages. After a season where James struggled to stay healthy, she has built a partnership with Sam Kerr that has caused chaos for the opposition’s backlines. Guro Reiten has moved herself into the conversation as one of the best wingers in the WSL. The Norwegian midfielder’s distribution early on has been one of the catalysts to Chelsea’s staggering goal-scoring tallies recently. Reiten has collected seven assists in all competitions so far, making Kerr’s life and Harder’s life even more straightforward with her magical left foot.
Kerr started the season off slow, but after she only mustered up one goal in the first five contests in all competitions, the Australian has netted six goals to go along with two assists in the last four matches for the Blues. Harder has been the definition of consistency since coming back to the starting XI away at Everton, scoring six goals in her past five CFC starts.
Whether it is the stability that Sophie Ingle provides in the middle of the pitch or the quality that Johanna Rytting Kaneryd has shown in just her first few matches in blue, it almost seems like every player on this deep roster has made a contribution at some point so far. Arsenal is going to be a difficult hill to climb, but Chelsea will cross that path when the time comes. At the moment, the Blues are coming off a critical win over Marc Skinner’s squad, and a statement win at Kingsmeadow against Vllaznia in their last Champions League matchup.
There are rumors that Hayes could be back on the sideline sooner rather than later, and with that boost of energy, Chelsea is only going to add to the undefeated success it saw with Denise Reddy at the helm. Heading into the international window, general manager Paul Green expressed his feelings about the team going forward, stating:
"There is definitely more to come throughout the season. We are getting better and stronger with each performance. We look forward to seeing where this team can go. It’s the best squad we’ve ever had. We feel really confident with the business we did in the summer and where the squad is at…We’ve got to try and take this momentum into the upcoming games once they’re back from the international break and see where it can take us.”"
Each performance by the Blues teaches their competition something. From Chelsea’s ability to grind out a result in a muddy Crawley against Brighton to Millie Bright becoming the hero in the Champions League on the road at Paris Saint-Germain, the Blues always show something different in each result, making the task for the opposition an insurmountable one.
Chelsea has the most passes completed, and highest expected goals of any team in the WSL up to this point of the season. Despite the challenging Champions League group, the Blues have taken the task head-on, beginning it with an emphasis on getting to the next round as soon as possible. Chelsea got its toughest Champions League fixture away at PSG over with in the first match of the group stage, now it is all about taking care of business, and not letting the ghosts of last season’s past haunt the Blues this time around.
A historic fixture against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge and a clash with Real Madrid in the Champions League await the Blues when they return from the break. It may not be the most opportune time for a FIFA window to be for Chelsea, but at the end of the day, this club’s depth has the power to overcome a plethora of obstacles over the course of a season. It has not been the easiest of roads to get to the beginning of November, but over the last few weeks, the Blues have found themselves again, adding even more confidence as the games go on.