Moving focus to WSL: Chelsea v Spurs preview part III

For the third time this season, and the second meeting in less than two weeks, Emma Hayes’ Chelsea Women meet up with their rivals to the north, Tottenham Hotspur. This will be the last Women’s Super League match until March 5 as the Blues seek to advance even further in both the FA Cup and Conti Cup in the month of February. Hayes’ side has outscored Tottenham 26 to four all-time with CFC coming out on top in every meeting since 2019. It has been a while since the Blues have competed in the WSL having missed out on their contest against Liverpool a week after salvaging a draw against Arsenal.

As things stand, a last-second winner by former Spurs forward, Rachel Williams at Madejski Stadium has Manchester United at the top of the table with 28 points through 11 matches played. Hayes and CFC are locked up on points with United, but sit behind in second on goal differential. With Marc Skinner’s side playing an in-form Everton side in the league, Chelsea may have the opportunity to jump over United to reclaim the top spot in the WSL.

As Hayes has continued to emphasize, no game is bigger than the next. This will be Spurs’ third contest of their five-game home stand while the Blues head on the road for two consecutive matches ahead of the international break. Just like last season, this is going to be a league campaign where every point matters, and against reeling opposition like this, the Blues have to be able to pounce. With the amount of depth this side has compared to last season, Hayes has the ability to set up quality lineups in almost every match, making the juggling of four different competitions even easier.

As far as the lineup, Jessie Fleming without a doubt deserves a start for her stellar 90 minutes against Matt Beard and the Reds. There should not be too much shake up compared to what Hayes deployed in the FA Cup this past weekend with Fran Kirby serving as the No. 10, and Jess Carter earning her fourth straight start on the left side of the defense.

Is Hayes going to continue to ride the hot hands of Zecira Musovic, or is Ann-Katrin Berger going to find her way back between the sticks for the first time since the Blues’ home match against Reading in December? That may be the biggest lingering question when it comes to the lineup for CFC on Sunday, and is something that will continue to be brought up going forward with Musovic’s contract still expiring at the conclusion of the season.

Melanie Leupolz received a large ovation by the Kingsmeadow faithful in her return. While she was quite off the pace during the short time she was out there, it is going to be intriguing to see if Hayes finds this as a match to possibly provide her with even more time on the pitch as she begins to get back into the swing of things since the birth of her first child in October.

From a dominant first half at Stamford Bridge to the Blues’ relatively comfortable triumph in the Conti Cup on the road, this season’s matchups have not been the most competitive so far. Drew Spence’s world-class strike when the match was already decided at Brisbane Road was essentially the only offense Spurs has been able to muster against CFC’s stout backline.

Since Bethany England’s arrival from west London, Tottenham is yet to be shut out. Before she took her talents to north London, Spurs had four straight games where they failed to uncover a way past the opposition’s goalkeeper in the WSL. A five-goal outing in the FA Cup at home between Championship side London City Lionesses should provide them with confidence, but at the end of the day, the north London outfit still has been one of the worst WSL sides in front of the net this season.

Following another multi-goal outing against Liverpool, Sam Kerr has now scored six out of the Blues’ seven goals of 2023. The Australian has scored more goals against Spurs than any other team in her career at Stamford Bridge. With Brisbane Road being the sight of two of her finishes last week, she hopes to repeat history. Kerr’s classy finish against Spurs last time out from another quick free-kick just outside the box:

It is not the most blockbuster of matchups this weekend in the WSL, but it is still an opportunity for the west Londoners to rise back to the top of the table. Hayes has seen what a quick start can do to this team, and after a sluggish beginning to the match in the Conti Cup, a much more energetic first 10 minutes must be something the Blues should key in on.

Spurs’ lack of competitiveness in the WSL this season has been one of the biggest surprises, but at some point this club has to find its form once again, especially having spent a considerable amount of money on a striker. This is another “do your job” type of game for CFCW as the title race looks to have the kind of ending last season’s did in the month of May.