Chelsea Women: Miscellaneous end-of-season awards 2022/23

Now that the Chelsea Women’s season has come to a close, it is time to give out some awards to the players that made the success of this team possible.

Just like that, it is all over. Nine months, 32 wins across all competitions, and two trophies. The consistency of the Chelsea Women in women’s football domestically across England continues to be a remarkable storyline. Players have come and gone, but the culture that Emma Hayes has embedded in this club remains the same. After the first week of the campaign, doubt began to sink in, but just a few months later, the Blues have two new pieces of silverware in their cabinet and a Champions League run to be more than proud of. At times, the quality of football wavered, but just like this club always has, it saves the best for last.

From the introduction of Lauren James back into the team to the west Londoners’ ability to cope with injuries, this campaign was one that will be remembered for a plethora of reasons. The west London side said goodbye to both Magdalena Eriksson, and Pernille Harder while locking down many of its key players to long-term contracts.

The end of any campaign requires both reflection and forward thinking. Before the offseason gets off and running, it is time to hand out some miscellaneous end of season awards to the individuals that made the success of this year’s team come to fruition:

Most Improved Player: Niamh Charles

The English international Niamh Charles provides arguably the most versatility than any other CFC player on the roster. She can play on the wing in the frontline, in the midfield, and now as one of the wing backs. In the middle of the season, the Blues’ No. 21 went from playing as one of the highest players up the pitch like in the FA Cup against Reading to left back against Aston Villa a few weeks later. Charles just a few years ago got exposed against Barcelona in the Champions League final, but in 2023, the English international grew into the player Hayes always saw her to be.

It always seemed like Charles had a chip on her shoulder from day one, attempting to prove to her country that she deserved to be on the team that won the Euros during the summer. The Blues’ No. 21 was one of just seven players with seven or more goal contributions throughout the league campaign. The passing asset of her game was one thing that stood out, especially her ability to complement Eve Perisset on the other wing with her crosses. Only Sophie Ingle, who had a stellar campaign herself had more progressive passes than Charles in the league.

Charles started in 10 more matches in Europe and the English top-flight combined compared to last year, more then quadrupling her highest even goal contribution season tally from any season in blue. The former Liverpool attacker increased her total in a multitude of statistical categories, making the choice for this award a relatively simple one. For someone that is only 23-years-old, there are ways in which Hayes and the rest the coaching staff can help her grow her game. Given the jump she made this season, and the drive to take her game to the next level, it is very likely that the best is yet to come for Charles.

Clutch Player of the Season: Sam Kerr

When you need a goal, who are you going to call? There is only one answer, and her name is Samantha May Kerr. Like she has throughout her entire career in west London, the Australian has always been there when her team needed it. After missing several clear-cut chances in Madrid in the UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage, there was belief by some that Kerr had finally hit a wall. Within the next two weeks, Kerr netted what has to be considered one of the goals of the season at Stamford Bridge against Paris Saint-Germain.

Kerr would end up going on to score five of the first seven goals in 2023 for the Blues. The Australian does not just find the back of the net, she discovers a way to beat the goalkeeper in games the west London side had to have. Whether it was her 89′ header at the Emirates Stadium, the FA Cup final winner, or her goal to seal a WSL win over Manchester United at Kingsmeadow, the big moments never frighten her.

The larger the opponent, the more locked in Kerr is in front of goal. That is what makes her special, and why the Blues need to do all they can to keep her in west London for as long as possible with her contract is up next season. 2022/2023 was the third successive campaign in which Kerr netted 15 or more goals and six more more assists in the Champions League and WSL combined. With two goals in the final match to seal the title, Kerr matched her tally from last season across all competitions, proving her prime years of her career is far from over.

Underdog Player of the Season: Maren Mjelde

After playing in just four contests in the English top-flight last season, there was no knowing what kind of role the Norwegian Maren Mjelde was going to have. Hayes had Millie Bright, Buchanan, Magdalena Eriksson, and Jess Carter to play at center back. When Bright went down with an injury after the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Lyon, there was no better replacement than Mjelde. She doesn’t wear the captain’s armband, but that does not prevent her from being an influential leader.

The Blues’ No. 18 signed with the west Londoners’ back in November 2016. She knows how to win, and win donning the Chelsea blue. Whether it was stability in the defense against a team like Barcelona or back-to-back penalties to keep the Blues Champions League campaign alive against Lyon, Mjelde was a true difference maker whenever she was called upon. The images from the memorable night at Stamford Bridge of the center-back say all you need to know. The Blues’ No. 18 adores this club, and down the the stretch when the matches mattered more then before, she rose to the occasion more times than not.

Nobody would have thought the pairing of Mjelde and Eriksson would stand a chance against the likes of Lyon or Barcelona, but the two worked well together in the wake of outgoings and injuries in the defense. At 32-years-old Norwegian only started in nine games in the WSL and Europe, scoring three goals, but whenever there was a big game late in the season, Hayes called on the Bergen native. Mjelde won’t receive any individual accolades, but without her it is difficult to see this club finding that much success in the final month of the campaign.

Best New Signing of the Season: Eve Perisset

This may have been one of the most difficult awards to dish out. Hayes did such an incredible job during the summer of 2022 in bringing in some of the best talent from across the world. Jelena Cankovic, Kadeisha Buchanan, and even Johanna Rytting Kaneryd could have very well won this award, but no newcomer contributed in more contests in the league and in Europe than the French wing-back Eve Perisset.

Cankovic has the potential to be the No. 10 of the future for this team while Buchanan is bound to lock up a starting job in the starting XI going forward, but Perisset’s influence on winning toward the conclusion of the campaign cannot be overshadowed.

Only Erin Cuthbert, Kerr, and Reiten had more shot-creating actions than Perisset across the WSL and Champions League. The Blues’ No. 15 grew into an irreplaceable force on the flank, using her vision and passing talent to put the players around her in the right position to find the back of the net. The Norwegian superstar winger is the only player to have more crosses in the WSL than Perisset this season who was at the top of her game in the final months of the campaign. In addition, Reiten and Kerr where the only two players with more key passes (passes that directly lead to a shot) in the domestic top-flight.

Whether it was her pass to set up Blues’ No. 11 for the opener against Arsenal, or how she nearly had an assist to open up the scoring against Reading, Perisset has demonstrated how intelligent a player she truly is on the flank. Between some of the highs, there are a few lows, but at the end of the day, the French winger is solid defensively while knowing when and where to direct the play forward. Perisset has the best passing completion percentage of any CFCW player in the league this season that is not a central defender or goalkeeper. The future for No. 15 in blue is encouraging. With the support of the club and Hayes, Perisset could prove to be one of the most vital pieces to the Champions League title puzzle.

Player of the Season: Guro Reiten

Who else could it be? The Norwegian wizard Guro Reiten has emerged into not only one of the best wingers in the Women’s Super League, but one of the best players. The Blues’ No. 11 became as important to the starting XI as Kerr as the campaign unfolded. Only Kenza Dalli of Aston Villa had more goal-creating actions in the WSL than Reiten. In 31 matches played in both the WSL and Champions League, the Norwegian collected 11 goals and 15 assists.

She more than doubled her assist numbers in the league, and scored an two extra goals compared to what No. 11 was able to muster. Somehow despite this absurd statistical campaign and the fact that she was the most undroppable player on the eventual league winners, Reiten has not received any individual award. Only Kerr and Eriksson played more minutes in the league than the Blues’ No. 11. She led the English juggernaut in key passes, passes into the penalty area and total crosses.

Rachel Daly may have scored 23 goals in the league to win her the WSL Player of the Season for a team that has improved quite a lot this season, but Reiten earned that award. In nearly every sport, the most important position on the field or the player that scores the most goals or throws the most touchdowns in American football more times than not is honored in some individual capacity.

Reiten was the best player on the team that secured their fourth straight title. She finished one assist shy of Beth Mead’s single season assist record which stands at 12 from 2018-2019. Out of all the awards, this was the easiest to hand out. The left-footed Norwegian was prolific from start to finish, continuously showing up in big moments even when the opposition attempted to key in on her flying down the left flank.