This group got away with a crime. The Manchester police somehow let it go. If it happens again, there could be punishment. With that, it is not about forgetting what just transpired, it is about remembering the key themes from stealing a point from Manchester City for some sort of reflection.
While there may be disappointment in the minds of Chelsea Women after not taking advantage of a numerical advantage, it is one point more from that fixture compared to 2022/2023. When asked what the team needs to do at Kingsmeadow against West Ham United, Emma Hayes without hesitation said, “We have to start games better.” In a place this team knows extremely well, that should be much easier.
At some point, fighting from behind has to be a thing of the past. This is where it begins. These players are far from hitting top form, but this should be the beginning of progressive improvement.
Similar to match week two against Manchester City in the Women’s Super League, West Ham will be Chelsea Women’s third league opponent for the second straight season. The leader will not be the same for the east Londoners though. The former Tottenham leader Rehanne Skinner sits at the helm of the Irons, leading them to three points in the first two league contests. In three games against the Blues last season, the Skinner-led Spurs side conceded three goals per 90 minutes.
The east London outfit head into one of the most difficult WSL away grounds coming off a two-goal victory over Brighton and Hove Albion away from home. It was a contest that saw Japanese international Riko Ueki make the difference in the final third while Australian Mackenzie Arnold shut up shop between the posts. No east Londoner has more shots on goal this season than the new arrival from Tokyo Verdy Beleza.
Arnold is one heck of an athlete in goal. She looked like a relative of Spiderman with the kind of saves she was coming up with last weekend. Her most impressive of the season came during opening weekend, diving to her right to keep a Chole Kelly penalty out of the net. It is going to be a long day if that same kind of quality at City is on display once again. Arnold is not going to give away any goals. The Blues have to be clinical.
Even with that being said, the west Londoners have found the back of the net more than once in each of the last six games vs. their rivals to the east. The last two games between these sides last season were as non competitive as it gets. Hayes’ team outscored the east London outfit 11-0 between the two matches in February and May of 2023. In the same venue that this week three fixture will take place, the Irons’ struck first in 2022. The home side was forced to come from behind as Dagny Brynjarsdottir converted on a set-piece in the 3′.
The lineup will of course be a talking point. Jessie Fleming was interestingly slotted into the No. 10 role while Swedish goalkeeper Zecira Musovic stood between the posts against Man City. Jelena Cankovic’s passing range is a consistent stand-out. Switching Fleming for the Serbian has the potential to unlock this group going forward.
Could this be the week that the double pivot of the future, Sjoeke Nusken, and Erin Cuthbert feature together? Though the Scottish international is not quite fit, this may be the time to go for it considering the opponent. At some point, the 2022/2023 No. 1 stop-stopper Ann-Katrin Berger needs to get a run. The German is not as smooth with the ball at her feet, but it is hard to argue her ability to make world-class saves. The Chelsea men are out of town for the weekend, so why not tune in to watch the other half of the club?
Chelsea Women predicted starting XI vs. West Ham United
Goalkeeper: Zecira Musovic
Defenders: Jess Carter, Millie Bright, Niamh Charles, Ashley Lawrence
Midfielders: Sjoeke Nusken, Erin Cuthbert, Jelena Cankovic, Guro Reiten, Lauren James
Forward: Sam Kerr
Chelsea Women vs. West Ham United match info
Date: Saturday, October 14
Time: 17:30 BST, 12:30 p.m. EST
TV Broadcast: Sky Sports (UK), Paramount+ (USA)