Chelsea Women and Arsenal Women meet in the Women’s Super League on Sunday with both sides finding themselves in a strange position.
Neither set of fans are entirely happy with the way their teams have started this season, despite both being unbeaten. Chelsea have drawn one and won two from their three games while Arsenal find themselves two points behind.
But they have a similar problem. They just cannot convert their chances. What does that mean for this Sunday’s game? Are we looking at another goalless draw or will the handbrake be released for a goal fest.
Chelsea Women have found a way to win games this season without always convincing anyone they deserved to, you only have to look at the Birmingham game and Aston Villa draw where the ball in the back of the net was missing.
The warning signs have been there in recent weeks. Wins have come by scorelines that flattered the eye test rather than reflected it, with Chelsea generating more openings than they've converted. Against lesser opposition, that gap between chances created and goals scored can be papered over, particularly evident in midweek against Austria Vienna.
Results have thankfully gone their way, but the performances underneath them tell a different story: chances created, half-chances squandered, and a finishing touch that's gone missing at the exact moments it matters most. Sunday's derby against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge is the fixture where that habit finally gets punished if it isn't fixed.
Against an Arsenal side more than capable of punishing any sloppy possession in the final third, those fine margins could prove decisive between taking all three points and suffering a damaging result in a title race expected to be decided by the smallest details.
With Alessia Russo, Lisa Baum and Olivia Smith leading the line, Arsenal’s front three are viewed as more clinical than Chelsea’s attack, making every opportunity and every mistake, potentially crucial.
Sonia Bompastor will know this better than anyone. Her attack line do have the quality in the final third to be ruthless, but quality alone hasn't translated into the clinical edge this squad is capable of showing.
Whether that's down to decision-making in the box, confidence, or simply a lack of sharpness after a congested schedule, the fix needs to happen fast, not after a damaging afternoon against a direct rival.
This is exactly the kind of fixture that separates genuine title challengers from teams riding good fortune. Arsenal won't offer the same forgiveness that Chelsea have received in recent weeks, and if the finishing doesn't improve, dominance in possession will count for very little.
Chelsea have the players to be clinical. Sunday is about proving it when it actually matters.
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