Chelsea will go to Barcelona with hope, Arsenal’s mentality is changing, City are flying and the relegation battle is hotting upChelsea may have lost 1-0 in the first leg of the Women’s Champions League semi-final against Barcelona but afterwards they were relatively buoyant. Playing against the possession-heavy and quick-moving Catalans is one of the trickiest tests in football. “You have to be in the tie. We’re in the tie,” said the Chelsea manager, Emma Hayes. She is right but Barcelona walked away the more content side. Yes, they did not capitalise on their dominance to a greater extent, but their play (and injuries to Millie Bright and Kadeisha Buchanan) forced Chelsea to change shape, to a back five. As the...
Emma Hayes’s side remain in the tie following a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of the Women’s Champions League semi-finalA defeat to Barcelona once more in the Champions League will, in the immediate aftermath, feel like a blow for Chelsea and their fans. However, a gritty performance and 1-0 loss at the hands of the team so many consider the best in Europe should fill Chelsea with plenty of encouragement for the second leg at Camp Nou on Thursday.It is well known that this is the one title Emma Hayes and her team desperately desire, the final missing piece in their trophy cabinet. They have come close, losing 4-0 to Barcelona in the 2021 final, and the heartbreak of...
As a dramatic and entertaining initial phase of the competition comes to an end we look at how the runners and riders faredThe Women’s Super League. Last season both Arsenal and Chelsea struggled in the Champions League group stage, with Chelsea falling short and Arsenal scraping through. This year, Arsenal topped a group which included reigning European champions, Lyon and the Italian title-winners, Juventus. Meanwhile, Chelsea went undefeated and scored 19 goals on their way to winning Group A ahead of Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. Continue reading...