It's been quite a couple of weeks, hasn't it? I think Emma Hayes will be a great fit for the USWNT. Her outspoken support for women footballers and her extreme competitiveness will be appreciated over there even more than here. I remember one of her players saying that the culture at Chelsea was not just to win games, but to win every little battle on the pitch. To win everything, as she put it. It's a huge opportunity for the right coach and I hope they give her free rein to implement her ideas.
Funnily enough, I think the WSL will miss her more than Chelsea Women FC will - who will be the strong female voice asserting women's right to play and to be taken seriously as footballers, while also advocating for female-specific training, kit, employment rights? You need a platform of achievement to be heard by the wider football community, by the media, etc. All the managers of the big teams are men, and however supportive and respectful they are (and I believe they are), that sort of advocacy doesn't have the same impact from the mouth of a man. I hope other women, perhaps ex-players, perhaps the leaders of the new governing body for the WSL, will speak up loudly and consistently.
Mind you, having said all that, I sincerely hope Arsenal Women can spoil Emma Hayes' last season at Chelsea by taking the title! We will literally have to win every game, though, because I cannot see Chelsea stumbling - at least not at this stage.
Arsenal are extraordinary at the moment - there is so much room for improvement in the team's (and manager's) performances and yet, somehow, we are potent. The bigger squad has already made a huge difference to our results, I believe. First clean sheet in nine games was a big milestone.
Everton. I scratch my head over that club, because it's all there, and yet you can't quite seem to launch. In the case of other teams, you can see what some of the issues are, but with Everton, it just seems to be a case of everything being "not quite there". No offence intended, of course. Just my musing.
Man City looked frightening but I still don't think they have a plan B. Quite worrying for the rest of us to see Bunny Shaw getting back her goal-scoring mojo, though.
The WSL has become much more competitive, but I can't see anyone other than Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal or Man United winning it. Oh, and Chelsea. They are favourites, so I have to mention them twice! Some other teams will destroy the chances of one or more of those four, though.