Best of Three: Are Chelsea good against big teams?

Plus Cloe Lacasse and Bristol City

Chelsea have only twice failed to score all season, but their 1-0 loss to Manchester City could have a big impact in their quest to win a fifth consecutive WSL title, with the result moving City level on points with them. Chelsea are still top of the table having scored more goals than City but the bigger concern might be their performances against the very best teams. 

Admittedly, we are looking at a sample size of effectively two matches. Their 1-1 draw with Manchester City was massively influenced by Alex Greenwood’s sending off in the first half with City’s attempts to defend their 1-0 lead more in keeping with playing a lower table team who were willing to sit in a deep block, albeit with far more talented players. Realistically, the two games Chelsea have played against really good sides have been their 4-1 loss to Arsenal away and this 1-0 loss to Manchester City at home. 

There is no doubt that the loss to Arsenal was far worse than this one against City. Chelsea should have had a penalty in the first half and Sjoeke Nüsken missed a big chance to equalise late on. City were pushed further and further back as the game went on, unlike against Arsenal where Chelsea looked completely unsettled for much of the game. 

At points this season, Chelsea have played some incredible attacking football but it is clear that new signing Mayra Ramirez is still taking time to gel. She struggled to get involved against City even though she clearly had the physical beating of Alex Greenwood, receiving only one progressive pass in the entire match and having one shot. The absences of Millie Bright and Sam Kerr have also left Chelsea without as many leaders on the pitch, and it is particularly telling in tight games such as Friday night’s one.

The next opportunity Chelsea will have against a good side will be their Continental Cup semi-final away against Manchester City. The Conti Cup is probably lowest on Chelsea’s list of title priorities this season and prior to this weekend’s WSL match, they might have been willing to take a more laissez-faire attitude to it. But with this lingering concern that we are yet to see a convincing performance against a top side from Chelsea this season, it might become more crucial as part of the season as a whole.

Will Cloe Lacasse start more for Arsenal?

Cloe Lacasse made just her 4th WSL start of the season in Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Manchester United but demonstrated exactly why so many people had been calling for her to start. Up against an out of position Hannah Blundell, Lacasse found plenty of joy running at and beyond her fullback. She led the team for progressive carries (6) as well as attempted and successful take ons (5 and 3 respectively). Only Kim Little had more shot creating actions then Lacasse.

Given Arsenal’s struggles against deeper blocks, it has been surprising to not see Lacasse used more given her carrying and take-on ability. The numbers that saw her shine hold across her WSL performances. Her successful take-ons p90 of 1.96 is the highest of any of Arsenal’s forwards, and her progressive carries p90 of 5.43 is the highest in the squad (both for players with more than 360 WSL minutes). She is now heading off for the Gold Cup with Canada, meaning she will likely miss Arsenal’s next two matches against Tottenham in the league and Aston Villa in the Continental Cup. But her qualities and performances mean she deserves to see more minutes in the final third of the season.

How did Bristol City become one of the most clinical teams in the WSL?

When Bristol City were promoted to the WSL, many assumed that they would likely go straight back down. Having kept hold of most of their Championship squad, it looked unlikely that they would be able to truly compete in the league. Yet they have refused to go down without a fight thanks in part to their clinical edge in front of goal.

Against Leicester City on Sunday, Bristol City fought back twice to get the match to 2-2 before eventually capitulating and losing 5-2. It was the sixth time this season that they have scored two goals or more, and their 17 goals means they have scored more overall than three other WSL sides. 

Their goals per shot is the best in the league at 0.15, and their shot on target % (the percentage of shots that they get on target) is the fourth best at 38.8%. Of course, lots of this is probably a hefty dose of luck. Their non-penalty expected goals is the lowest in the league at 9.4 and they have the third biggest non-penalty xG overperformance after Manchester City and Manchester United. 

And even after all that, it might not be enough to keep them up anyway. But it is incredibly fun to watch them try.