Women's Super League: Chelsea's quest for a fifth title in a row begins
- Published
Emma Hayes has won 14 major trophies with Chelsea since taking over in 2012
Winning one title is hard enough but to manage five in a row is extraordinary.
That is what Chelsea are aiming to do in the Women's Super League this season having won a fourth successive title under manager Emma Hayes in May.
They have dominated English women's football for almost a decade so, as we head into a new WSL season, are there any signs that their reign might come to an end?
What gives them the edge over their rivals?
There is no substitute for experience and Chelsea have that in abundance.
As well as an array of international talent, Chelsea know what it takes to win titles and how to stay at the top. They have also experienced defeat in the Champions League and have responded to previous setbacks.
"Experience plays a massive role. It just speaks volumes to the group," said summer signing Ashley Lawrence.
"It's a special group not only because of the quality of players, but ultimately knowing that it takes everyone. Chelsea have been successful, and it's for a reason, not just for the talent, but a collective effort from players."
That collective effort relies on Hayes' ability to rotate what is a deep and highly-competitive squad.
Squad depth has allowed Chelsea to compete for several trophies and there is no reason why they cannot do the same again in 2023-24 if Hayes is able to manage her players, which she has shown she can do in previous seasons.
"My difficulty is we have one game a week [for the first few weeks] and I have a squad of 25 so I have to manage that really well," said Hayes.
"I need to manage expectations so everyone plays their role and remind them it's teams that win trophies. Everyone is on the team."
This summer the Chelsea boss signed two goalkeepers who were regular starters at their previous clubs, meaning there are now five contracted with the club, including two who are out on loan.
"If you know Emma, she always likes to keep us all on our toes," said Sweden number one Zecira Musovic. "You can never really relax, which is something that I love with her. That's the same for us goalkeepers.
"My first impression since getting back to the season, [is that] once again we have an amazing squad with world-class players in every position. That could be our biggest strength, but also maybe our biggest challenge to put that together.
"You need to create a good team to be able to perform. It doesn't matter what individuals you have if you can't put it together in a team. If we can, which I really believe we can with Emma leading, we can reach even higher this year."
Can they handle the pressure?
Sam Kerr has played a key role in Chelsea's last four WSL title successes
Surrounded by world-class facilities, specialist nutritionists and medical science experts, the Chelsea players have everything they need to succeed. But with resources and expectation comes external pressure.
"The pressure doesn't die. There are different expectations placed on the team," said Hayes.
"I want to be more than just winning. I want to keep improving. You've seen that with the recruitment. I've been impressed with the new players and there will be challenges that come with that."
Chelsea have shown they can cope with pressure and superstars such as Australia striker Sam Kerr, England's World Cup captain Millie Bright and Norwegian midfielder Guro Reiten have often thrived on the big stage.
"That's the privilege [that comes] with playing for such a massive club," said Musovic.
"When you come to the club you know what the demands are, what's expected of you and to win everything that's possible is something we don't have to talk about. It's an unwritten thing for us."
Hayes' recruitment strategy is focused largely on the mentality of players - can they cope with the demands at Chelsea and do they have a self-driven attitude to win?
They must also be able to perform as part of a squad and not as individuals. Hayes likes to rotate her starting XI to keep players fresh and to encourage competition for places.
"I definitely had a few conversations with Emma [Hayes] and she explained the project," said Lawrence, who signed from Paris St-Germain this summer.
"She explained the mentality of the team and ultimately the environment that she's created with the players. It's not going to be easy but in order to win, to get to the top, you have to beat everyone. As a footballer you want those challenges.
"It was that idea that you come to Chelsea to win titles. It's confidence while at the same time being humble, knowing that we need to put the work in to get to where we're at."
Have Chelsea strengthened their squad?
Canada international Ashley Lawrence is an Olympic champion and was a Champions League runner-up with Paris St-Germain
One way in which Chelsea's rivals are starting to catch up is by spending money in the transfer window.
Manchester United showed their intent by snapping up Brazil forward Geyse from Barcelona, defender Gabby George from Everton, World Cup Golden Boot winner Hinata Miyazawa and Spain midfielder Irene Guerrero.
Rivals Arsenal spent money on Australia midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross, Barcelona's Laia Codina and Amanda Ilestedt from PSG, while also winning the race to sign England striker Alessia Russo from Manchester United.
Manchester City also signed midfielder Jill Roord from Wolfsburg for a club-record fee in excess of £300,000.
But Chelsea did not sit back while their opponents strengthened.
As well as Lawrence from PSG, Chelsea signed USA international Catarina Macario from European giants Lyon and England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton from Aston Villa.
They lost forward Pernille Harder and defender Magdalena Eriksson to Bayern Munich but both have been replaced as Chelsea have not only strengthened their squad but added even more depth.