Women's Super League

New Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor says she is feeling "very happy" about her start to life at Chelsea.

The Frenchwoman, 44, has taken over at the Blues following the departure of Emma Hayes after 12 years at the club.

Bompastor, who won the Women's Champions League three times as manager of Lyon, will be in the Chelsea dugout as they being their Women's Super League title defence at home to Aston Villa on Friday.

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Laura Kaminski says her newly-promoted Crystal Palace side must be prepared to face "world class players" in the Women's Super League.

Kaminski wants Palace to keep the attacking approach that helped win them the Championship last season, while also adapting to the step-up to the WSL.

"There are elements of that style that I want to take and carry forward into the WSL, but equally we know things are going to be more challenging, more difficult," Kaminski said.

"We've got to be resilient in terms of dealing with those challenges."

Palace scored 55 goals in 22 league matches last season - 16 more than the next best team.

"The differences in the leagues are huge and last year we scored a phenomenal amount of goals and set quite a few records for the club in terms of the attacking football and style that we had," Kaminski added.

"I never want to lose that flair. I never want to lose elements of that style, but we know that the opponent is stronger.

"We've got to blend that into a different style of play along with a new mix of players. We still want to play exciting football but be ready for the level that is in front of us.

"We know the league has world class players. We need to be prepared for what that will bring to the table."

Crystal Palace boss Laura Kaminski has been speaking to the media before the club's first Women's Super League match at Tottenham on Sunday (kick-off at 14:00 BST).

Here are the top lines from her news conference:

• The newly promoted side have "worked tirelessly" for the opportunity to play in the WSL and they are going to "grab it with both hands".

• On the club's summer signings, Kaminski said it was "extremely competitive" in the transfer market, but they’ve brought in "the calibre of player in that we are looking for to be able to cope with system changes".

• Kaminski said she "never wants to lose that flair" that helped Crystal Palace win the Championship last season.

• However, she understands the "step up is huge" between the two divisions.

• On Sunday’s opponents, Kaminski said: "Spurs have come on leaps and bounds in the last few seasons".

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Leicester City's new boss Amandine Miquel says she does not want her team to focus on "winning everything" as she prepares for her first season in charge at the club.

Miquel spent seven seasons with Reims in her native France before joining Leicester in July.

"I'm not really wanting the team, or the club or myself to focus on winning everything because you’re defeating the process," she said.

"We have to finish the game happy with what we’ve trained to do. If it is a win it is better, but if not, it is not a problem."

Leicester finished 10th in the Women's Super League table last season, after a turbulent campaign that saw manager Willie Kirk sacked in March following an investigation into an allegation he had a relationship with a player.

Miquel insists she is not targeting a specific points total or table position this season.

"The process is making the team understand what we want to do - improving game after game," Miquel said.

"Obviously we want to better than what has been done in the last two seasons, but we don’t have a specification. We’ll see how it goes."

Leicester City's new boss Amandine Miquel has been speaking to the media before her side open their Women's Super League campaign at Liverpool on Sunday (kick-off at 14:00).

Here are the key lines from her news conference:

• Miquel said she was pleased with Leicester's pre-season tour of Australia and with the "good balance" she has in her side.

• There are no new injury concerns ahead of the Foxes' trip to Merseyside.

• She wants her team to focus on the process, rather than on "winning everything", adding: "We have to finish the game happy with what we've trained to do".

• On the differences between Leicester and her former side Reims, Miquel said more staff means they can each "focus on what we are good at".

• Miquel said she was attracted by the "whole package" of "more fans" and "nicer stadiums" the the WSL has to offer.

Image source, Getty Images

Sonia Bompastor said Chelsea fans should still expect to win titles as the club start a new era under the Frenchwoman.

Bompastor, who replaced Emma Hayes, has won plenty of silverware in her managerial career and led Lyon to Champions League glory in 2022, as well as winning three league titles.

"When you're Chelsea you just want to win every title, want to compete in every competition," she said.

"We know all the teams will be ready, it'll be tough. The players are competitive and so am I so we like to be in that position where we can compete."

Chelsea kick off their title defence in the WSL season opener against Aston Villa on Friday and Bompastor wants a strong start.

"We're the holders of the title and want to start strongly in the league tomorrow night," she added.

"It's really important. Coming to Chelsea I know how competitive the league is here, if you look at Villa's results they had a good pre-season and beat Manchester City.

"We have respect for Villa, they have a good quality squad, so the first game will be important and we need to focus on ourselves by starting as strongly as we can.

"We're ready, we will have a hard time because this league is not easy but we've worked hard and feel ready for that."

Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor has been speaking to the media before Friday's Women's Super League game against Aston Villa (kick-off 19:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from her news conference:

• Sonia Bompastor confirmed defender Niamh Charles has had successful surgery on a dislocated shoulder.

• She said: "Surgery went well, she is in pain, but mentally she is good."

• Despite Sophie Ingle's ACL injury coming after the transfer window closed, Bompastor said: "we have the players in the squad at the minute who can play in that position."

• The ambitions to keep winning trophies is the same and Bompastor wants a positive start on Friday: "We want to win, we want to start the league strongly."

• She said it is "really clear what we want to achieve together" and that players "feel excited".

• On playing in the WSL season opener live on BBC Two, Bompastor said: "It feels amazing. This is what we like, being on TV, being able to start the league with a lot of fans in the stadium."

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Brighton's new manager Dario Vidosic is not thinking about where the club will finish in the Women's Super League during his first season in charge.

Vidosic joined the Seagulls from Melbourne City in July, taking over from interim Mikey Harris, who guided the club to a ninth-place finish last season.

"It's not one I look at. We haven't even had the first kick of a ball of the season to look at the outcome of the end of the season," said Vidosic.

"We respect everyone. Brighton beat Manchester City last season. Everyone is beatable, you have to turn up, you have to be your best, you have to play the football and if you don’t you'll have a very hard afternoon, so we focus on ourselves."

Brighton have brought in several summer signings, including experienced England internationals Fran Kirby and Nikita Parris.

However, they have lost key players such as Katie Robinson and Elisabeth Terland -their top scorer from the last two seasons.

"We've got a good mix of players that were here last season and new ones that have come in," said Vidosic, a former Australia men's international.

"It's all relatively new. What I'm asking is probably a little bit foreign to what they've been taught and that's what makes it take a little bit more time.

"At first they probably thought I was a little bit crazy with some of the looks I was giving them. Once they started to experience it and got success from it we got that acceleration of learning.

"We always a understood it would take time. We're growing, it’s a journey."

Brighton’s new boss Dario Vidosic has been speaking to the media before their Women’s Super League opener against Everton on Saturday (kick-off 14:00 BST).

Here are the main lines from his news conference:

• Vidosic, who joined the club from Melbourne City in July, said he was "raring to go" and he expects his team to "wake up early with excitement" for Saturday's game.

• He would have "loved to have a bit more time" to prepare for the season, but he's seen "really positive pre-season performances".

• The former Australia international did not confirm if deadline-day signing Nikita Parris would start on Saturday, but added it "feels like she has been here from day one" despite her late arrival.

• On the standard of the Women’s Super League, Vidosic said he considered it "the best league in the world" and that he was "pleasantly surprised" there are plans for further transformation.

• He said it is "shaping up to be a really interesting game" against Everton, calling Brian Sorensen’s side a "very tough" and "well coached" opponent.

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Tottenham boss Robert Vilahamn said he won't prioritise where his side finish in the Women's Super League table over improving overall performances.

The 41-year-old led Spurs to their highest WSL finish last season as they finished sixth, four points behind Manchester United in fifth.

"If you ask me if trying to reach fifth instead of playing better football and scoring more goals, I cannot say that’s extremely important," Vilahamn said.

"Still looking at how we perform, how we score more goals, how we keep more clean sheets, it’s going to make us win more and then we are going to compete to get higher in the table."

Spurs also reached the Women's FA Cup final for the first time last season, where they were beaten 4-0 by Manchester United at Wembley.

Vilahamn hopes his players can use their experiences to build on as they prepare for a new campaign.

"We want to improve this season," he said. "Don’t misunderstand me, I want to go for the Champions League, I want to go for the [title] win, but I am also looking into this league and how big the gap was when I arrived to this league.

"We closed that gap a little bit, but you see a lot of teams invest so I would be stupid to sit here and say we are going to win this season.

"There is nothing from the board saying we need to win the league this season, so we are going to take steps to make sure we aim for the Champions League and the titles, but make sure we do it our way, with patience. We are going to push for as high up the table as possible."

Tottenham boss Robert Vilahamn has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Women's Super League game against Crystal Palace (kick-off 14:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Shuang Wang, Ella Morris and Amy James-Turner are all unavailable for the season opener through injury.

• After James-Turner signed a new deal, Vilahamn said: "Amy showed some really good character last season. To be able to keep her helps me a lot and also helps the young players because she is always so professional and puts the standards where we want."

• Vilahamn is "really happy" with the summer signings and despite losing some players his message to fans is "I don't think they should be stressed".

• He believes Jess Naz is set for a big season: "She is a key player for us and the sky is the limit for her. How she looks in training, she is going to be so good this season."

• On facing newly-promoted Crystal Palace, he said: "They are an interesting team with a good coach. You never know how good they will be in the beginning. They can surprise many teams this season."

Image source, Getty Images

New Aston Villa boss Robert de Pauw said he is targeting a top-six finish in his first season at the club.

In her three seasons with Villa, previous boss Carla Ward guided them to their highest WSL finish as they ended in fifth place in the 2023-23 campaign.

"Top six is what we have projected," he said when asked what success will look like come May.

"If you look at the past season we were seventh and we want to do better than that. The season before we were fifth.

"It will not be easy, there is no guarantee but that is the challenge you want to face."

Former Bayer Leverkusen boss De Pauw has been working on improving the team dynamic before the new campaign and said results are starting to show on the pitch.

"The players read a book about what makes a team function and what makes a team disfunction," he said.

"They have to understand if you want to progress as a team you have to get the best out of each other.

"We made them understand these are like building blocks you need to have in a team. Blocks like trust, dealing with conflict, commitment, accountability and being goal-oriented.

"If you have these blocks the chance of success if not guaranteed but it’s bigger."

Aston Villa boss Robert de Pauw has been speaking to the media before Friday's Women's Super League game against Chelsea (kick-off 19:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• The unbeaten pre-season campaign gives confidence, but De Pauw said it "isn't a guarantee" for success in the WSL.

• It has been a positive start in the "honeymoon phase", but De Pauw said: "Now the serious business will start".

• On the new signings, he said: "We brought in very dynamic players. I'm very eager to see what they can do in the league."

• De Pauw feels Villa's squad depth has been improved over the summer along with "the dynamic and the energy needed to progress".

• Deadline day signing Gabi Nunes is unavailable to face Chelsea, along with Georgia Mullett, Miri Taylor, Anna Leat and Jill Baijings.

• On facing the champions in the season opener, he said: "Chelsea will be nervous also. It's their post-Emma Hayes period so we expect some pressure there."

Image source, Getty Images

Defender Amy James-Turner has signed a new contract at Tottenham that will keep her at the club until 2026.

The 33-year-old has made 51 appearances for Spurs since joining from Orlando Pride in July 2022.

A former England international, James-Turner started in all but one of Tottenham's Women's Super League matches last season as the club finished sixth.

She scored her first WSL goal in February's 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa.

Robert Vilahamn's side open their WSL campaign against newly-promoted Crystal Palace on Sunday at 14:00 BST.

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Manchester United boss Marc Skinner said he "feels alive again" heading into the new Women's Super League campaign.

With the highs of winning the Women's FA Cup and the disappointment of a fifth-placed WSL finish last season, Skinner admitted he was "psychologically spent".

But he is filled with enthusiasm for the new campaign, which begins against West Ham at Old Trafford on Saturday.

"I can absolutely assure you I have more energy now than I have ever had," he said. "I am absolutely raring to go and I am driven. I feel alive again.

"I feel really energetic and I want that to transmit onto the team. I am getting my energy back. Let’s see what we can achieve this season."

While United lost key figures including Mary Earps, captain Katie Zelem and Nikita Parris in the summer transfer window, but Skinner is happy with the business done by the club

"I’m excited about the team we have," he said. "We still have work over the next two windows to be the final version, but I’m very happy where we sit now.

"Above all, we feel like we are together like we were in my first season. It feels like we are all pushing in the same direction."

Marc Skinner has been speaking to the media before Manchester United's Women's Super League season opener against West Ham on Saturday (kick-off 12:00 BST)

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• He has seen a "fresh commitment, energy, adaptable skill and more physicality" from his squad in pre-season.

• United signed six new players over summer and Skinner said bringing in new faces has helped to "re-energise" the group.

• On the transfer window, Skinner said: "It was clear in order for us to fully break into those historical top three we have to go a different route, so we’ve gone down the young and hungry route that is highly talented."

• Other than Evie Rabjohn who continues her ACL recovery, "everyone should be up for selection".

• Skinner expects a tough test against a West Ham side with "individual brilliance".

• He thinks there will be "a lot more upsets this season" because the standard of teams across the WSL has improved.

Image source, Getty Images

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