Chelsea depth
Sonia Bompastor made six changes at the break and a further five just past the hour, ensuring the XI that finished was different from the XI that started the 1-0 friendly win over Arsenal in Washington. The fact that Chelsea did not at any point look significantly weakened tells you everything about the players at their disposal and the level they are operating at. Consider that they are still without the long-term absentees Mia Fishel and Sam Kerr, that Erin Cuthbert picked up a knock against Gotham FC, Lauren James was rested as a precaution and Catarina Macario isn’t expected back until the start of the season at best, and Chelsea’s squad is scarily good.
Nine-day deadline
Arsenal have nine days until they welcome Rangers to Borehamwood for a Champions League qualifier. Win that and they play Atlético Madrid or Rosenborg three days later for a place in the second round of qualifying towards the end of September. The side were bitterly disappointed to crash out at the first qualifying stage last year, months after dramatically securing third in the league to get there. Avoiding a repeat is critical. They have had more time to prepare and games against Washington Spirit and Chelsea have been important preparation. However, while it is unfair to take too much from a pre-season friendly, it was clear from the loss to Chelsea that there is plenty to be worked on. “We still lack a bit of clarity on when to change the point of the attack and to recognise where the free player is,” said Jonas Eidevall. “We lacked consistency in giving those passes and making those decisions. Sometimes we did it really well and sometimes we took the wrong decisions, and we need to learn from that.” The starting XI was light of a few expected regular starters, with the new goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar and forward Stina Blackstenius not expected to be ready until the UWCL qualifiers and Victoria Pelova a long-term absentee. The newly recruited Mariona Caldentey and midfielder Lia Walti featured in the second half, Emily Fox remained on the bench and Lotte Wubben-Moy and Beth Mead were omitted as a precaution. But, when you consider Chelsea’s absences, the gap is clear.
New signings solid
Lucy Bronze appears to have slotted into the Chelsea backline with ease after her move from Barcelona. The right-back looked comfortable before she was withdrawn at half-time, troubling the Arsenal defence and not being hugely tested defensively. Her fellow new recruit Sandy Baltimore, who joined from Paris Saint-Germain, got her first Chelsea goal within three minutes of entering the fray and brimmed with confidence. For Arsenal, Sweden’s Rosa Kafaji was handed a start in a strong, albeit not full-strength, lineup and we saw glimpses of her creative potential in a solid first 45 minutes. Caldentey didn’t look out of place after her entry on 60 minutes and could have had a goal had she not seemed a little surprised by the arrival of the ball at her feet on the edge of the area.
Kaptein leads way for young talent
In a superstar-packed Chelsea squad the mature performances of the 18-year-old Dutch midfielder Wieke Kaptein and 20-year-old Japanese forward Maika Hamano were big highlights. Both showed flashes of creative brilliance, Kaptein in a curving defence-splitting pass and Hamano when she leapt in to dispossess an off-guard Kim Little before providing the assist for Baltimore’s goal. For Arsenal, Kafaji showed why she is so highly rated in Sweden, and the 17-year-old centre-back Katie Reid continued to look incredibly assured in pre-season.
Bompastor takes first blood
Any concerns about the transition from Emma Hayes to Bompastor will not have been allayed by a pre-season defeat of Arsenal, but taking first blood in the tetchy rivalry will have helped to build excitement about the future under the new manager. “We worked really hard as a team,” said Bompastor. “The result is good, even if we know we still need to work. These two games [against Gotham FC and then Arsenal] have been good to help us progress.” Hayes did a brilliant job at preparing the squad for this period. Her commitment to getting competitive minutes into the legs of Chelsea’s future stars before the end of the season is paying dividends for Bompastor.
Overseas tours
From basketball games and community projects to history tours and trips to the White House and New York Stock Exchange, these tours in the US have been jam-packed. How commercially successful they have been for Arsenal and Chelsea will likely take a bit of time to determine, but with broadcast rights picked up by DAZN and exposure to the lucrative US marketplace maximised, they are likely to be regular presence. A crowd of 15,062 watched Arsenal’s game against Washington Spirit but that was topped by the 17,130 who came to Chelsea v Arsenal, demonstrating the overseas appeal of the WSL.
