The Girls’s Tremendous League has wound down for the winter break and Manchester Metropolis discover themselves on the prime of the tree as we enter the festive interval.
On the midway mark, Andree Jeglertz’s facet are six factors away from defending champions Chelsea, who’ve received the final six titles.
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Arsenal, Manchester United and shock package deal Tottenham are following carefully behind within the race for a European place.
Down on the different finish, winless Liverpool are rooted to the underside of the desk and occupy the relegation play-off place, two factors adrift of fellow strugglers West Ham.
BBC Sport appears at how issues stand, what the Opta Supercomputer is saying and what managers and pundits are considering.
‘They have what it takes to win this league’
The 2024-25 season was a disappointing one for Manchester Metropolis – they completed fourth and missed out on a spot within the Champions League.
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However their failure to qualify for Europe would possibly show a blessing in disguise.
Metropolis are on a 10-game successful streak and thriving underneath Jeglertz, who has reignited the membership’s title ambitions and launched an brisk, high-pressing model of soccer since arriving in July.
“They’ve simply gone about their enterprise quietly and grown in confidence, and I feel should you’re six factors clear on the finish of Christmas then you definately’d be trying ahead to that break and to go once more in January,” ex-England defender Lindsay Johnson instructed BBC Radio 5 Reside.
“They’re exhibiting they have what it takes to go and win this league and take it from Chelsea probably. Their high quality is difficult to cope with.”
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However Jeglertz isn’t getting carried away.
“We will not take something with no consideration. What now we have achieved, no person will take that away from us nevertheless it’s in spring that every thing will likely be decided,” he stated on 5 Reside.
Metropolis’s tally of 30 factors from their opening 11 video games has solely been bettered as soon as within the final eight WSL campaigns, with Chelsea choosing up 31 factors final season.
The workforce which were prime after 11 matches has gone on to elevate the trophy in six of the final eight seasons.
Manchester Metropolis have scored 32 targets within the WSL this season – eight greater than another workforce [Getty Images]
Regardless of slipping up in latest weeks, Chelsea will likely be eager to maintain their tight grip on the WSL and add a seventh successive trophy to their assortment.
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The Blues have already dropped 9 factors this season – three greater than they dropped over your entire 2024-25 season – and so they noticed their 34-game unbeaten run ended by Everton earlier this month.
However Sonia Bompastor believes her facet could make up the six-point hole and “reverse the scenario” – even when Metropolis are, as she says “performing rather well”.
“Since I joined the membership, now we have at all times been on the prime of the desk. That is the primary time we’re behind. That is wonderful, generally that occurs, I nonetheless belief my gamers and know the standard now we have,” she instructed Sky Sports activities.
“I am actually having fun with watching my workforce play. The actual fact the gamers can modify to completely different methods is actually essential. We will be extra unpredictable.”
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Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham are scorching on Chelsea’s tails, with simply 4 factors separating the 4 sides.
Whereas Arsenal and United are anticipated to be there, or thereabouts, in the case of Champions League locations – having completed second and third respectively final season – Spurs have emerged as shock contenders for a European spot.
After ending eleventh final season, Tottenham are exceeding expectations underneath new head coach Martin Ho.
Spurs have received six of their 11 WSL video games and have held Arsenal and United to attracts – though they let a three-goal lead slip towards the Crimson Devils on Sunday.
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Talking after their stalemate towards United, former England midfielder Fara Williams instructed BBC Two: “To return away with a draw and be upset exhibits they’re ambitions now and they’re desirous to compete with these groups within the prime 4.
“They appear like a unique workforce, a extra organised workforce, [with] extra construction to them and their place suggests they’ve improved massively.”
Arsenal and United have much less trigger for celebration however they preserve a small glimmer of hope within the title race and are firmly within the hunt for a European place.
Opta’s Supercomputer predictions for successful WSL
Opta’s Supercomputer simulates each WSL match and estimates the place every workforce will end. This is who they’ve predicted to win the title this season:
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And here is the Supercomputer calculations for every workforce’s probabilities of ending within the prime three and incomes a European place:
What in regards to the relegation play-off spot?
With the WSL increasing to 14 groups subsequent season, there isn’t a outright relegation this time period.
As an alternative, the workforce that finishes backside will play the third-placed workforce in WSL 2 in a play-off, with the winner incomes a spot within the prime division subsequent season.
Because it stands, Liverpool could be the workforce to enter that play-off, having picked up simply two factors of their opening 11 video games.
They head into the New 12 months and not using a win and there may be little trigger for positivity for under-pressure boss Gareth Taylor, who stated the membership have .
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For the reason that 2017-18 season, solely twice has the bottom-placed workforce after 11 video games survived relegation – Leicester in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
However Liverpool can take perception from the very fact there are solely six factors separating the underside 4 groups.
West Ham have received simply as soon as this season, whereas Everton and Leicester’s stats aren’t significantly better – having every claimed simply two league victories.
Opta’s Supercomputer predictions for relegation play-off
Opta Supercomputer’s predictions for who will end backside of the WSL and go right into a relegation play-off: