Chelsea inflict Man United misery, London City's wakeup call and Arsenal fall short

0:00Blood donation is now more inclusive. More LGBTQ plus individuals are able to donate blood with the American Red Cross due to FDA guidelines that eliminate eligibility questions based on sexual orientation. The Red Cross celebrates this historic change and welcomes those who may be newly eligible to donate blood. There's a place for everyone in the mission of the Red Cross, including you. The Red Cross is committed to achieving a blood donation process that treats all potential donors with equality and respect while maintaining the safety of the blood supply. Join us and help save lives. To learn more and make your appointment to donate blood, visit redcrossblood.org slash LGBTQ.

0:39That's redcrossblood.org slash LGBTQ. Hello, I'm Monica Reinagle, host of the Nutrition Diva podcast. Summer is here and with it, the hot and sticky weather. A morning working in the garden or maybe on the golf course can leave you more depleted than you realize. And plain water isn't always the most efficient way to restore the balance. That's where Liquid IV comes in. Its science-backed formula is clinically proven to hydrate faster than water alone. Whether you're exercising, playing outside, or simply surviving a summer heat wave, it's an easy way to stay hydrated. Shop now at liquidiv.com.

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1:58Rachel: Welcome to Upfront. I'm Chloe Morgan. And I'm Rachel O'Sullivan. The second weekend of the WSL and yet more upsets. But should we be surprised? Crystal Palace held Arsenal to a stalemate. London City Lionesses got undone by West Ham and Man United were absolutely dominated by Chelsea. Let's get stuck in straight away.

2:26I was going to say, stalemate is such a great description of that game. It's... No, don't stop.

2:30Rachel: We're going to get to the section. You know how the show works. We do our moment of the weekend first and then we get stuck into the game. So, in line with the agenda, what's your moment of the weekend? This is quite niche, but when it happened, I immediately took out my notes app and wrote it down. There was a moment in the Aston Villa game against Manchester City when City were attacking, Villa had defended, Lucía Kendall was running out of her box with the ball and Bunny Shaw tracked her back, slid in, tackled her, won the ball back, immediately got up and played it in to Kirsten Kaspari on the right.

3:01And I just thought it's such a great example of what a well-rounded player Bunny Shaw is because we so often talk about her goals and how potent she is in the box and how amazing she is at headers and all that kind of stuff. But I was like, that is all the stuff Bunny Shaw can do. She can track back a player, make a recovery tackle like that and like nick the ball and pass it straight away into Kirsten Kasperi without even looking up. It was very like Miedema-esque. And I just was like, I'm going to write that down because it's a great example of the various other skills that Bunny Shaw has as a football player that we don't often talk about.

3:37Rachel: I love that you've gone for a very understated moment, a moment that could easily be missed in a game. But I think, I mean, we sing Bunny Shaw's praises time and time again. It's just the versatility that she has as a player. And sometimes there's little moments that might not be the goal or might not be the save or might not be whatever it is, but it's that class and brilliance that she shows on and off the ball. It's just, and it's so consistent. Every single week, there are moments like this with her. Yeah, that's mine. That's a really great one. Mine has got to be, it's absolutely got to be, I'm going back to my goalkeeper, Bias Ways, Poirot Magnon, BBC, player of the match.

4:13Rachel: I just think she was absolutely phenomenal in the game. It was one of those games for Crystal Palace, I think, that you start at the start of the season, you kind of look at, you know, where you're going to pick up points, where you're going to lose them, where you might scrape a draw. And I'm probably saying, I'd probably hedge my flat on them looking at that Arsenal game and thinking, this one we're probably going to have to maybe suffer defeat. It's, you know, first couple of games into the WSL, It's always going to be a bit hairy coming back up. We've got a massive game at the Emirates as well, which you all know is a bit of a fortress.

4:41Rachel: I mean, I think it's 19 games now unbeaten at the Emirates, something silly like that. 28 ,000 people down there. And you know the fans get behind Arsenal and it becomes a bit of a kind of intense experience. But Palace, and we'll talk about the sort of performance that they had, backed up by Pere Manon, was just one of the most brilliant goal-given performances. I mean, if it wasn't for her, you'd be looking at 8, 9, 10, nil because like every time that she was... I was going to say, I don't know, I feel like you could have taken her out and Arsenal still would have missed but we'll get on to that.

5:10Rachel: 100%. But it just felt like the opportunities they did have where they actually did find at least the rectangle of the goal at points in the game. She was always there. She was always alert. She was always on the front foot, ready to come forward. She is. Just alive to the danger always. And I... Just brilliant. She is really, really brilliant. She is such a fun goalkeeper to watch. Intense. She's a little bit distracting. as a photographer. I just feel like, I don't know, I feel like she's got like James Bond music in her head or something when she's watching the game where she's just like scanning constantly and she's like totally on it.

5:42She's not one of those keepers that kind of daydreams while the ball is down the other end of the pitch. Not that that happened. That didn't happen much to the Emmerts to be fair. But yeah, she's such an intense goalkeeper. I'm glad she's back in the WSL. She's fun.

5:53Rachel: I think there's some of those goalkeepers like a Pickford or her or Emma Byrne, Rachel Brown-Finish. They consider goalkeeper like a craft, like an art that they have to perfect and a kind of um there's an intensity to the way they study goalkeeping and look at other goalkeepers who've come before them and develop their own style and personality and i think she is one of those but i'm excited about what she what she's going to do this season because i feel like yeah she's she's on my radar so much so yeah a bit of a goalkeeping hero love that week two right now we can talk about man united chelsea and get into some of these games because my god when we first started saying that we were going to have concerns about Man United and the first game that they have obviously resulting in a loss and we thought his second game is going to be a tough battle.

6:34Rachel: But I think we thought there would be a battle. But it just felt like there was a a typhoon coming from Chelsea that Man United basically got flattened by. I thought watching this game, and I said this to Sophie, 20 minutes in, I didn't think it was going to be 5-0. Really? It was 0-0. United were still in it. they hadn't had loads of chances but they'd had a number of forays I'd say into Chelsea's box that they didn't really like turn into much but they did you know cause some threats in the opening 20 minutes so it did feel a bit like Chelsea were going through the gears and eventually got to their top speed which and then just absolutely decimated them but I was watching it and I was kind of thinking you know sometimes we have that not recency bias but you know you watch a match where a team dominate from for 60 minutes or 50 minutes which fair enough they've absolutely dominated the game but they opened 20 I was like okay United are kind of sort of in this this isn't you know they're not getting absolutely battered and then obviously I don't know what happened after 20 minutes someone tripped and fell and forgot the game plan but Chelsea reached their top level and you know I think maybe part of our thoughts around this game was also a reflection of Chelsea against Villa and them not putting their chances away and we thought maybe if we see a repeat of that it might be more of a battle but Chelsea found their shooting boots and everybody else's shooting boots and brought them with them to Lee and everyone had a go.

7:59Five goal scorers as well is pretty incredible.

8:01Rachel: I think it's just the horror, I think. It was obviously Eva Ollard's first home game as manager. It's in front of a home ground for the very first time. It's obviously been massive to come into Man United at such a kind of transitional, turbulent time for them. It kind of felt like, OK, maybe the first result, you can kind of dust that off and go, you know, a bit of a shaky start. This one, obviously a tough game, but at least if we show up, if this had been a loss, a 1-0 loss or a 2-1 loss, you could have thought, you know what, fair enough. That was probably to be expected. But it just felt like they weren't there at all.

8:36Rachel: And like you said, I think you kind of have maybe a different take on it that the first 20 minutes, it kind of felt like they were going to take a battle. And obviously the first chance of the game with Elizabeth Turland. But then after that, it just felt like they were just camped in their own half. There was just no energy. There was no desire. There was no passion to even get back into the game after that first goal was scored. I mean, great goal from Nuskin and Kap Team, we'll talk about her as well. But it just felt like they're only 1-0 down, but it felt like they were 20-0 down because it wasn't that hard to get back into it.

9:06Yeah, there's a bit of concern over maybe body language and, you know... Deflation. Deflation so early on in the season. Part of me is wondering, like, I appreciate we've said, you know, Eva Alda's a new manager and you do have to give her time. And part of me is wondering, is it too much too soon in terms of trying to implement your own ideas is it trying to find the balance between what you want and what your players can do is it too much information overload and the players are getting onto the pitch and just not able to kind of replicate what you want them to do but then there's other things there are individual mistakes there's individual errors there's you know uncharacteristic errors united were normally traditionally a difficult team to break down um that is not really the case it feels at the moment you know some dominique jansen like just had a didn't have a mark god lover had a very low score on foot mob it was a bit savage but like it's just that individual kind of poor technique as well that and that could be a confidence thing you know there's a real lack of creativity in the midfield like players just not getting on the ball so part of me wonders is it a bit of a back to the drawing board in terms of what you want to do with how you play.

10:17Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey. Maybe let's not do everything at the beginning and try and get back to your roots and back to what you're good at and bring in your ideas as the season goes on. I thought the post-match Ava said, this is just the beginning. It's just two matches. It's not about how you start. It's about how you finish. We need to see them in stages to learn, improve and grow. It's another big learning and we need to improve in possession and out of possession and we're not going to stop. We're going to keep working hard. It's just the beginning. So I think personally I think a good message from her to put out to fans it is only two games in um very kind of

10:53Rachel: you know but is it how you start this isn't a this isn't a newly entrant into the WSL she is though she is 100 % but the players aren't as well obviously they've had some you know the big hitters leave like Mallard but also like there are there's still a really good range of players that she can choose from this isn't a squad that needs rebuilding this isn't almost like a London the City Lionesses where all these players have come in and you need to enact this completely different set up it kind of feels like maybe I don't know it feels like a let off to say like it's not how you but I understand where she's coming from because it's her start but it's not Man United's start yeah no I know but I think that's more for the fans and it's more for I mean it's good to see Manchester United trying to put out some positive comms you know she's trying to speak to the fans and keep them on board which I think is important for her because this is going to be a rough, rocky start.

11:45It is a bit like baptism of fire for her anyway. And she's definitely going to learn plenty of lessons. But as you say, yeah, there is an element of player responsibility as well. Definitely.

11:55Rachel: Jess Park, nowhere to be seen. On the periphery. Yeah, Elatoune. I also think the other side of it is Chelsea were very good. Yeah, for sure. That was some of the best football they've played for a while. So it's that combination of, you know, it was the same with the London City game. Were London City very good or were Manchester United just very poor? I think Manchester United were very poor. I think they could have done a lot. And Chelsea were very good. Chelsea decided this was the game that they were like, right, we've dusted the cobwebs of. Lol, the last game, but this one, this is actually us now.

12:26Sonia Bompastor post-match was savage as well. She was basically saying, you know, when you're, the greatest respect to your opposition is to basically try and score as many goals as possible when they're not playing well kind of thing. I need to find the comment, but it just felt really kind of like, you know, when they're down, kick them. You know,

12:45Rachel: it was ruthless. It was absolutely ruthless. And I think it was nice to see. That's what's been lacking. Yeah, 100%. And it was like a tenacity, I think, that Chelsea were not only going to take the game to Man United, but we're going to destroy them in the process. I mean, you've got the losing goal after 20 minutes. You've got Walsh then after 30 minutes. Kira Walsh. Christ. Score on bangers. Really every week. what an absolute time to do it as well. 100th WSL appearance and 50th game for Chelsea. I think it's really mad to see the impact that she's had at Chelsea. She only signed for Chelsea at the end of January last year.

13:19Rachel: And it feels like she's been blue and blue for almost decades, the way that she fits in. And I think what you love to see with her is kind of this, she'll score from pretty much anywhere, like a worldie outside the box. This example, picking up the ball on the edge of the box, one touch, and then it goes through a seer bodies. A Valentine's Choice has absolutely no chance getting to that because it's just, even though you've got a bit of distance to kind of see it and react to it, you can't react to it because all of your defence are camped in your own box and you can't see the wood for the trees.

13:46Rachel: But it did kind of just feel like, oh Christ, no, Chelsea are back. Can I read you the quote? Yeah, go on. When you have the opportunity to really hurt a team, the best way to respect them is to score as many goals as you can. It's never easy to see the other team or the other manager concede five goals because if I was the other team, I'd be really sad. I'd be really sad like I feel sorry for you but actually sorry about you I'm just going to carry on scoring lots of goals I think for Chelsea fans like great sign for them you know to have so many goal scorers I think they needed a game like that to that's what I said about the Aston Villa game I was like you kind of they need a game where they're just banging a load of goals and kind of go okay no we do know how to do this it's fine I think credit to them that got this this opportunity came now in the second game because I think we were both getting not worried but you never know whether this is something that could happen in the fourth game.

14:37Rachel: And by then it's probably too late because you've, you know, points, the league, competitiveness, et cetera. But I mean, like you said, five goals, five different scorers, didn't even play with a main striker. Agui Beaver-Jones left on the bench and this is what they deliver. But I think it is that kind of like, that kind of toss up, I suppose, because then you look at what Carpenter did in the 64th minute and that's from a Man United mistake. Like they wouldn't have been given those opportunities had Man United been sloppy, but also Chelsea are in their kind of like mentality monster type ways of pouncing on those mistakes and absolutely taking advantage.

15:09Rachel: Can I just say one positive thing about Manchester United is... Oh, go on. I like the look of Medina. Yes. I think she handled Carpenter quite well and I thought, you know, it's the same at the London City game. Medina stood out for me on the United team. So I think, you know, she is quite an exciting player and I know she did pick up a knock. Hopefully it's nothing too serious but I did think she looked positive for them. That was really kind of you, to be honest. That was a really lovely thing that you said there about Man United and I really rate that you've had to claw quite deep for that one.

15:45Rachel: The other positive, I suppose, is that they don't have any Champions League football this year so they've got less things to focus on to try and get back to this brave football that Oled keeps talking about that we are still yet to see. but they do have obviously the League Cup fixtures they've got Sheffield United at home next Wednesday and then my bloody favourite Durham away the worst fixture that you could possibly give someone Ava Ola's going to be like sorry where is that? excuse me is that Scotland? kind of it just honestly she'd be happy so sure she'd spend her time up there she'd be delighted it gives me PCSD and I think Rachel you rightly said like it's not as far to travel from Bromley Crystal Palace all the way up to I'm looking for positives.

16:29Rachel: But my God, that coach journey up there into, it's obviously in a university campus. You've got like the hills around you, gorgeous hills. But it's just, it's just not the fixture that you want when you're already going through quite a torrid time in the league. Yeah, it's tough. It's tough work. Also, there's not that many hotels around where Durham University. Airbnb should hook you up. I stayed in a lovely Airbnb in Durham and given they're a sponsor of the Barclays WSL, maybe they could sort out like 25 Airbnbs or something. I think it would probably be one and everyone just fits in. given where the budgets and resources are being attributed this year for United.

17:02Rachel: But do we think actually that the League Cup has come at maybe a good time? Because it's obviously fixtures, you know, you're playing lower league teams. It could be a chance maybe for Man United to build a bit of confidence. If it goes well, there's no guarantee it will go well. Yeah, because as I said, you know, a bit of a baptism of fire for Eva Oler. They face Arsenal next, which is an ideal. and look, I said last week, maybe it won't be so bad for United facing Chelsea because Chelsea kind of struggled in front of goal. You could say the same for Arsenal and then I might jinx them and Arsenal could have a day like Chelsea did.

17:36So it is, yeah, I think League Cup is, it's a good way for players to kind of focus on something else. Like obviously you want to win, etc. But you can kind of not think about the league for a little bit, I suppose. And I just wonder if there, if it just needs a bit of a, right, let's all get together. We need a bit of, whether it's team building or an honest conversation where players are kind of back fighting for each other and fighting for every ball and bodies on the line and that kind of vibe within the squad. And, you know, maybe they can focus on the League Cup and say, this is ours this year.

18:06Rachel: What is tough about the League Cup this year is that obviously the lower league teams will probably feel like they have a bit more of a chance because you don't have the Champions League qualified teams in. And also the teams like Sheffield United and Durham, they are hardy teams. Durham has always been like one of those bogeyman fixtures where the team will just park the bus and make it very, very difficult to come through. And if Man United aren't on firing form, which they haven't been, they've got two shots on target across their first two games, I do feel like they still could be quite tough games.

18:35Rachel: But what it does mean for Man United is that obviously being one of the top four teams, they actually have a good chance of winning the Players' Cup. Sorry, I keep having to... Rename it. Rename it. They have a really good chance of winning the Players' Cup and essentially some silverware this year. yeah I mean let's not get ahead of ourselves you know they haven't played a game yet I mean I will say Durham haven't had the best start they did just lose 4-2 to Leicester conceded 7 goals in 2 games so I'm sure United will be looking at and be like right you know this is where this is where they can get a bit of hopefully form you know maybe nail down a bit more whatever Ola wants from them I still think the balance needs to be found maybe these games are good games for them to find that balance but as you say they're not easy games thoughts and prayers for United going into the players cup fixtures and hoping they do find a bit of confidence and they come back a little bit kind of rejuvenated you don't want them to fall that far that quickly I see Man United at the bottom of the table is absolutely jarring after week two but it's still early doors so the only way is literally up well there's a positive yeah that's two positives in this section not bad from us the only way is up coming up after this london city lionesses get a wake-up call

20:05blood donation is now more inclusive more lgbtq plus individuals are able to donate blood with the american red cross due to fda guidelines that eliminate eligibility questions based on sexual orientation. The Red Cross celebrates this historic change and welcomes those who may be newly eligible to donate blood. There's a place for everyone in the mission of the Red Cross, including you. The Red Cross is committed to achieving a blood donation process that treats all potential donors with equality and respect while maintaining the safety of the blood supply. Join us and help save lives. To learn more and make your appointment to donate blood, visit redcrossblood.org slash LGBTQ.

20:45That's redcrossblood.org slash LGBTQ. Hello, I'm Monica Reinagle, host of the Nutrition Diva podcast. Summer is here and with it, the hot and sticky weather. A morning working in the garden or maybe on the golf course can leave you more depleted than you realize. And plain water isn't always the most efficient way to restore the balance. That's where liquid IV comes in. Its science-backed formula is clinically proven to hydrate faster than water alone. Whether you're exercising, playing outside, or simply surviving a summer heat wave, it's an easy way to stay hydrated. Shop now at liquidiv.com.

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22:10Rachel: Well, well, well. The league's favourite London City Lionesses. Did you say West Ham? No, I didn't mean to laugh at that. Didn't mean to laugh at that because you know how fondly I felt of West Ham over the past couple of seasons. It's growing. It's honestly growing. I might, they might even be added to the roster of teams that I support in the WSL. That would be 13 or 14 now. Who's 14? that you don't. Can't tell you because I'm neutral. That's why I'm worn white today. It's neutral. You predicted that Kelly Gargo was going to be a handful. Obviously, we've always said, Vivian, I say, one of my favourite players in the WSL, both got on the score sheet.

22:48Rachel: You felt that she, that Gargo had underperformed at Everton because she wasn't that settled there. But this felt like, again, almost like a Chelsea-esque, cobwebs, dusted, gone. And she was absolutely on fire. Yeah, I think, you know, I've talked about it before you know happy players generally play better and Kelly started great at Everton and then became less happy at Everton and didn't play as much and didn't play as well but I think you know linking up with fellow French international Vivienne I say probably helps the French assassins yes they already have you know she already has a good relationship with Oeki as well so them them all together as I'd hoped are looking looking quite good and I think I can't remember what the stat is but I think Vivian Essay was a player who had like the most amount of chances without a goal or something last season in that she was often in the right places but it was the finishing touch and it was something I noticed from West Ham in this game despite only having like 30 something percent of possession it felt like they had more like they felt they had 34.7 percent possession they just felt really in this game and comfortable and And, you know, at times...

24:02In control. Yeah, at times we see a West Ham a bit like, you know, when they're trying to clear a ball or, you know, defend. And there was a calmness about them. I think a lot of that comes from Katie Zellum. Yeah. She's a good choice as captain. Kumagai, brilliant addition for West Ham. So cool, calm and collected in that midfield. Really nice kind of pairing with Zellum. I thought the two of them were excellent. Basically just like followed Alexi Pateaas around the pitch. completely nullified her as a threat. God love her.

24:32Rachel: Kind of felt like touch rugby. You know, you've got to pull the flag out. You've just got to keep close to them this entire time and never let them go. I just imagine every time she looked over, she said, why are you still here? Leave me alone. Yeah, so I thought they were excellent. And there was just, yeah, more of a calmness. And from the likes of Asahi, Kelly Gago, you know, I feel like from Vivian particularly, last season, I'm not sure she'd have finished that chance that she had in the second half in quite the cool, calm way that she did. I'd feel like that would be another chance gone begging and actually when I saw her coming towards me you knew this was a goal there was just like a yeah I don't know I keep using the word confidence but there was across that front three they were really clicking really well and they just they understood the game plan and they just seemed really settled with it and it was a really enjoyable game to watch actually I honestly wish I was there and you obviously got some amazing shots of the SAI goal and the celebration afterwards but it just felt like I've got to agree there was a kind of a confidence and almost like a belief that they would win the game.

25:30Rachel: And you felt that really from the off. I mean, two really great chances in the first couple of minutes, the SAF and then I think it was Alana Kennedy kind of slid in and sort of Oh my God. Came over. Great emergency defending, but a little bit of a wake up call to be emergency defending to that level a minute and a half, two minutes in, which is crazy. And then like Kelly Gargo running, running down the pitch, two London City Lionesses centre-backs trailing after her. The pace on those two is absolutely terrifying. absolutely terrifying and it was how easy it was to kind of I think the players in the middle of the park were kind of looking up and these pinpoint accurate passes seeing how exposed they were at the back and then just affecting this incredible strategy to make London City Lionesses look like they didn't know what they were doing and you know that's got to be a lesson for London City these teams you can't just press super high like that this is you know they were so exposed the point of the WSL is anyone can hurt you and I know people like to say well the same teams are always in the top four yes but when we talk about competitiveness you're not you don't go into games kind of like this is three points on the board and that's a lesson they have to learn if they're going to push up high you cannot have basically all of your defenders way up the pitch especially if you're going to be done for speed if you're not the quickest pairing you've got to keep someone a little bit deeper back because twice West Ham were able to completely exploit that very effectively so that's got to be a wake up call I think it's that for the same almost like a template level of goal why would you not like why would you not learn from the first mistake and think oh god we need to have more people back here there's a bit of a risk here we're exposed but then it just happens again and you're thinking okay well that's just bad game management and that's from someone like Mappy Leon like the experience that she has at Barth this isn't it's not like new players to the WSL yes they're new players to WSL but new players to elite level of football but it just felt like they weren't there was maybe a complacency possibly or the hype around London City Lionesses are kind of I don't know bolstered their I did wonder belief if they'd underestimated West Ham 100 % I was really surprised they didn't start Delphine Cascarino who would be in their best player against Manchester United and that's not resting some of your it's no disrespect to Freya Godfrey she's a great player as well but I just wondered if they'd maybe underestimated a little bit yeah it just it felt like they were a bit surprised by how West Ham set up and I thought West Ham got their game plan spot on they knew where to exploit and we saw them do that multiple times like they could have been West Ham could have been 3-0 up in the first half 100 % and I did start to think are they going to regret or rue the chances because we've seen it before from West Ham where they create they don't score they get punished but you know seemingly not this time well we've got a really good question in from Charlotte on Instagram who said is it too early to be hopeful for a better West Ham league finish this season Charlotte be hopeful yeah all day I think they've got what Everton next who uh i think have yet to score an actual goal themselves um and i think are really struggling to be creative and in front of goal but i think do it be excited you know west ham have struggled for points early on in previous seasons um i think they could potentially potentially get points against everton i say yeah enjoy it because at least you've started better than previous seasons do you also feel like rita guarino is a massive factor in what's happening in the hammers camp because it feels like you know she's imagining a manager that you've had a lot of respect for the way she's spoken about the games the honesty that she's given you and kind of what she's trying to get now from the team do we feel like finally she's starting to not not that she didn't in part last season but like there's a consistency into what she's unlocked this year and that there seems to be this kind of maybe in this game like an enjoyment and a belief that we didn't see so much in most of the game half of the games maybe last year yeah I mean I spoke to her pre-season and about you know what it's like now being here having a summer window of transfers that you can go out and get players that you want and she was basically saying like the second she obviously came in last january she was like it was about survival last season and there's a lot less time to implement what you want when the season has already started the players were already in you have less time to teach them the different things you want to focus on so you have to you kind of have to refine the areas you think are important and you know try and get them to be better in those areas now she was like now I've had a pre-season I've been able to get more players in I think she's upgraded in all areas of the pitch um not every player but like in terms of defense midfield forwards I think she has brought more quality into each of those areas she's like I've had more time to try and impart what she wants out of a football match so like I'm not saying she's you know Emma Hayes but managers having more time to uh with their players is obviously going to have a better effect and I do think like I said that there seems to be a good understanding with the players of what Rita Guarino wants and I think what's really important for managers as well is sounds stupid but if you're getting points on the board what they want from you is working and it's easier for the players than to buy into the idea if you're not starting a season well you're not getting points on the board you know you're almost but not quite you're not you're creating chances but not taking them you're still on zero points it's a lot harder to help West Ham, you know, in camp, the vibe around camp is going to be good.

30:44The players are going to be really bought into what, what she wants. And I just think, yeah, Charlotte, go wild.

30:50Rachel: It is, it's nice to see that the elation from the players after the game, because I think that that's when you kind of read the moments about the cohesion between the team and like how they really feel about these results. And sometimes, you know, something, obviously it's really early days in the league, but sometimes when you've got a team that's like really celebrating these, these moments in that way, almost like a kind of like a cup final in a way, I think that's really nice because I think sometimes like positive mentality and winning breeds more winning because you just there's a belief that continues to grow there's a kind of fire in your belly that okay like actually this could be our moment to shine this year so yeah I honestly I've been wanting this for West Ham for quite a long time so I remember speaking about this in previous seasons and it was always like super negative around West Ham and I understood because they weren't getting the points they weren't getting the support from the club properly but when you watch them you know when you can see what a club is trying to do but it's just not working you feel for them a bit if you could just put the ball on the back of the net things would be so much better so I say celebrate the small wins because when you're in a rut it's so hard to get out of that rut that these little moments are really important as a team to kind of bond you so yeah, if it's three points on the board celebrate it, why not?

31:59Rachel: 100 % and it definitely gets a lot harder to celebrate when it gets cold and dark and gritty and you're back in Dagenham do you know who didn't turn up to that game at the Chigwell Construction Stadium. Go on. Michelle Kang. Oh, I did say the selfie. I was like, you understand. She is not going down there for a burger van and some bubbles. I'll tell you that for free. And by bubbles, I mean actually blowing bubbles, not champagne. I was going to say, what bubbles is... They don't sell champagne at the Chigwell Construction Stadium. I've tried to find hospitality there and there isn't one. The only hospitality you got was up on a scaffold.

32:26Rachel: Do you remember? Yeah, it kind of felt like I was in some kind of elite tower, but actually it was just... You wanted to be as far away as possible without actually being in the... I wanted to feel as much as I could from a box that I could possibly get. And actually, it was just a very exposed scaffolding tower that at any moment could collapse. Yeah, it was a really good experience for me. And I was obviously working the game. It wasn't a life of luxury with champagne flutes. That's so sad. I've never seen a champagne flute at Chigwell Construction Stadium, which is probably why Michelle Kang didn't come.

32:53Rachel: Wasn't there. Didn't fancy that fixture, which was not unnoted. Talking slightly of London City Lioness is there. Do we think this result is actually a trigger point for us to readjust our expectations of the Lionesses. I mean, do we think actually we kind of, I don't know, we all jumped on the London City Lionesses. You say we. I jumped on the London City Lionesses bandwagon, as did the majority of WSL fans, I would say. It kind of felt like there was, oh Christ, this is big. They've brought in all these new sign-ins. They've got this billionaire owner. They're doing these crazy parties. Even the sun comes out for, or the sunset comes out for London City Lionesses.

33:35Rachel: it's a sellout you've got Ballon d 'Or winners everywhere we all just jumped on this hype and this bandwagon and actually this was a bit of a reality check the life of the WSL is not easy and that's not just when you're playing the top four teams I think for London City go on give us some common sense it's a really important not a really important result for them yes it's going to be an eye opener for them they're faced Charlton next they can't go into a game thinking that they're just going to win it it's going to be easy and I think this will be a bit of a lesson for them those top teams are going to be tough I think it's on Ada to learn these lessons to learn about the back line to know that you can't just press super high it doesn't matter who the team is a lot of teams now have I want to say effective strikers but not every team does we'll come to that but yeah I think it's a huge lesson for them and yes I thought they would do well this season I did say if they got 6th and above they should be happy I don't think this is like a oh my god they're going to be crap result I think it's a balance of also West Ham improving a little bit but I think they'll definitely learn from it and they'll improve in the next game You're always so level headed about these things it makes you feel a lot more calm One of the things I don't think is very calming and maybe this is like a lesson to be learnt from not just London City 9-S's but the majority of the teams the sort of higher ranked teams in the WSL we've got this point in from Magsy who said it seems that the league has been so competitive straight away in the first two weekends and this is something I think was a really interesting point because you've got these kind of newly promoted teams or you've got teams that were languishing in the bottom half of the of the WSL if not at the bottom of the WSL last year but all of a sudden we're starting to see them producing results or getting draws or even getting wins that we didn't necessarily expect so we've got Burnham City got a draw 2-2 with Brighton Liverpool backed up the big win with a 1-1 draw against Spurs and then obviously we're going to talk about crystal palace at arsenal can i just say as well birmingham should have won that game and liverpool should have won that game so big positives for both of them which would have been to all intents and purposes unexpected results but it kind of feels like the competitiveness now has stepped up and the complacency levels drastically need to go down especially with the top four even top half teams yes what i mean when i say you know competitiveness not every game in the past you know you kind of look at the fixtures and be kind of like okay yeah this team should be fine for their first three games they should come away with nine points I don't think we can say that in the same way anymore and look there's teams not only improve on the pitch they improve tactically the managers improve the analysis improves so teams are going to get better at figuring out how best to play other teams and now it's like there's so much coverage and you know you've got 100 million different types of clips that you can watch about your opponent.

36:22So yeah, I think it's really exciting. And the fact that there's only two teams in the first two weeks that haven't had points, we can be relatively confident in terms of who will finish top three. Can we? Well, that's the thing that we're probably more confident on. But everything else, it is much more up in the air, which I think makes it a little more interesting.

36:41Rachel: Well, before we go into a game that wasn't quite as straightforward as we thought it might be, let's give a bit of a shout out to Daniela van der Donk two back heeled goals in two games I mean we kind of thought that the first goal would be a goal of the season but it kind of feels like this is like what this is going to be first and second play gold and silver for DVD straight away I mean she's setting the bar high to only score goals backwards I mean it's like has that ever been done? no one's even you know how WSL keeps putting out these like records or like stats you're just like where has that even come from?

37:11Rachel: it'll be like the first player ever to score two of their first initial goals in the league by a back heel. But I've not seen that yet come out as a stat. I'm so disappointed in that, like, haven't lost a game on a Friday when they're wearing white and it's raining. I hate those stats. Not just WSL. They do this in, like, Premier League and stuff as well. You're just like, what a pointless stat. That's just not a thing. Everything's a first, you know, in this league. Coming up after this is the same old story for Arsenal. Or is it?

37:49Rachel: Okay, Rach, let's get stuck into Arsenal. But before we do so and talk about all the wild, ridiculous things that went down in that game, I think it's a super, super important one to absolutely mention the return of Kyra Cooney-Cross, which is so, so positive for her. She returned to the starting XI for the first time in 2026. Cooney Cross took compassionate leave and went back to Australia to be with her family and her mum who was diagnosed with cancer just after Christmas and then she passed away two months ago. So Kyra wrote a lovely letter to the club in the Match Day programme and did an interview with the BBC where she spoke about how important her mum was and also her sort of supporting her journey as playing football as a teenager and how, you know, her mum had come to see the games that she'd had at the Emirates.

38:34Rachel: And yeah, there's some lovely photos of them two together in her footballing career. And obviously she was a massive, massive support for Kyra Cooney Cross in her journey to where she is now playing at the very top for one of the top teams. So yeah, it was a really lovely moment. it felt like the fans really got behind her um and it felt like there was um i don't know like the arsenal always try and build this like family mentality i think and the fans really get behind that and it feels like when any of the players kind of go through these really difficult moments and this is obviously one of the most challenging moments that you could probably ever go through in in your life um it really felt like there was that that atmosphere that kind of made her feel as comfortable as possible it's lovely to see her back absolutely um and thoughts about her as well with everything she's gone through definitely okay let's turn to the game because there is a lot to talk about with what went down it was um it was an attacking masterclass i think if you don't like scoring and it was weird because you kind of see renee steggles on the bench then you see obviously prolific goal scorer kelly smith sitting behind her and you think why is this not translating how what who's the get her on just sub her on honestly with the way the referee is going in the in the first couple of games i think you could probably get away with getting Kenny Smith on and no one would say anything at least till the end of the season and by that point it might be too late 79 % possession for Arsenal 30 shots 9 of those on target but not a single goal for Arsenal against Crystal Palace it was really it was fun to do as a commentator because there was constantly things to be talking about because you're constantly like Russo's picked up the ball she's turned she's shot and it's over the bar and then it was like oh we've got to cross in from the corner and whipping in a ball oh, Russo's just about to get on the end of it.

40:13And then, oh. As a photographer, less fun. Yeah, but still, guns. Yeah, well, it works the biceps because you're constantly going, oh, oh, oh, oh. It's such a frustrating type of game when you're watching an attack heavy game. So not only is it like, and they're not scoring. So not only is it a lot of like, oh, anticipation and then let down. It's also just like so many bodies in the box. So it makes it really hard as well to get a clean shot. But anyway, I got nothing. Fascinating. We say same old Arsenal and I did try and pitch to producer Finn that we could just like find us talking about Arsenal not being able to score goals in one of the many previous seasons and just drop it in but he said no.

40:53But part of me wonders It's been very difficult this podcast. Yeah, he's very demanding. Sitting in this room looking over us. I know. But yeah, I did. There were elements that were slightly different in terms of I felt like Arsenal were getting even closer to the goal and not scoring. Right? Like hit the bar twice and also having like just missing sitters, which in previous seasons, I feel like didn't even get that close to miss sitters. So it's like they've impressively managed to get closer to the goal without scoring, which I thought is like quite impressive.

41:25Rachel: I think the chance that summed up the game for me was Lisa Baum. She was, I think running down the left-hand side, I think it was. She had this beautifully curved, whipped ball in. Alessio Russo running onto it, pretty much unopposed. I think the friends were just behind her and then she doesn't convert it into the back of the net and it was pretty much like an open goal. It just felt like that was the moment that was going to really haunt her and that was quite early doors and that was about 20, 20 or 30 minutes in. And I remember saying that is the moment that could be the pivotal one because that's the one that you look back on and think, had that occurred, they would have picked up three points and that could have been either the floodgates or you just pick up three points.

42:07Rachel: It's a one nil, you write it off. it was a bit of a scrappy game but but whatever and then that's that those are the three points that's your two points additional that you would have missed out at the end of the year when we talk about how close the title race is and like where they are and what they need to get to to be able to finish the season off or get into the champ or whatever it is but it it just it was so frustrating it was so frustrating and then the camera get panning to Rene who's sitting on the bench and I'm like it's not even your fault because they're doing the right things like they're the chances that you have in Mariana Keldente, you've got Georgia Stam, you've got all these players doing the right thing, but not doing the only thing you need them to do.

42:48Rachel: I just, I don't, we talk about like how much responsibility can a manager take when you can't go on the pitch and walk it in for you. But that, that is literally all it, all it takes. Some fans do want to blame Renee though. Don't. Okay. You tell them. Yep. Honestly, like don't like what, what more could she have done? They, you know, obviously the Palace goalkeeper had an absolutely great, outstanding game. And I do want to talk a little bit about Palace as well, because the defending from them, it was like it felt like cup final emergency defending to the death. There was like a resoluteness and the team and the sense of kind of collectiveness with them.

43:27Rachel: It was bodies on the line. They they were so resolute in this thing and the ball not hit in the back of the net. and my God, did they put in a shift. I think it felt like the entire strategy was park the bus on occasion when you can try and get it forward, try and get it up to Lexi Lloyd-Smith. She'll try and hold the ball up, give you a bit of a chance for a breather and then Christ, we'll just let Arsenal go back at us again and we'll do exactly the same. I know you said that they looked at this game and probably thought we're not going to get anything from it. But I reckon they thought if we defend resolutely enough, that's what Arsenal struggle with.

44:01everybody knows Arsenal's biggest weakness is playing against a low block so they knew that if they're going to get something out of that game that's what they had to do you know nothing more exemplifies that than Arsenal having 289 successful final third passes and Crystal Palace having six there's another great stat that Opta brought out they did a whole piece on it and they spoke about field tilt you know what field tilt is I thought this was really interesting field tilt a new wave player thing they've brought in what is this field tilt measures territorial dominance between teams so it's looking at the share of possession each side has in their attacking third compared to their opponent so a field tilt of over 50 % means your team makes more passes in the opposition's final third than they make in your defensive third Arsenal's field tilt in Sunday's game was 97 % which is higher than any team have managed in a WSL game since the start of the 23-24 season.

45:03Where is that record stat? Yeah, WSL. Why am I not seeing that stat? Basically, Arsenal camped in Crystal Palace's half. Yeah, you know, maybe there was just too many players

45:13Rachel: in the way. I don't know. But it does get suggested when you've got 22 players in a box. Do you know what I mean? Bing bong, bing bong, bing bong. It's like ping pong. It's like if it hit it hard enough, it might just bounce off someone and go. What I quite liked at the start of the game was there was a patience to Arsenal. In the first half, they didn't get the goal, but it didn't feel like there was any panic setting in. it was very much kind of like we're going to get our pass completion up we're going to play it on the back we're going to just be a bit more composed and then and then it started to get to like about the 70th minute and then you could start to see like the tax kind of ramp up a little bit more and then it became kind of like panic and then it became kind of like okay we'll throw on some subs and then the subs weren't making an impact at all um you had black stinnius coming in freedom ornam coming in uh caitlin ford coming in and none of them would i barely saw any of them really do anything.

45:57Rachel: Not because, you know, for want of trying, but they just weren't getting on the ball and I don't think Arsenal could even game manage what was happening at that point. I didn't think they offered anything new. It felt like they came on and just did the same thing that the players they replaced were doing, which wasn't working. And yeah, as you say, as the game went on, Arsenal got sloppier. Like sloppy in possession, you know, as the clock was ticking down, they're loose and passing, giving it straight back to Palace. Stuff like that. But yeah, it's a problem that we've obviously seen before. It felt like, despite how good PPM was in goal I wonder even if she wasn't there would they have gotten a goal?

46:30Rachel: If she wasn't there I still think they'd have missed. Bartrip, Everett, Taya Goldie all there. They were absolutely phenomenal. I think the way they played they showed up for each other they were consistent they were switched on they threw everything on the line and I just thought the way they defended was absolutely brilliant. 73 clearances. like that's the only one thing i would say about the defense is sometimes their clearances aren't good enough they don't they they don't even get outside of the box and then it there's another wave of attack and they're just lucky that they managed to withhold the second wave i would like to see them working on that especially around the bigger teams but i do think there was a time there was a there was a time at the start of the game especially where they were trying to actually play the ball out a little bit more and arsenal again were kind of coming unstuck a little bit there was a couple of passes that did make it out of um out of palace's own half so yeah i just um i think i think that was a really a really massive positive win i mean crystal palace going into a game at the emirates again another team who celebrated like a cup final at the end of it you could see like how much it meant and amy everett was was amazing in their post-match interview she was like because she was being asked about the possession stats which i think were about 79 or something like that yeah so palace had like what 21 23 percent 20.7 percent 20.7 percent and that was that was pretty much consistent throughout the entire game bar a couple of percentages here and there but Amy Everett then said well you know possession doesn't mean points and I was like well yeah but it it doesn't what what a great way to sum it up they defended really well and I was really impressed with that but you have to also factor in that it was also a bit of luck in terms of Arsenal hitting the bar twice and just missing open shots and sky in them and like Olivia Smith's free in the late in the second half summed it up where she just skewed a ball into Rosette you know and sometimes when it starts to hit the post and that stuff where that happens you're just like you could play another 30 minutes that ball's not going in the goal i agree not with bar trip everett and tag only there absolutely not although i feel like they were brilliant i could i could honestly run riot talking about them but i also think take them out there's still sky in that do we feel like it's slightly different then there's an evolution to arsenal in the sense that they're taking shots and they're not just kind of like we'll pass here we'll pass here we'll walk come off but this time there it feels like there's a bit more of a directness like we're hitting the bar we are whipping in balls we're you know setting up set pieces in a really good way we're delivering balls into the into the right areas yeah but there's just this this genesis quoi yeah to a degree maybe there is a slight change in terms of like the types of approaches they've got players now who are willing to take shots from outside the box um and it's hard because like they're not going to play that many games where another team will set up like that so we might see better from them um you know they're playing manchester united next who i feel like might set up like that well no i feel like how things are going they can't decide whether to sit back and defend or go out and attack so they kind of do neither um so it could be an interesting one what i did love lot of wub and moi said post-match we created the chances and ultimately just weren't able to put them away that's something quite clear-cut you can change that easily and can you because when and why didn't you when is the change going to happen oh it's just yeah i don't know i feel like for some of these teams and i i thought that lisa bomb in the first game had kind of didn't have that pressure and wasn't playing like oh god we need goals but it did feel like the team are like oh god not this again i thought she was one of the most impressive players she honestly the way that she was running down the wings, it just felt like she was everywhere.

50:09Rachel: There was like an enthusiasm and like a positive energy to her. And I thought, if anyone is going to score a goal today, it's probably going to be her. And then she's taken off. And then Caldenti's taken off. And I'm like, they're two of the players I think have probably done or impacted the game the most. That didn't make sense for me. But then we've got a really good question in from Gazana on Instagram, who said, thoughts on Rene omitting new signings from the bench, but keeping some old names there. So I think this is a bit of a reference to Selena Churchy and Geraldine Reutler not making the matchday squad.

50:38Rachel: Taylor Hines also left out. But it feels like Arsenal now have this massive, massive squad and there are going to be players that are obviously not going to make the start of the 11 and the substitutes bench now. It's going to be a tough decision for Rene to make every week. But if they're not getting those results, people are going to ask about, okay, well, like, why? Why was this not used? Why was this person not used? Why was that? Why were they on the bench? Like, you almost have too much choice. And I think sometimes too much choice becomes a problem in itself. I think, yeah, I think Renee spoke afterwards about, you know, wanting bigger squads and that they're going to have to leave people out every game week.

51:15And that's, yeah, that's going to be a frustration for them. I guess you have to consider the cover you have in various positions and what you need for different games. It is a frustration for them because it's always going to be the, well, if they were in the squad, it would have been different. And, you know, even if they were included, someone else would have been left out and they would have said, well, why weren't they included? and if they'd been in the squad, maybe it would have been different. So that's always going to be, you know, hindsight's 20-20 and it's great that you can look back and go, well, maybe.

51:43But at the end of the day, with the squad that size and the talent that they have, there's always going to be good players left out. Definitely.

51:49Rachel: But they're new. Give them a chance. The one thing where you can't say, well, there's just not enough choice or, you know, she doesn't know where to choose, is the attack. You've got almost 10 quality attacking players there and having a result like that it's just obviously not good enough at all and especially I think when you've got the likes of Man United, Chelsea, Man City up next this is a game that you really wanted to get those three points bedded in to sit top of the table Yeah, I think some of the points people make which is interesting is generating a bit more competition for spots and some players kind of always starting and knowing they'll start and maybe it's that lack of feeling the competition to maybe give them that little bit more of a drive and a little bit more of a, oh God, I really need to make these 60, 70, 80 minutes count that I'm on the pitch.

52:41And perhaps having a bit more competition or having someone start on the bench or whatever will generate a bit more of that. And this isn't just for Arsenal. I think, you know, the same could be said for other teams, even maybe for a Man United, for example, is like generating a bit more competition in different positions because maybe some players are a bit comfortable and just know that they'll start. and I think if they're not delivering, that competition needs to be ramped up a little bit.

53:06Rachel: It'd be really nice to see that kind of rotation between Lisa Baume, Chloe Kelly and Olivia Smith and just kind of see like who is going to be fighting for that position week in, week out. Do you know what though? That's competition in those spaces which I think is really important. Definitely. And good rotation. They might need different things in different games. Yeah, and what quality to bring on. Like imagine bringing Olivia Smith off a bench. Like I know she wasn't particularly effective but you know, I do think some players are more effective off a bench. Like I find a Chloe Kelly obviously nobody wants to sit on the bench but I feel like Chloe Kelly almost takes a person and comes on as a sub and it's like I'm going to show you why you're leaving on the bench and but you know I think it's great like I said having competition in those places I think it's really important and then it gives you that quality when you need it maybe not in this particular situation but you know that's what a that's what you need if you're going to go on and win the league what you don't need is drawing two games in against Crystal Palace I agree the benefit I suppose is that you're facing Man United in the next game, which given how Man United's current run of fortunes, could be a very good time to hit them, to strike them whilst they're down, hopefully.

54:11Rachel: Could be. Maybe. Both games finished 0-0 last season, which is interesting, but obviously Man United in a very different place than they were last year. Meanwhile, just some unfinished business that the league refused to wrap up. Palace still haven't found out the outcome of the investigation into their substitutions against Everton so we're still in this situation where Palace have currently got obviously the win against Everton the three points and then this point against Arsenal and they're currently sitting quite pretty in the table their fortunes could completely change at any moment given the outcome of this very long-winded investigation into something that is right it's not like something that happened on the pitch that you've got to go back and look at the analysis and the referee decision and take witness statements and you know like look at the cameras or whatever it was this is something that just happened it is a factual thing that just happened I still don't even now 10 days on from the actual fact I don't understand why a call hasn't been made and the impact that that will have on the players kind of waiting to see what the outcome is and to be fair to them you know a few of the players and Joe Potter was asked and also Amy Everett after the game about the impact and they just said well look we don't know anything about that we know that we've been playing really well and to the best of our ability like we just had to put it to the back of our mind and move on but without a doubt 100 % in the changing room that will 100 % be sitting and preying on their minds I don't understand and I said this last time why there is not in the rule book you break the substitution window you use too many substitution windows this is what the punishment is I don't know why they're what are you investigating like is it apportioning blame is that relevant the the refs messed up they've been taken they were taken off match duties this week the palace bench messed up and that there should be a punishment a and b i don't understand like these newer rule this isn't a new rule but it does feel like some of the newer rules i'm still not 100 convinced are being properly implemented and it is causing a bit of frustration as i said this shouldn't be one of them because we know that it's not allowed and it should be a simple this happened this is the punishment why we're still hanging around i do not understand well i think we need to get a ref back on rach if i'm honest um to pick apart some of these things because i think i'd love to explore some of these comments you're making about all the other things that have been going on that maybe aren't being fully abided by in the first two games of the season.

56:25Rachel: Or causing confusion. Causing confusion. Thank you so much for listening to this episode Upfront. It's been a bit of a bumper episode trying to cover all the wild, weird, wonderful things that are happening in the WSL week to week. Find us on Instagram and XSAS Twitter. I'm at Morgie underscore 89. Rach is at Girls on the Ball and we are at Upfront underscore pod. You can also find us on YouTube at Upfront pod. See you next week.

57:03Rachel: it's a mature level jacket it's also a neutral leather jacket you won't even begin to see the neutrality of my outfits throughout this entire season to convince everyone what color is it black or brown brown don't try and don't try to affiliate me no no no no i'm just saying there's No one wears brown as a shirt. That's what I was literally about to say. Yeah, good. Confirm that nobody wears brown. Yeah, good. So it's good. 100%. Upfront is a Stack production and part of the ACAST Creator Network.

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