Dream debuts, Chelsea edge Man City, and Rach's dark horses deliver!

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0:38Rachel: Welcome to Upfront, I'm Chloe Morgan. And I'm Rachel O'Sullivan. Chelsea and Arsenal got after a winning start on the opening weekend of the WSL. Chelsea beating title rivals Manchester City and Arsenal dismissing those pesky disruptors London City Lionesses. But there was also plenty of transfer business last week. Michelle Kang, the Kangster, slapped£1.4 million on a new star from France. And Grace Clinton crossed the border in Mani. We'll catch up on all of that and much, much more.

1:13Rachel: Rach, it's so nice to be back in the studio, mate. I've had a holiday. It's been relaxing. I've taken a step back. Was it very nice? It was very nice. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was my partner's 30th. and we just took a relaxing break away from everything. Didn't look at Slack, didn't look at messages. Beers in a hot tub. Beers, hot tub. Yeah, it was gorgeous. I got bollocking for that photo. What, why? Yeah, I thought it was a really nice photo. It was a lovely photo. Yeah, yeah. I'll re-upload it today. You look like a proud girlfriend. I was a proud girlfriend. I was like 30. Now you're finally in my decade, which is lovely.

1:45Rachel: Anyway, moving swiftly on. Moments of the weekend. It was such a lovely, spicy weekend to get stuck into. It delivered drama. It delivered goals. It delivered moments. It was gorgeous. But try and find me a gem in all that.

1:59Chloe: So that was hard because we don't want to repeat stuff that we're going to touch on either. Of course. So I'm going to highlight a low light that I want booted out of the game. I love it. Immediately. Yeah. And that is, look, I'm not a fan of halftime interviews. I hate them. Fucking in-match interviews. Are you kidding me? Stop that right now. Absolutely not. Interviewing a manager in the middle of a game. I don't care if a player is injured on the pitch.

2:23Rachel: why are you like what what i don't understand is why you as a manager would use those 15 minutes to talk to the public about and give tactics away essentially about what has gone wrong what you plan to do to fix it when you should be in the dressing room talking to your players about that

2:39Chloe: exact same thing in private now that's the halftime ones which i fully agree with i don't like them in a freaking match when a player is down injured you're interviewing a manager no you shouldn't be Absolutely not. Now, I believe it's like offered and they have a right to say they don't want to do in-match ones. It's absolutely fine. I think they have to do halftime ones. But no, kick it out. Don't like it. Not a fan. Absolutely not. All right. Ridiculous, woke nonsense.

3:02Rachel: I love that you started a moment of the weekend with a low light. That is a very different take. Give me a highlight. I mean, there was a lot to fucking choose from. It was a very spicy weekend. I think the obvious one would have been the Liv Smith. But I'm also going to go for the vanilla hat trick. I thought, like you said, Rach, and we're going to get stuck into it later on in the pod. But I just thought that was such a, what it meant for Everton and like how well they played and just like how, just how great she was in her debut for the club. It kind of like reinvigorated what you were saying about like this excitement that's building around Everton.

3:33Rachel: And I thought she was in the right place at the right time. Like her prowess in the air, like the aerial ability that she's got is absolutely scary and something to watch and be feared. But yeah, that was definitely my highlight, I've got to say.

3:44Chloe: Can I give a shout out to Ella Toon scoring on a year on from her father's passing and for her to get that first goal and throw hearts up to the sky, I thought was very touching and very moving. And yeah, it's just, again, always so nice to see a player back enjoying their football. So I want to give a shout out to that.

4:06Rachel: Big, big love from us at the Upfront team. we did have a very interesting comment from ruckus patrick love the name actual name on the up front discord who woke up at 4 30 a.m to make the journey from villa park to brighton where he

4:18Chloe: saw aston villa draw nil nil i was at that game gosh i'm disappointed i was so looking forward to that game i thought it was going to be to be fair it was quite like tight if you like i think brighton probably should have won it but like my god personally in the same way that you can apply

4:36Rachel: for accreditation I think you should be able to apply for a refund if you've actually spent your hard-earned money on games that don't end up being very fruitful are you not entertained yeah literally you come there for the statement if I I complain if I saw a bad theater show I complain if I saw a bad WSL game and it was right let's get stuck into the drama then the big big game of the weekend I mean there were a couple but I would say Arsenal giving London City line s's a bit of a reality check is definitely something I want to get stuck into Arsenal bounce back obviously from a bit of a shaky start to beat London City 4-1 at the Emirates.

5:08Rachel: Livvy Smith I mean Rach you were there you saw it first person you saw it in action talk me through this goal and how you felt

5:16Chloe: watching it happen. Well I'm going to rewind a bit because I think the opening maybe 15-20 minutes or so Arsenal were slow to start and I think you know I think both Rene and when we spoke to Chloe Kelly afterwards they spoke about London City Lionesses switching between a back three and a back four at the beginning of the game it took Arsenal a little bit of time to work that out obviously known for a very aggressive press and I think they were struggling when to work out when to trigger that press and when not to so I think that's a little bit understandable that they were slow to start and I think London City Lionesses did well to challenge in that opening 20 minutes and go ahead I thought Olivia Smith looked really bright down the right but actually when they switched her to the left side she was much more effective I thought because she was able to invert and I just think they struggled to deal with that that's kind of what happened with that goal she came inside shrugged off a defender like she'd been playing the game for years and unleashed this ridiculous strike from quite frankly too far away and the absolute whip on it like it was straight into that corner top corner unbelievable goal unbelievable debut at the Emirates 38 ,000 people like when you think about taking off kind of dream starts i think that's that's one way of doing it i think there was definitely like a stubbornness to the london city defense um and i think smith

6:36Rachel: was able to kind of unlock that and kind of like the direct running the shooting like she came close on a couple of occasions even before that and obviously afterwards like her pace but i think it was the physicality that she showed like she's not she's not a huge player like she's not like a she's not got a huge stature like she's like you think that she's not going to be able to body players off in with the ease that she does but that goal she completely wrong-footed Lett and I felt really sorry I think it went through a couple of bodies the ball but I think Lett was kind of anticipating it was going to be kind of like a little bit of a curved ball maybe sort of like a you know an outstretched save on on that the the left hand side for her but like wrong footing her and send it the complete other way I mean it was an absolute stroke of genius and I can I mean I was watching it from the tv let alone seeing like how it sort of panned across and just like the The stadium just erupted.

7:23Rachel: I mean, like, what was the atmosphere like when that goal went in?

7:26Chloe: Unreal. Like, because there's so many firsts, that it's the first goal of the season, it's the first goal of the Emirates, it's Olivia Smith's first goal, this massive signing, so much excitement around her. So, and it's not, you know, the quality of the goal then to add to that. And we'll talk about some other debutantes this weekend because I think there were quite a few really dream starts that you probably just wouldn't write because you just think there's no way that's going to be like the first thing I do at this new club. so yeah that was incredible and I was really impressed with you know she didn't look out of place she was linking up nicely down the right with Fox and with Pilova at times and you know the way they were intricate one two passes finding each other really naturally was really impressive and then again to be able to switch to the other side so naturally and have such an impact you know you touched on her strength there I mean she spent a season at Liverpool being kicked off the ball and it seems to have I don't want to say stood to her but she's definitely become much more physically present and able to kind of anticipate those tackles and shrug them off so just another edge to her game I suppose I suppose and obviously I mean Smith and Kelly started ahead

8:30Rachel: of Ford and Beth and I think what we spoke previously on the just before we started the pod and you were kind of saying about how you were so impressed I think by Beth Mead recently and kind of like what she was saying about the maturity that she has to kind of I don't know see through this next generation of players and do it with so much kind of experience and grace and understanding

8:48Chloe: about her position in the squads um yeah I think Beth Mead deserves a lot of love you know there was obviously a lot of discussion about whether she was going to leave the team and I think probably she's obviously been through a lot in her personal life and and on the pitch as well in terms of her injuries and she she had such a high she set such a high bar and the expectation now from her from fans is so high that she's also then had to deal with you know shit from fans quite frankly and um yeah i really enjoy the article she did with suzy rack and the guardian where she spoke about understanding her role at arsenal and how that role has changed and how you know she had really good conversations with renee about her importance on and off the pitch and what she can still contribute on and off the pitch and how valuable that is to a team and and how she's you know very much allowed to be narked off i think was the phrase she used that she's not starting week in week out but to be able to be not yeah you want that anger right Like we all remember Beth Mead's revenge tour.

9:45Chloe: So, you know, I think coming on the pitch, assisting two goals in two minutes, having more touches in the box than London City Lionesses did in the 15 odd minutes that she was on the pitch, probably could have scored a couple of goals as well. You know, is very much a mark of, I still have what's needed for this team. I mean, she was the one who assisted the goal in the Champions League final, which I think some people forget. You look at what she did for England, which I think was probably overlooked because she wasn't playing a natural position. She was able to go in and do a job out of position in midfield, an important role, even though it wasn't her natural role.

10:18Chloe: And I guess goes under the radar a little bit because it's not what people expect from her. So they don't maybe see the impact that she had. So I think she deserves, yeah, a lot of credit for recognizing the importance of what Arsenal need from the bench this season because there are moments where games need to change. We talk so much about Chelsea's depth and how valuable it is in terms of their winning mentality and actually needing that depth off the bench is going to be really important if they want to go far in competitions.

10:43Rachel: And obviously, I mean, Rachel, off the back of that, Beth obviously, you know, a massive impact in the game, but also in terms of like what she actually, her ambition in where she sees Arsenal going this season. And there was kind of a dystopian world in which she could have been playing against Arsenal for that first game in a weird way. Obviously, all the rumours that she might be going to London City, Lionesses, swiftly knocked on the head. But she actually said, we can arguably play better football than Chelsea. And we did a lot of times last season. Obviously, there's a big intent there. I mean and given the squad and what we saw on this game do we feel a little bit more confident now that actually that is going to be something I mean everyone's expecting they're going to give Chelsea a run for their money I'd be super disappointed if there wasn't a season in which this is a very close

11:23Chloe: title race between them two at least yeah I would be too but I think you know it's so much more than just playing really good football which I think we've learned over the years particularly from Chelsea there's so many mentality monsters well it's true and there's so many levels to winning and there's so many levels to ways to win and she she goes on to say that in the article I think is that you know being able to win games at the end and how important it is to have that ability and that mentality to even when you maybe aren't playing your best to still get the win out of that and like you know we've touched on it when we talk about Barcelona who play absolutely beautiful football if you know how to set up against them then you can beat them and it might not be pretty and it might not be perfect so yes at times Arsenal have played some wonderful football and it's great that kind of they're recognizing the quality that they have it's just like making sure that they're hitting those moments at the right time and playing that football at the right time and seeing out games and winning games even if it's not pretty and she touched on that they have the Arsenal way but sometimes it just needs to be a gritty performance to grind out that win and that's something an element Arsenal maybe needs to do more of at

12:28Rachel: times I mean let's switch tacks slightly we've got to talk about London City Lionesses now Now, obviously going into this game, it was a bit of an unknown quantity. Loads of players coming in. Big, big signing, Grace Gioro. No one really knew what to expect, what was going to go down, their style of play. Obviously, the players haven't been able to work together throughout the preseason. Obviously, some of them just coming in. But do we think this is a bit of a reality check in terms of them going into this game? Obviously, title contenders, not the easiest game to start. You're at the Emirates.

12:55Rachel: You're against a crowd that is really probably one of the strongest in the WSL. Do we think it was actually a performance that kind of gives you hope? that yes obviously you know they're going against tough opposition for the first game but at the same time there were sparks of that there that you kind of saw and thought yes they've lost the game but also at the same time this is not going to be like a I don't know like a palace we're not going to see this like run of games where there's just going to be defeat after defeat after defeat and we're looking at a relegation battle it didn't feel like that to me at all no I agree I think

13:22Chloe: it was a much more assured performance um it was confident in parts yeah I took the game to Arsenal Oh, for sure. I don't think they offered enough really going forward. I mean, they had seven touches inside the opposition box.

13:34Rachel: There was intention there, though. There was like an aggression to go forwards. Didn't always work or pay off or the misplaced passes. But at the same time, there was like a tenacity.

13:43Chloe: Yeah, I thought there was an assuredness. There wasn't a kind of fear around the team. And that comes with having the experience in the squad that you have. I thought there was some good individual performances. and you know I know a lot of people were saying thinking they're going to be up in fifth sixth spot Chloe you and I weren't we had a very good conversation I think in the first pod it's talking about it's not very often on managing expectations no I think especially when we do it together it's even rarer but um yeah I think look they didn't I wouldn't say they looked out of place they didn't look like a team that were necessarily out of place in the WSL as you touched on coming up against the European champions at home in front of 38 ,000 first game of the season 17 new players in you know it is going to take time for things to gel for relationships to click always going to be a tough start and you know when you think to the timings of the goals up until the 83rd minute it was 2-1 you know and like they're the moments with with young teams I guess is those latter stages about being switched on for long enough and how quickly a team like an Arsenal or Chelsea or Man City who can be lethal when it's when it's you know purring I suppose when everything's going right it can be lethal and if you switch off for a second teams like that are going to punish you and they're the experiences that they're going to have to learn and they might learn the hard way particularly given they're starting with Arsenal Manchester United I think

15:03Rachel: I mean I was looking at some of the stats I was trying to figure out sort of like what you know where they're at in terms of like their performance levels I think so in terms of possession 39 % to london city lionesses passes completed 352 to 511 for arsenal what i was really impressed with is pass accuracy 79 of passes from london city lionesses were accurate um also look at the

15:25Chloe: backward passes arsenal had more backward passes than london city lionesses did with not that it says a huge amount but it means that they weren't kind of very much playing that rinse and repeat and recycle the ball and hold it down around the back like they were trying to play the ball forward. They had 124 forward passes to 155 of Arsenal. So obviously relying a lot on the long ball as well. They have Goodwin up the top. They're going to be sending long balls up to her. She's so tall. So yeah, you're right. I think you look at the stats a little bit more and you can see that they weren't necessarily playing particularly negative football and there was an ambition there.

15:59Rachel: Talking of the big, big news with London City, something that kind of came a little bit left field to a lot of people last week. They set a new world record transfer fee. Allegedly. allegedly we'll never know because they never really give us the full picture on the numbers

16:13Chloe: just tell us how much you spent

16:15Rachel: the most frustrating thing on the planet and feels a little bit unnecessary after signing France star Grace Giro for 1.4 million we think from PSG obviously Jocelyn Pusher worked with Giro for two years at PSG after the deal was announced he described her as one of the best players on the planet Rach you obviously saw her there in the stands with the London City Lionesses fans couldn't get her a box so currently 1.4 million you paid for her and sat spent all the money didn't they yeah giving the fans a really great experience couldn't afford to get her an IC

16:50Chloe: couldn't afford the shirt no but a huge star a huge signing like huge experience will be I'm sure a key player for them and quality quality you know I touched on how they brought in some big names who perhaps were towards the latter stages of their career and some youngsters. And I think you've got someone there like right bang in the middle who's absolute height of career and will be huge for them, I think. I'm really intrigued to see how pressure gets on bringing a squad of, what, 17 new players together and getting them to gel together. That's a very big challenge as a manager, particularly in such an unforgiving league.

17:30Chloe: So a lot of challenges for London City Lionesses to face. I think perhaps the fact that we've got this sort of safety net around relegation, that it's not absolutely nailed on guaranteed. You've got a bit more time to experiment and to work out a team.

17:45Rachel: What I was like most kind of excited but surprised about was just the actual amount of money that London City Lionesses have spent in this transfer window. Insert that meme of Leonardo DiCaprio on Wolf of Wall Street, please. Yeah, literally that. Like I knew Michelle Kang's pockets were deep. I didn't really appreciate.

18:04Chloe: Mary Poppins pockets she's got.

18:05Rachel: What else is in there? Gold bars? It does feel like, obviously I love, we always moan at the start of the season when there's a team coming up from the championship and they throw some very small investment in players that are clearly not going to do enough to keep them safely in the WSL. We saw a very similar situation with Crystal Palace. The budget wasn't there. They didn't bring in enough quality, enough WSL experience. And they waited until about four days before the season started to tell us who they were. Literally sat to their manager, brought in someone who didn't really understand what was going on, sacked him, and then it just, it was a bit messy.

18:38Rachel: What I love about London City Lionesses is they've clearly thrown the kitchen, multiple kitchen sinks. The house, the mansion, they've thrown the mansion at us. 100 % to keep them in the WSL. Like I think the signings they've made are definitely enough to do that. What feels like a little bit, it does feel a little bit overkill, just slightly. Like we talk about this business model. Too much commitment and investment. They're still building a fan base. They're still having to draw from, like you forget that there are, not you, but like they're a London club. I felt very personal. Yeah, sorry. They're a London-based club.

19:07Rachel: You have London City, you have Arsenal, you have Chelsea, you have West Ham, you have Spurs. Like these are all really well-established fan bases that you're still trying to draw from. You spend all this money on this and like the kit. You don't like it? There was a lot of love for that kit

19:24Chloe: the other day.

19:25Rachel: I'm not, do you know, I like the fact that tries to do something a bit different. I'm not a fan but then I'd like to weigh into the brandy bits what I do think is weird so I can't expect to see you

19:34Chloe: come in next week with a new shirt

19:35Rachel: no I mean I'm already across what Man United and Arsenal it'd be an absolute piss take for me to now say that I'm a London City Lionesses fan it's a piss take to be both

19:42Chloe: across Man United and Arsenal to be honest

19:44Rachel: well what the data and insights is actually showing that a lot of women's football fans are multiple fans of multiple teams

19:48Chloe: it's still a piss take Chloe unacceptable

19:50Rachel: so there's no reason why you can't sprinkle in

19:52Chloe: a little bit of London City Lionesses

19:53Rachel: audience members let us know if you are fans of multiple teams I'd love to know I don't think there's anything wrong with that that was definitely a personal that was definitely that was at you going back to the money the transfer record has now been broken four times in eight months it definitely has been is it really annoying to say allegedly because it's really annoying

20:10Chloe: to not tell us how much it was Livvy Smith

20:12Rachel: Grace Guioro that's a lot of money being spent on these players now two of them I can kind of understand Grace Guioro I'm thinking that is that's a big big hole I don't know

20:22Chloe: I think if an Arsenal or a Chelsea had spent that we wouldn't be saying that's crazy money of course

20:27Rachel: 100 % I wouldn't I've just seen there's a lot of discourse around London City Lionesses the newbies people don't always like things being done a little bit differently we want things done differently

20:36Chloe: but not like that

20:37Rachel: yeah exactly that and people aren't a fan of the London City Lionesses name well that's a mouthful isn't it LCL it will come down to let's give a very quick word to Leah Valtese she said goodbye to the Arsenal fans before kick off she's left for Juventus after seven years in North London a really lovely little send off a bit of moj

20:55Chloe: yeah I think I just think you know I'm sure Arsenal fans devastated to see her go but just like Like she was a lovely human. She was a very considered player. She was wonderful to interview, would speak on a lot of different topics, a very, very nice person all around. And it's always a big loss to the league when you lose personalities like that. So, you know, Arsenal's loss is definitely Juventus' gain, but it is lovely to see when players get a deserved send-off and you know that the club has a special place in their heart and vice versa. So I'm sure she'd be welcome back anytime she wants to come for a visit and to watch a match.

21:32Rachel: Definitely. I had the pleasure of interviewing her in Switzerland in November. And she's just she's the most humble, like down to earth. She is personally the most humble down to earth player I've ever interviewed. At the same time, because she had to get back to Arsenal, she then wandered up. We were on the highest pitch in Europe, in Switzerland. Gorgeous, stunning mountains, Alps in the background. She then wanders off down the hill. and we're like, oh God, like lovely to see you, like whatever. All of a sudden, a fucking helicopter comes up from the mountains. Leo Valti's in it going across the Alps and I was like, humble, but also fucking bond.

22:07Rachel: Yeah. Coming up after this, Grace Clinton leaves Man United and trust me, fucking fuming.

22:22in.

22:43Chloe: We're Acast, where that introduction happens. As the world's largest podcast marketplace, we let you browse shows, see who's listening, and book host-read sponsorships or run your own ads all from one platform. Transparent pricing, real-time data, complete control. Start advertising on podcasts by visiting acast.com slash advertise.

23:10Chloe: Oh, we're going to get told off for swearing again.

23:13Rachel: I thought we could swear. We can, but like, you know, I don't know.

23:16Chloe: I'm sure we'll be told if it's too much. Don't worry.

23:19Rachel: Well, I think that's the thing about having the producer now in the room. Oh, yeah. He's just flipped us off. New season, new us. Same old Chelsea and Manchester United. Chelsea beat Man City 2-1 on Friday night in the first game of the season. It was Man City's first competitive game under Andre Jäglerts. Oh, wow. That was Andre Jäglerts. Yeah. Yeah, that was close, right?

23:43Chloe: Yeah, come on. Speaking of funny pronunciations, when I interviewed Viv Miedema, I'm not going to bring up Bronfell. Oops. When I interviewed Viv Miedema and I asked her about Andrea Eglert's like initial kind of thoughts. She said he had a funny Swedish accent and I just thought, Viv, of all people to be making fun of someone's accent, you're the most Scottish Dutch person I've ever heard. That was quite funny. Absolutely baffling. The self-awareness levels on that, not particularly that high. She was funny.

24:11Rachel: she was funny um ellie carpenter made her debut at right back um i mean she was obviously integral in the first goal i mean beautiful run absolutely direct down on that right hand side i the whipped in ball it was like it was a it was an attacker's dream you only had to put a toe on it to kind of get that deflection to go into goal and what a goal it was for aggie beaver jones getting on the

24:34Chloe: score sheet early doors this season she's an absolute like weapon in the box she's so instinctive

24:39Rachel: oh my god it's just it's scary at that age to kind of have that like tenacity and just like game insight about where that ball is going to be and especially when you're doing a link-up play between a player who's been at your club for the best part of three seconds um but yeah what did you make of Ellie Carpenter because I thought she looked bloody spicy she looked like she'd been

24:58Chloe: there for years yeah um settled in no bother um I thought like in that back three she was so dangerous equally I I thought Manchester City's set up kind of almost complemented that and allowed um Ellie Carpenter to really have that freedom down that wing and I thought Lily Murphy struggled up against her like the fact that basically City set up with Alex Greenwood in left back position and Lauren Hemp on the right wing um was a big surprise I understand they have I you know I do feel like if Carolyn or Fagino had been available it might have been a slightly different story but But I just thought, you know, Hemp not being on the left with Greenwood, she had much less defensive cover.

25:39Chloe: I thought she struggled with Carpenter's pace. I think she would have been better on the left side of a central defense rather than left back. I just thought she really struggled to manage that and Vika Kaptein linking up with Ellie Carpenter. So, yeah, that was a surprise. And I was really surprised not to see Egler to kind of do anything about it. You know, you could see from the get go it wasn't really working. I thought it was kind of criminal to not put a Lauren Hemp up against Denali Carpenter to really challenge her in her first game. We saw how good Hemp was up against Carpenter back in the World Cup.

26:10And obviously, like, it's a different team, but at least Hemp has experience playing Carpenter.

26:15Chloe: So I did think it was surprising not to see that switch and not to see perhaps Murphy be subbed out maybe later on in the game, maybe putting maybe a Benny over there instead. But actually, Benny came on for me tomorrow, which is a bit of a surprise. but yeah I think still irrelevant like Ellie Carpenter's first start again we talk about dream debuts that's exactly what you want to do on your debut is to play like that not bad at all she's gonna be such a crucial player it allows Lucy Bronze to be I guess less relied upon allow her to have you know be subbed or or rotated more which I think is going to be valuable to sustaining her career so brilliant signing it was just like the tenacity in which she kept driving

26:58Rachel: and forwards and just causing problems like relentlessly i was like they're just gonna get this is not i mean man city if you think about you know if you look at some of the clubs like lower down you think oh if you just come at them relentlessly they'll break down they become tired they'll kind of disintegrate and it kind of felt like ellie carpenter was like doing that and it was just it was absolutely phenomenal to see and especially like just the confidence first game in to go in in that it just i just i loved it absolutely loved it i thought this is such a i was absolutely gutted not to be there like friday night under the lights as well like Like, what a great atmosphere.

27:27Rachel: There were some big chants, though, in the stadium. Chants of we want Kerr from the Chelsea fans. Sam Kerr obviously back in the Chelsea squad for the first time 20 months after her ACL injury. It's absolutely baffling me how old I am getting because, like, the last time Sam Kerr played, like, I was 33. I was a youngster. Were you? No. It just baffles me that we've not seen Sam Kerr. Like, so much has happened. like off her off the pitch for her but where do we think her now fits into this chelsea side because like this is a chelsea side that essentially dominated the wsl last year absolutely ran riot away run away essentially with the league almost kind of unbeaten hasn't even played for sonia bonpasta yeah which absolutely fucking blows my mind like madness like but well there's so much change in the squad now do we think actually she's gonna struggle to come back in or do you think actually she's going to walk straight into her place I don't really think anyone can just

28:28Chloe: assume they can walk into their place in Chelsea they've got such quality across the board that every player has to work hard for that starting shirt and I think she I always talk about it provides some more depth of course she's an incredibly instinctive striker and doesn't need a huge amount of time on the ball can turn you know not great crosses or passes into shots on target like I think back to that goal she scored against Manchester United when she kind of received it with back to goal and just spun and put in the back of the net yes you've got your Aggie Beaver Jones, your Kat Macario who can play in that position both of those players also offer versatility which is really valuable for Chelsea up front obviously Ramirez we know is going to be out for a while, so that potentially gives Kerr an opportunity off the bench to get her touch back, I didn't really expect her to see her come on you know they're two and up against Manchester City Manchester City outcreated Chelsea and so it wasn't really the game to bring on a striker who hasn't played yet under this manager especially when you've got a Kat Macario on the bench so great to see her back though great to see her back in the lineup especially and you know I know it's been a long recovery everyone has a very different journey with ACL recoveries and hers has obviously been a more difficult than maybe most but I am very much looking forward to seeing her back but then throwing that into the mix then

29:46Rachel: you've got Alyssa Thompson, obviously one of Chelsea's big, big signings. She walked out on a red carpet before kickoff. I mean, there's a lot of competition for those top spots, really. Aggie Beaver-Jones is absolutely smashing it at the moment. Getting that first goal in that first game is going to be absolutely confidence boosting for her. I mean, Kerr turns 32 tomorrow. And I say this obviously from a place of not being a spring chicken myself. But at the same time, the youngsters now, they're coming through, they're showing spiciness, they're showing maturity, they're showing a tenacity to want to be there i don't think this is going to be as easy as everyone's expecting and i don't want the fans to be disappointed no if samka isn't being given those early opportunities like it's you have to earn your place back in the squad no matter what's

30:27Chloe: happened absolutely but a lot more goes into you know these decisions that players make to stay or leave a club and you know as you say she's 32 she's just had her first kid you know staying there at chelsea gives her that stability helps her continue her recovery is challenging her at the very very top playing with absolute top players and of teams out there and available to her Chelsea is probably going to be one of the few playing the most fixtures so in terms of opportunity to get back in and to get chances in the team playing in a team that's going to be challenging in four competitions is certainly a way of doing it and I think yeah she seems quite settled at the moment so it just again gives her stability I think both on and off the pitch what

31:09Rachel: is super super interesting though is that at the back of everyone's minds I suppose we are looking ahead to 2027 and the world cup and obviously being able to show yourself on the domestic stage in terms of wanting your place on on international level there i can see i can foresee a world in which there is some frustration if kerr isn't getting the game time that she would have wanted to kind of like she wants to be making her mark like she's this will be her last probably international competition i i'm gonna get killed for saying that she'll probably go and do like she'll do a martyr now and go on and do 17 more international tournaments but at the same time like she'll want to prove herself and she'll want game time like she's a ferocious player she loves being on the pitch she loves the energy that she gets from it the fans buddy love her um yeah that's the only thing that i can see that frustration creeping in and i think we'll get a better understanding of that around probably mid-season i suppose yeah but let's switch up a little bit man city started with yui hasagawa and new signing sydney lowman who i thought had a really good

32:04Chloe: game sydney lowman i really enjoyed what she offered um you know hasagawa and lowman were kind kind of were switching between one going high and one dropping deep. It allowed Hasegawa to be more impactful in and around the box. And I thought Hasegawa had a great game. But I just really liked the tenacity and doggedness of what Lohmann offered in that midfield. So, yeah, I think she'll be a great sign.

32:23Rachel: On the subject of Man City's midfield, on deadline day, they agreed a swap deal with Manchester United. Jess Park for Grace Clinton. Didn't see this coming, if I'm being honest. um obviously really disappointed that grace clinton has fled the man united nest um obviously super super interesting like i think in terms of her journey where she's going the confidence that she's building and what she did for manchester united uh last year but at the same time i think obviously given some of the comments that she's made about the club so she kind of said uh that she's been pushing for an exit this has been a very difficult decision for me because the love that I have for my teammates and for you, the fans.

33:03Rachel: However, I feel the future of the club and I aren't on the same page. For me personally, the next step is about growth. I want to continue to develop and learn. Slightly different perspective from Skinner. He said, it's disappointing. I'm sure the fact from the fans perspective, but we have to move forward to play the players that want to be 100 % of Manchester United. And that wasn't the case. So we move. Obviously he'd insisted before all this news came out that he wanted her to stay at the club. but I get where she wants to go and I think there's no the amount of times we've had conversations about Man United or Mark Skinner not getting the best from the players or just not creating the best environment for the club and like the ownership structure and the leadership from the top just not being conducive to kind of positive footballing like a positive football environment I get why she's made the move essentially I get it

33:54Chloe: Yeah I understand that and I think a coup for Manchester City she can play in the 6 in the 10 in the eight like she can provide different options she can give them the depth that we've talked so much about that they need um although they do have quite a few players now in and around that positioning um you know i think jess park perhaps can have a bit more of a permanent fixture i guess maybe her versatility not let her down but it just meant that she never may be completely nailed on a spot so i think there's an opportunity for her to flourish at manchester united and that's another squad that needs to expand their pool of talent if they want to go far and if they're going to get into the Champions League so and for her it's an opportunity to potentially play Champions League which is again surprising that Grace Clinton has essentially given that up should Manchester United make it um although I feel she probably thinks she's going to a team that will challenge for a Champions League next season so very interesting I think a strong statement for her an important statement for her and I think it's almost like giving an exit interview when you leave a job like doesn't really necessarily achieve anything for you but it does hopefully make who you're leaving sit up and take notice and potentially try and change things or

35:06Rachel: better things for those coming in behind i don't ever feel like command united get the memo i think oh no it just goes straight straight in the shutter it's literally that i just feel like every time a player speaks up about the way in which they left we had the same thing with katie zellan we had the same thing when Casey Stoney left we had the same thing now with Grace Clinton and like quite a few players yeah and all the players that have gone before that that I can't even remember right now but it's been multiple messages to the club to say I'm just not happy with the club we don't watch social media love my teammates but the club the direction of the club the atmosphere that's created the energy around the the women's team kind of what the owners are saying about the club it's just it nothing about it feels positive and it almost feels like they kind of they have success but it's despite what's going on behind the scenes it's almost like the players

35:56Chloe: perform to kind of just show them what they can do um again it just likens you likens it to you know I can remember times where I've stayed in jobs longer than I wanted to because of the people around me and because of the people I worked with and then it comes to a point where that's just not enough to sustain you so i mean i guess football is their job but that's what it kind of feels like you know she obviously her best friend was there um oh all the mess yeah yeah and you know there's a nice kind of camaraderie within that team and you feel like they play for each other and i guess that just wasn't enough which just again highlights the inner workings of what's going on there and you know some people get frustrated with us consistently highlighting it but maybe if it felt like it was being addressed we wouldn't have to keep doing that so I think it's definitely needs to be an inward reflection for United.

36:44Rachel: I don't think we'll see much change for the foreseeable future. Coming up after this, Rach's dark horses live up to their billing. God, I'm glad someone did.

37:00Rachel: Rach, lo and behold, a first pod after the first weekend of the WSL. And I'm sitting here and saying, you were right. Does it get boring? Yes, it does. I'd say let's not get ahead of ourselves, okay? It was one game. Okay, you were right for the first game. Okay. Right. Everton thrashed Liverpool 4-1 at Anfield. Vinola scored a hat-trick on her debut for the Toffees. She became the first ever Everton player, male or female, to score a hat-trick against Liverpool since Dixie Dean in September 1931. 1931. um I mean I wasn't I wasn't expecting it was going to be a 4-1 result if we'd have looked at the game at half time because Liverpool I thought came out of the blocks strong I think they look spicy I think they I just wasn't this was not how I thought this game was gonna go I tell you what

37:55Chloe: Sophie was messaging me and was like Liverpool are 1-0 up and I was like oh I said Everton not playing well she's like no not getting into the game at all and here's me thinking Christ I bloody label them as my dark horses like I'm going to look like a gobshite I was sitting there going rubbing your hands together can't wait

38:09Rachel: first pod first pod of the WSL I was like

38:12Chloe: she's run going to get the boot in it feels like a natural saying

38:15Rachel: yeah I did

38:16Chloe: obviously drop them a message at half time and said listen lads I did label you my dark horses so if you could just like pick your shit up pull your socks up and get going no absolutely a classic game of two halves Liverpool definitely dominating the first half should have been up 2-3-0 I think let's give a slight

38:34Rachel: mention to the Capox goal because what a fucking strike took the roof off the back of the net Brosnan had absolutely no chance have a look at it if you haven't she kind of cuts in and just smashes the ball you kind of think it kind of it glances at the bar and just like yeah do you know what watch the highlights

38:51Chloe: because I think all the goals are worthy watches

38:52Rachel: true story true story but like you said that Gemma Bonner chants 15 minutes like sliding in yeah

38:57Chloe: that save from Courtney Brosnan that you didn't see in real time I didn't think she saved it you had to see it back and she fingertips it onto the crossbar. Beautiful. Yeah, there was a bit of a goal mount scramble. I thought Kerry Holland did well on the right. Definitely. She's not a replacement for Olivia Smith, but I thought she did do well on the right, particularly in the first half. I thought she had Maz Pacheco's number that first half. Pacheco struggled, I think, to really stop that flow on that side. Well, she hit the post 35 minutes in, Kerry Holland, yeah, game changer that could have been.

39:27Chloe: You were kind of, you know, Maz Pacheco had a corner towards an injury time and it went straight out and you just thought, God, she's having a day. Oh no, oh no. Suddenly she decides to assist Everton's first goal, which was incredible. And they went in 2-1 up in the end, which was absolutely ridiculous. Totally against the run of play. A kind of smash and grab first half from Everton. Smash and grab. Well, you think like, they'd have been going in going, okay, we're lucky here to be not only equal, to be ahead in this half, in this game. I'm sure Liverpool would have been absolutely raging what they did at half time I think massively changed the game the introduction of Holmgard, Mace and Wheeler changed the game gave Everton more stability and a bit more defensive cover allowed them to control the ball a bit more because they were just not getting on the ball in the first half they could not hang on to it and I think that it managed to allow them to kind of mute Liverpool's midfield impact and I just think yeah Liverpool should be absolutely raging that they hadn't put the game to bed in the first half because it absolutely allowed Everton back into it and suddenly it was like a different team.

40:35Chloe: And I just think whatever was said at halftime absolutely worked. And then to have a hat trick, another, like I keep banging on about it, but another debut of dreams.

40:45Rachel: I honestly, I mean, she is my player of the weekend. What she came on and did in her debut, like, yeah.

40:52Chloe: In a Merseyside derby at Anfield.

40:54Rachel: Yep. I just think it was absolutely phenomenal. like the aerial threat that she like she posed she was not afraid to get those whipped in balls like they would have been flying in at her ridiculous levels of pace these kind of whipped in deliveries that she was always ready for directing towards the goal and like it i think it was the pace of the ball that i think like she only had to glance at it to kind of get like and hit it in the right like get it in the right direction and that was mazbacheco again so it

41:18Chloe: was two assists from mazbacheco her second half was entirely different much like everton's but the first goal a real solo effort um and yeah the second goal the header was a super one of the kind of better headed goals i've seen again the pace but just knowing that all you need is a glance and a bit of direction on it and it was 100 and then 55 minutes vanola again getting the

41:38Rachel: hat trick has this like low driven ball obviously takes a bit of a mean deflection looks like it's going to the near post ends up sending it far corner which was it was unfortunate but it was just like it felt like she was going to get it anyway like even if it hadn't been that unfortunate deflection she would have got that third goal like she was just so hell for leather on kind of creating rampage for um liverpool but i this was a an everton for me that looked assured they looked confident um you know we had the van goor long range effort in the 78th minute hitting the cross part this was this was an everton that felt reinvigorated i mean rachel you kind of called it it felt like what you'd said had really come into reality yeah i think and again them swooping

42:19Chloe: in and getting Ruby Mace on deadline day was another coup and I think you saw what she could do, that kind of more defensive cover she was able to provide, you know, and you look at who they were able to bring off the bench, Kacis Noyes, Hayashi, Vignola went off, Tony Payne, Claire Wheeler, Kelly Gago, come on, you know, and that's something that Everton have been missing for quite a while, is just that sustained quality off the bench. So yeah, I just think, and, you know, Ishikawa at the back, some really assured performances that maybe will go under the radar because they weren't scoring goals but you know I think Pacheco may be a dodgy start but definitely found her feet in the second half so another another signing that they can be excited about so yeah I just think I was I've always been intrigued to see what Everton with depth and you know a bit of time can do to actually see what Brian Sorensen could do we can see what he can do when he's got a whole lot of square pegs and round holes and it's been pretty impressive what they can do with that but to actually see him with a bit more options uh at his fingertips is quite

43:18Rachel: exciting and like you said right it's really lovely to see brian sorenson smiling oh uh looking like he's enjoying um life as a wsl manager i think previous to that i've always thought that brian's kind of it always looks to me like he's kind of woken up and kind of realized that he's in a managerial position and it's kind of like you won't know what that is people can't see that but it's great it was essentially mime good yeah but yeah it just like that was the first time that I'd really see him like looking like he was enjoying what was happening. He was having the time of his life down there.

43:46Rachel: Switch to Gareth Taylor.

43:48Chloe: It's slightly different. Yeah, when the camera pans are here. What I loved about this weekend is, you know, you look at Ellie Carpenter, the debut she had and everyone going, my God, that is a dream debut. And then Olivia Smith said, hold my beer. And she came on and was like, banged in a goal like that to get the team level, you know, get them back into it and kind of switch the momentum of play at the Emirates, 38 ,000 people. And you're like, whoa, okay, now that's a dream debut. Vignola, no. Merseyside Derby at Anfield as an Everton player, first game. I'm going to do a hat trick. It just like escalated all weekend.

44:24Chloe: I don't know how it's going to be top next weekend.

44:25Rachel: Well, that is now out of 37 total Merseyside Derbies. Everton have won 18 times. Liverpool have won 10 times. But they've played each other six times at Anfield in the WSL and Everton have won every single time.

44:37Chloe: I think he's the only manager to beat Liverpool that many times in a row. I think the only Everton manager to do that.

44:45Rachel: He doesn't get enough credit, does old Brian? He doesn't get enough credit. We've got a really good question in from Orpamla on Instagram. Between the clear commitment to the bit of always beating Liverpool, their really solid squad building, and the move to Goodison Park, do you think they'll be able to translate on-pitch growth to fan-based expansion off the pitch? That's a great question.

45:04Chloe: It is, and I hope so. I think if they play some exciting football, they've got some great talent in the squad. They've got Goodison Park. If you can draw people in to Goodison Park because it's Goodison Park, like that's one avenue that you should really be tapping into. Location wise, it's a hell of a lot easier to get to than Walton Hall Park. It's bigger. You know, it means now as well, I think, that when you have traveling fans, like perhaps an Arsenal who often took over Walton Hall Park, you know, you're not going to have that necessarily. you've got more space for your own fans to kind of build a fan base and these things take time it's not going to be immediate at Goodison Park they're not going to be getting 10 ,000 every week at Goodison Park it's going to take a couple of seasons but I think the move there shows a real commitment to the squad and they just need to capitalize on all those different hooks now you can use to pull people in and follow them so they start playing some exciting football that's just

45:55Rachel: another hook I definitely think the route to Goodison Park is a big one because I think it draws across from the men's fan base and it kind of promotes this like come to the stadium see what it's about and kind of that intrigue and interest that then you hope through the the experiences and the performances that you get to generate and keep that fan base going I think also like a lot of the data and insights that we've kind of done is very much around the the loyalty the fans have to players rather than clubs so if you create big moments like a vanilla coming in and kind of creating these spicy hat tricks and kind of you know you've got these yeah this the aura that players create that draws in fans rather than the experience that they have around the club so I think if we start to see more of that I think that is kind of going to grow help grow the fan base as well and also obviously getting in some decent signings which they have done so yeah I feel quite I feel more positive about Everton than I did in that in that first part that we did so maybe Rach you're on to something we'll skip now to what's the next game they face they face Tottenham okay that's going to be a very interesting one a very interesting game

46:59Chloe: Tottenham creating next to nothing against West Ham, which should be a concern for them coming up against an Everton who have some very, very creative players and have obviously done the business against Liverpool. But they started slow. If that becomes a bit of a habit, that's something teams can exploit. So yeah, definitely one to kind of get a better understanding of what we can expect.

47:17Rachel: Good start, but just we're going to temper our expectations. Thank you so much for listening to Upfront. Make sure to join the Upfront Fantasy League by using the code in today's show notes. In the meantime, I'm at morgy underscore 89 Rach is at girls in the ball and we are at upfront underscore pod see you next week

47:51Chloe: do you want to know what my team name is? net six and chill oh for fuck's sake it's really stressing me out how you keep bringing up age because I'm like turning older than you at the end of this month. Sorry about that. Yeah. Sorry about that.

48:07Rachel: We might have moved the podcast studio down a couple of flights.

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