London City make their mark, Chelsea falter and Crystal Palace break the rules

0:00Rachel: Hi, Pod fans. Max here. Barry's here, too. Hello. And now the Premier League is back, Barry, meaning we'll be providing incredibly astute analysis three times a week wherever you get your podcasts. Barry, with the remaining 10 seconds of this advert, can you provide some astute analysis? I think Arsenal are going to win the Premier League. And there you are. For more hot takes like that, watch or listen to Football Weekly wherever you get your podcasts. In a world where AI is changing every role in every industry, knowing who actually has deep expertise matters more than ever. Upwork connects you with the highly skilled freelance professionals with proven track records, so you can hire with confidence.

0:32Upwork gives your business fast access to highly skilled specialists with deep expertise, so you can fill critical skill gaps, launch projects faster, and scale support up or down without committing to full-time headcount. With Business Plus, you can access the top 1 % of talent on Upwork. AI-powered shortlisting delivers a curated shortlist of top freelancers matched to your goals in under six hours. No endless searching required. Thousands of growing businesses already trust Upwork to hire highly skilled freelance professionals for everything from one-off projects to ongoing support. It's free to sign up and posting a job is easy.

1:07Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free. That is Upwork.com to connect with top talent ready to help your business grow. That's U-P-W-O-R-K dot com. Upwork.com. This message is brought to you by today's sponsor, Walden University. Set a course for change. Now is the time to make a real change in your life, career, and community. At Walden University, we give you the support and flexibility to get the W. Walden's online programs are designed for working professionals like you. You'll gain hands-on skills to take on real-world challenges and succeed. Your future is waiting, and Walden is here to help you achieve it.

1:46Take the first step to make your impact. Visit waldenu.edu. Walden University. Set a course for change. certified to operate by Chev. That sound could mean a lot of things. And when something's going wrong at home, the hardest part can be figuring out what the problem actually is. At Thumbtack, you can upload a voice message or a photo, and our AI-powered search will help diagnose your project. Plus, the pros we know have over 14 million five-star reviews, so you can hire with confidence. Thumbtack. We know homes. Hire the right pro today.

2:28Rachel: Welcome to Upfront. I'm Chloe Morgan. And I'm Rachel O'Sullivan. What an opening weekend in the WSL. London City Lionesses made a massive statement of intent. Chelsea held to a draw at home. And Crystal Palace got a huge, huge win. And of course, broke the substitution rules. There's a lot to get through here. So enough messing about. It is WSL time, finally.

2:56Rachel: Rach, how does it feel it's going to be back in the thick of the action? It started again. It's going to be a runaway train now from now until, what, end of August 2027. Yeah, how are you feeling, mate? We're fresh. We're fresh into it. I wouldn't say I'm fresh. It feels weird because I have, like, one foot in Poland, one foot in England watching the WSL. So I obviously covered a game on Friday night and then flew out to Poland Saturday morning for the under-20s World Cup. So I actually really enjoyed my Sunday, which was sat on the couch with multiple games and multiple screens. But I did message Finn saying, I feel like I have like one eye on every game and no two eyes on one game.

3:33Do you know that kind of way? It's a bit like watching all the screens. So quite a nice way to enjoy it. But I still think being at the game is the most enjoyable way to watch personally.

3:43Rachel: How's it going out there? What's it like in Poland trying to cover the young guns? good they had their first game on Saturday against Canada tough game they got a draw in the end and actually like a pretty resilient performance against a difficult opposition so I think they'll be pleased to come out with a draw but yeah I haven't actually spent loads of time in Poland because for Sophie we went to the Basketball World Cup, Women's Basketball World Cup which is taking place in Germany in Berlin just the 356 miles away she wanted to see Caitlin Clark play for the USA. So we did a 712 mile round trip in the last 24 hours.

4:22The things you do for love, me. The things I do for love, honest to God. That's so amazing. So when you say fresh, I'm like,

4:29Rachel: what an iconic moment though. That's absolutely huge. That's so big. My little face though yesterday when Caitlin Clark came out, it's so cute. 39 and she's still having dreams come true. It's very sweet. Oh, no, I saw it on socials. I thought it was very, very sweet. I'm really glad that she got that that moment in um yeah no it's been a quite chilled weekend i was up in leicester this weekend yes for florence's birthday had a lovely family barbecue i of course did the barbecue did the cooking no one died which was barbecuingist um and the weather came out which is really really lovely and then last night we went to go and see paddington bear at the theater which honestly was one of the most brilliant shows i've ever seen in my entire life like i'm not i was like i was supposed to be like a six out of ten maximum but the set the stage the costumes the the singing like it was it was absolutely unbelievable so just saying like you had a lovely weekend yeah it was um it was football filled but also cultural filled you know it was uh you've got to keep that balance haven't you anyway let's get stuck in like i said it's obviously been a massive massive weekend in the wsl some surprising results some unsurprising results a bit of a mixed bag which is good to see um but yeah before we get into the first game obviously one game that you're out on Friday night under the lights.

5:40Rachel: What's your moment of the weekend? Well, I think you're going to like what I've picked. Rather than just one moment, I've decided to pick out some goalkeeper performances. I think there were a number of keepers who had, yes, who had some really good performances. Okumo, obviously, stand out for Aston Villa. New signing. First game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Nine saves, player of the match. Like there was one save, I know we're going to get into that a bit more later, but just there was that one save right towards the end, LJ right in front of her and she got a leg out and got a tote. No reaction time.

6:10Unbelievable reaction. No reaction time. Oh, my God. So, yeah, unbelievable from her. I thought Nadozi, I know they lost to Arsenal, but I thought Nadozi had a really good game, started the season as she means to go on. And I also thought Bagley against Manchester City made quite a few good saves as well. And, yeah, I just wanted to shout out the goalkeepers. I just found myself a couple of times this weekend being like, oh, my God, what a save.

6:31Rachel: Look at us getting on so well. That's a really lovely thing to do. I really appreciate that. I have taken a slightly different tact with mine, actually. I've gone for a goal, obviously against a goalkeeper. I went for Grace Fitz's second goal. We're going to talk about the quality of the goals that transpired this weekend. But I just thought that was an absolute screamer. It was outside the box. It was obviously the second. They were kind of, they were edging in. They were trying to kind of get more of a foothold in the get. And it just, the way that it rocketed, it was like a first time strike, beautiful cut back.

7:00Rachel: And it kind of, I didn't know whether it was going to be sort of booted away It was kind of like a bit of a lost ball. And then boom, Grace Fisk out of nowhere. It absolutely rocked. There's nothing the keeper could have done about it. It was a moment of beauty. But yeah, we'll get stuck into that. What a game she had. 100%, by the way. She almost scored a hat-trick. She was a bit like, what am I doing up here? How is everything going in that I'm touching? Honestly, a captain's performance. It was absolutely unbelievable. Leadership by example. But right, let's get stuck in then. Friday night, everything kicked off.

7:30Rachel: The 26th, 27th season. one of the most hotly anticipated games of the WSL, London City Lionesses versus Manchester United. At Bromley, Alexey Boutey is the first official WSL game for the Lionesses. Michelle Kang is in attendance. She's wearing a 27 shirt, marking herself as the 27th player of the London City Lionesses. And I think we could probably do a whole section on investors and the relationships they have with the clubs and how close this relationship is becoming. Doesn't Mary Earp's wear 27? I don't know if anyone told Michelle Kang, who was like, this represents me being the 27th player of the team, which is so lovely.

8:07But then it's like, but also Mary Earp's 27th. So does that just renegade her out to the team? Or are we just going to have two 27th? She's part of the 26th. But, you know, actually, another gripe. There's like a 76, a 93 and an 88 on London City Lionesses. I never get that.

8:21Rachel: I never get numbers that just sort of go off on a complete tangent. Oh, my God. Anyway, we're going off on a tangent. But it was just like the most beautiful, like you said, Rach, you were down there. Talk to me about the atmosphere in the sunset because it was a sellout game. Obviously, some huge superstar players coming over from Barca, coming over internationally. It was the only, I think it's the first time ever that there's been a full squad full of purely international players that have started a WSL game. But you were there, mate. Talk to me. What was it like being on the ground? It took a little while to fill up, understandably.

8:54I did kind of hear a few murmuring from people being like, said it was sold out. my god and they said everyone's gonna come here i think people are kind of a little bit really want them to fail but actually they were pretty full the atmosphere is pretty damn good there's one section that's being built now in front of the ravens bar which isn't open yet um but that's new so there'll be more seats to fill um and yeah the the atmosphere was great i know some people have a thing about the brass band i quite like them oh i love the brass band um you know people complain about no atmosphere and then when there is atmosphere it's not the kind of atmosphere i like so it's shit it's like you can't win and so I quite enjoy the atmosphere there was um you know new songs for new players already and I thought the football really lived up to it from a London

9:37Rachel: City perspective Manchester United maybe not well we talked in previous podcasts about the concern that we had around Manchester United and obviously the the lack of business that they've done the transfer window Mark Skinner leaving just the general vibe and negativity that sort of surrounds the club and has done for a period of time then you've got this kind of you know Eva Olin coming in and kind of maybe hopefully being a bit of a transformational wave and then we talked about obviously you know the the approach that man united was going to take was more development rather than kind of trying to focus on actually becoming and sustaining this kind of world-class team that they were trying to build and kind of dropped off but it kind of we said that they were going to be weakened we said that this is a perfect opportunity for london city line let's to capitalize on a slightly weakened manchester united and that they did i mean ninth minute from a corner.

10:22Rachel: We've got this own goal situation. But yeah, what was it like, Grace, kind of seeing that first goal happen and kind of the stadium explode? It was, yeah, it just felt like a moment for London City Lionesses kind of like setting out their stall. Well, first of all, I just thought they started really well. You know, I'm sitting pitch-sided between the dugouts and I felt myself for most of the first half just facing the attacking half for London City, Manchester United's defending half. So I was really impressed with the kind of high, aggressive press that they started with. It was something that Ada Meister said pre-match that he wants to do.

10:54And you sometimes wonder, okay, but how long can a team realistically sustain that level of pressure? They did a pretty good job across 90 minutes. United came back into it a little bit in the second half. But, you know, I guess the quality of players, and that's why you bring in that level of quality of player, they can sustain that kind of pressure. So I was quite impressed with that from the get-go. I was kind of like, okay, they mean business. You're seeing some of the connections already, which is super impressive. United, conversely, we were struggling to figure out if they're playing a three or a four at the back.

11:21And I think they were as well. So I don't know whether it was that they'd started with a three and were like, this isn't working, we're going to go to a four. It just looked a bit, they were sixes and sevens. I was going to add in some more numbers. They were sixes and sevens at the back. And I just felt like London City didn't really let them get a foothold in the game. So it felt like that goal was coming. I know Alana Kennedy didn't get the last touch, but my God, that gala's in her goal scoring era.

11:42Rachel: Oh, well, it was the physicality of what she did that I think led to the goal. I was kind of surprised in a way. It kind of felt like she did get a touch, but on the slow replay obviously it showed that she didn't but I've got to agree Rach it just felt like after that initial goal then it was London City Lionesses just continuing to knock on the door I mean you've got that Cascarino kind of cut back and Carfaggi almost I thought it was gonna be fumbled over the line and then kind of cleared at the last minute but and then it kind of felt like Man United were just doing the absolute best to keep London City Lionesses at bay until the second half but there was just a sharpness to London City Lionesses and I kind of felt like it was Fallon Tullis-Joyce who was being put under too much pressure for a game where they should have been more evenly matched um and this is especially coming off the back of i don't know either olid sort of talking in some of the the press conferences about kind of how she wants to play this really attacking football and that there was kind of like she wanted to go a bit more direct and kind of be a bit more energetic but i didn't get that sense from united at all they kind of felt like they were still in their in their shells yes and i think i i kind of feel like as well the the connections you were seeing building in london city highlighted almost the lack of connections in Manchester United and United looked more like a team who had a number of new players that didn't really know each other very well.

12:52In fairness to Ava Oled, I will say, obviously she's not been there very long. You know, I do think that, I don't feel like they had a chance to impose themselves on the game and I do think part of that is down to the way that London City aggressively pressed them. But equally, I think players were sloppy. Like, technically, players were quite poor on the night. Poor touches, poor passes, losing possession easily. Uncharacteristically poor in that respect. That's not really tactics necessarily. That's just a bit of rustiness. So I do think you kind of have to give her a bit of time to get her ideas across.

13:25And I know it sounds super like wanky, but like a competitive fixture is where you're going to learn the most. I had a really great chat with Rita Guarino before the season started. And she spoke so much about like, you can do all the training you like, you can practice everything you like, you can have the longest pre-season that you like until you get a competitive game. Until you're under that kind of pressure, you're not really getting as much as many lessons as you can get so huge learnings I think for Ava Olet and I think greatest respect to her post-match I thought she spoke really well she was quite forthcoming and giving with her answers almost more so than the pre-match interview I did with her so I really respect that when a manager is like that when they've lost a game or they've not played well and I really liked how she how upfront she was about it but yeah as I said they just they were lackluster and I would say a little bit uncharacteristically sloppy as well

14:12Rachel: Yeah, I mean, like, Rach, I mean, obviously you're talking there about Evo, and sort of, you know, some of the comments that she was making after the game. And I think she summed it up quite nicely by saying, you know, the players were nervous without confidence. And it's kind of, you know, you don't expect a team like Man United, who is, you know, repeated, you know, been in the Champions League, you know, repeatedly finishing four, three in the league, you know, have a good calibre of players, despite, you know, losing a fair few good ones. But it kind of felt like there wasn't that belief, actually, that they could go into this game and win it.

14:38Rachel: almost like maybe the power of Alexis Puteas and the transfer window for London City Lionesses was almost like intimidating to them in some way. A lot of pressure. There is a lot of pressure. And especially when you've got, you know, two-time Ballon d 'Or winner coming on to the pitch, you know, making a debut. Fans are behind her. She's been named captain last week. And then off the back of that, Businesswoman of the Year Award, she announces that she's launched a new YouTube channel with exclusive rights to show the WSL in Spain this season. It's called Eleven TV. it kind of feels like it's marked a little bit of a trend that we're seeing of influencers, creators, players being given the rights to broadcast TV to kind of engage and open up new audiences but this is a power move, this is the first time it's happened in the WSL and it kind of feels like it's, I don't know, it could sort of set the way I think for this to happen more and more for these international players that are coming in and London City Lionesses have a complete roster of international players but yeah Rach, what did you make of the news yeah amazing I kind of at one hand I was surprised the other hand I'm not surprised she seems to really have her head screwed on Alexi Batea so um yeah great news another opportunity for people to watch and you know she has a lot of fans in Spain understandably so um another way to watch the game I suppose it's brilliant no definitely and I think also let's give a little bit of a shout out to her teammate as well Daniela van der Donk getting that ridiculous I mean I feel the season yeah it's kind of it's already wrapped up I'd be surprised if that's not in the kind of Hall of Fame when we come down to the awards nights in around May, April time.

16:09Rachel: But if you've not seen it, go and see it. Like 82 minutes, it's kind of, Cascarito plays this ball into the middle. Daniela Vanzadog, this beautiful back heel, it just dinks in off the post. Nothing the keeper can do about it. I mean, it's a thing of absolute beauty. And then obviously Man United then getting a consolation goal at the very end, 90 plus 10. And it kind of just feels like the game's already wrapped by that point and Man United's heads are down. Two things. for DVD after a torrid kind of injury hit season last season you know you could see how happy she was when she got back playing football so to start the season fresh and to start it with a goal like that amazing and also for Ujo I think that was her first WSL goal for Manchester United and I don't even really feel like she could celebrate it you know god love her she went straight up and picked up the ball to start again and it was literally the final kick of the game they kicked off after the goal and that was the end of the match so uh shame she couldn't celebrate that well celebrations Rach, did you join the celebrations, the big scenes in the bar afterwards with London City Lionesses and the band and the big, you know, it was almost like a kind of end of season party at the start of season?

17:16Rachel: I don't think I was invited. No, I went straight home. I had a very early flight the next morning. Business calls. Yeah. Well, I'm so glad you got to cover that. I was so gutted to have missed it, but it just felt like there's definitely a momentum and a build and a kind of, I don't know, they're doing so well on the kind of fans and the socials and their Instagram platform has grown threefold, I think, over summer. It really feels that it's trying to start to build this kind of awesome London fan base in a city that is obviously very congested with a lot of WSL and WSL2 teams this year. Yeah, the only downside as a London team took me an hour and a half to get to that game and it was 13 miles from my house.

17:53Rachel: Oh, mate, I feel completely and utterly sympathised. Travelling down there for training three times a week was the absolute death of me. I think I'm pretty sure it was the end. It was my retirement, in fact. That's why you were like, I'm sick of this. I can't do it anymore. I can't spend any more time with myself on the radio in the car. Coming up after this, Arsenal squeak past Brighton but Chelsea, not so lucky.

18:27Hi pod fans, Max Rushton here from the chart-topping Guardian Football Weekly Podcast. Don't like to crow. If you enjoyed the World Cup with us, you'll be glad to know we're back for the new Premier League season. Expect three episodes a week, questionable predictions, and the biggest stories in soccer from the Premier League to the Champions League and beyond. Watch now on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. In a world where AI is changing every role in every industry, knowing who actually has deep expertise matters more than ever. Upwork connects you with the highly skilled freelance professionals with proven track records, so you can hire with confidence.

18:57Upwork gives your business fast access to highly skilled specialists with deep expertise, so you can fill critical skill gaps, launch projects faster, and scale support up or down without committing to full-time headcount. With Business Plus, you can access the top 1 % of talent on Upwork. AI-powered shortlisting delivers a curated shortlist of top freelancers matched to your goals in under six hours. No endless searching required. Thousands of growing businesses already trust Upwork to hire highly skilled freelance professionals for everything from one-off projects to ongoing support. It's free to sign up and posting a job is easy.

19:33Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free. That is Upwork.com to connect with top talent ready to help your business grow. That's U-P-W-O-R-K.com, Upwork.com. This message is brought to you by today's sponsor, Walden University. Set a course for change. Now is the time to make a real change in your life, career, and community. At Walden University, we give you the support and flexibility to get the W. Walden's online programs are designed for working professionals like you. You'll gain hands-on skills to take on real-world challenges and succeed. Your future is waiting, and Walden is here to help you achieve it.

20:11Take the first step to make your impact. Visit waldenu.edu. Walden University. Set a course for change. Certified to operate by Shev.

20:26Rachel: oh this was an interesting fixture Chelsea 1-1 Aston Villa it was a I don't even know what to say about this game because again we talked about Chelsea in the sort of the pre-season pods that we were doing and talking about how this could be either this incredible season they have this comeback you know last year was a blip they you know dust themselves off really quickly get back into the swing of things and it's back to business and we all forget about 25 26 like it didn't happen this is is a kind of um it feels like a hangover i think a little bit i'm not too sure whether this is just like a bit the start of the season still kind of trying to shake off like things that had happened obviously lost a lot of big names and coming back into this game thinking you know aston villa completely worthy competitors we don't know what they're going to be about this year they they have already kind of caused an upset but this felt like it's not the start that Sonia would have wanted but there's a lot of positives to be taken from this game because it did feel like for very large portions of the game Chelsea were in cruise control but it just didn't feel like they could hit the back of the net um frustrating for fans I'd say yeah I mean when LJ opened the scoring with that trademark Lauren James goal I just thought okay here we go like you know they started the game really well pressure was on from the get-go pressing the They're really high.

21:48Last-ditch defending from Villa. You know, and I thought, OK, this is going to be a long afternoon for them. And then I feel like when you say hangover, some of the issues from last season, I think that's what fans will be concerned about. They'll be like, not this again. Let's not have this again. And I feel like that's the hangover for the players. The longer the game went on and they kept creating chances and not scoring, that creeps back into your mind again, doesn't it? They start going, oh my God, this happened last season. And like, we didn't win that and things didn't go well. And if we don't score...

22:16And I just feel like they need a game where they blow someone away a little bit. Maybe an Aggie Beaver-Jones who's, let's be real, had again had a difficult season last season with injuries. People think they just come back and start straight away and like hit the ground running and score loads of goals. That's not the case. I know she had a great well seven. It's a very different type of football there. I think she needs a game where she gets a couple of goals under her belt, get that confidence back, get her shooting boots back. You know, they were without Melvin Mallard. What a time not to be without her.

22:46Ramirez is taking a while to come back as well. So it feels like there's even more pressure then on those who are in front of goal to put the ball in the back of the net. And I hope that doesn't become a theme for them this season. Because how do you address that? Like a goal drought, right? They're definitely getting themselves in the positions. They're getting the shots away. They're hitting the woodwork multiple times. They're having goals without for offside. How do you just fix that? I don't know. Is it the coach? Does she come on and take the shots for you? I don't know. Like, that must be such a frustrating issue to have.

23:17And I don't know, you're a goalkeeper. You can't, how can you, can you answer that?

23:20Rachel: No, well, I think, obviously, I think it's just like, not a confidence thing. I think Chelsea felt like they were full of confidence. But I could see that starting to weigh in, like you said, like the longer the game was going on. And I think we saw a little bit of that towards the end of last season where Sonia, you know, her normally cool, calm, very short self was starting to get very frustrated on the sidelines because she couldn't just run on and go and Champions League experience the shit out of the game and just put these goals to bed. But it kind of felt like it's the same thing, like you said, Vase.

23:47Rachel: You've got that long-range Lucy Bronze effort. You've got LJ trying her absolute best. You've got Kira Walsh off the bar. You've got ABJ with the header that's ruled offside. And it kind of feels like, what can you do? But I think in training, that would be one thing that they will be focusing on is trying to put these kind of nerves and things to bed, trying to put yourself in really challenging situations. and it did feel like there was you know it's from corners it was from going direct it was from you know working and being um like long spells in possession it kind of felt like they were doing the right things because all these goals were coming in all the the hopeful goals were coming in the the different routes but it didn't feel like there was that kind of last end product but like i don't think it's anything to worry about i think it does just take again like you said right i think we're very much on the same page it is it needs like a six niller or a five niller or something like that where you've got multiple goal scorers and all of a sudden that the cobwebs are dusted off and all of a sudden you get back to that kind of that mentality monster that we keep talking about with Chelsea and I don't think it's a massive concern and also credit to Aston Villa they were throwing their absolute selves at trying to stop this ball going into the back of the net a couple of great saves again but yeah it just it wasn't it wasn't to be which now makes a very interesting I know it's only the first game but it now makes a very interesting start to a WSL for Chelsea that would be absolutely hell-bent on trying to get back to title-winning ways.

25:09Rachel: And yeah, you've got to give a shout-out to the goalkeeper, Rachel. I'll let you take this one because it was a moment of the year. She was superb. And there was a couple of near-post saves, which I thought were important. And it's just, I mean, you can attest to this, I'm sure. It's just getting your gloves on the ball a couple of times in the game to be like, okay, I'm settled, I'm in it, I can relax, I know what I'm doing. Because it's obviously such a big debut and Natalya Arroyo was kind of saying, we didn't know how she was going to react to her first game, whether she'd be a little bit nervous or not, that they'd given her the start to see how she got on.

25:45And I think even Arroyo was surprised at how, not how well she did, but how quickly she was switched on and in the game. And I will be reliving that last minute almost save that she made with her foot. was absolutely incredible.

26:00Rachel: The only reason I was able to turn over the bar was the pace in which it hit her leg, which just goes to show how little time she had to react to that. It was less than a second. It's literally ricocheted off her leg and gone over. Otherwise, if that had been any slower, it probably would have maybe edged into the goal. But it was such a moment of pure goalkeeping class. Yeah. And the other thing about Villa, yes, they had to defend. There was a lot of last-ditch defence. I thought they were organised in spells. And I think you have to factor in they didn't have Anna Patton. She was on the bench.

26:34I haven't found out yet why she was on the bench, given I think she was named captain. So that's an interesting one. And also Rachel Daly wasn't available. So, you know, for those few chances that they might create, Rachel Daly is a very important player to have on the pitch. But yeah, I think a villa of last season might play that first half like that and then capitulate the final 15 minutes and concede like three goals. so the fact that they stayed in and stayed disciplined across the 90 minutes which is something I think they've struggled to do and then go and get a goal and will give them a huge amount of confidence and I loved Natalia Arroyo said afterwards she said we just need to go through that and understand that when you're in the middle of a jungle or whatever at some point you arrive at a point where there's no more trees and I think that's what we do at the end of the first half so basically like essentially weathering a storm stay in it guys eventually we'll be able to see what the hell we're doing and i think that's kind of what happened that is so poetic that's absolutely

27:27Rachel: beautiful you could tell she was a journalist 100 but i think um i mean also right she was saying there you know about aston villa and kind of trying to keep participant as possible i didn't feel like it was i saw the best of villa i think they were lucky i think especially some of the saves there that akuna made to actually keep themselves in the game because that is easily a game that could have crept away with them from early doors but like you said i me five new sign-ins as well you've got Justine Challenge, you've got Matilda Harviken you've got Vansgaard, you've got Mia McCauley as well so there is still a lot of pieces I think that Natalya will have to still put together and still find her feet but what a way to start the WSL for Aston Villa it is the first time in the WSL that Villa have got points off of Chelsea in 12 games yeah so in a way they've already made history in their first WSL game and done it in fashion against a really challenging squad.

28:22I think as the game went on for Chelsea and they weren't scoring, their confidence went a bit like that, whereas Villas went that way. So the longer the game went on... Hold on a minute, 10 minutes left, all right? Five minutes left, all right? We're still in it. It's only one. It's only one. I just think, yeah, it's quite interesting how that, not even momentum, but just that confidence can really swing games a little bit. Stay in it, guys, right to the death.

28:43Rachel: Gosh. Well, let's talk about the other side of London. Brighton versus Arsenal. with Arsenal picking up the points 1-0 in this game. But it kind of felt like this is, maybe there's a comparison to be drawn here between how Arsenal started their game. Obviously against tough opposition, Brighton always proved a little bit of a bogeyman, I think, to some of the top four teams. So you've got Arsenal picking up the points in a just about fashion, squeezing it over the line. And then you've got Chelsea coming unstuck first game of the season to Aston Villa. So it kind of feels like there's credit to be drawn from the kind of what we class as the middle table teams.

29:16Rachel: Arsenal just about making it through with the Lisa Bourne goal. What a goal on her debut after just 10 minutes. It really felt LJ-esque, this goal. It was just the technique that she used. It was almost like a template of kind of shifting it onto her left foot and then a rocket past the keeper. And it just, there was nothing the keeper could have done about it at all. And Dozie was absolutely just wrong foot, like tries to get her hand up, but the speed of it was just like, it'd already gone into the back of the net by the time she'd actually got her hand up. And then she kind of ran into it. It just happened to be by the Arsenal end.

29:47Rachel: And the fans kind of almost embraced her as maybe this new hero of Arsenal, kind of welcoming hopefully this era of Lisa Worm have an incredible season. But yeah, what a moment for her. Unbelievable goal. And what a way to make your debut. I messaged in our WhatsApp group afterwards that she runs around that pitch, the real freedom, like a weightlessness about her, that she's confident she can go and do and try whatever she wants to try. And I think that goal showed her confidence to go and try something pretty damn difficult in your first game and scored at such a difficult angle. And something I think Arsenal have had for a long time, and you're seeing it a little bit with Chelsea with that weight of not scoring.

30:25For Arsenal, with the weight of not winning a domestic trophy for a while, it feels like every season they start and they're like, oh God, we can't get a bad start. We can't get a bad start. You can almost see it in them when they're playing, that kind of fear of making a mistake that she just doesn't have as a new player. She doesn't have that history on her shoulders. She's like, yeah, I'm going to go run at the box and like take on three players. I'm not afraid of doing that and that's quite refreshing to see so yeah amazing debut from her super goal I also think Arsenal will just be delighted to get this fixture out of the way to get an away fixture to Brighton which has made them come unstuck in two seasons now at the end of the season they'll be delighted to get that over the line with a win even if it was squeaky bum time where you thought as the game runs on you're like they're definitely going to concede here

31:06Rachel: 100 % and just quickly go back to Lisa she's 19 years old to do that in your debut under the age of 20 years is an absolute cracker. But like you said, Rach, it was squeaky bum time. Brighton did obviously have good chances to equalise. I think Misa Rodriguez had to make some seriously, really seriously good saves. That save from Kiko Seiko. It was almost like a one-on-one situation and then you kind of have Kiko Seiko who's kind of, you can see what she's trying to do, kind of right foot, trying to kind of get it across Misa Rodriguez's body into the far corner. Misa down within, again, the reaction saves on these keepers is absolutely second to none.

31:41Rachel: But it kind of felt like she was causing problems down Arsenal's left-hand side for large portions of the game. I think what Rodriguez would have seen as well, I'm sure, in her prep, is that Kiko Seca can score from those tight angles. She can put it in the near post, in the roof of the net, in the far post. So, you know, that's a scary thing to see come bearing down, I imagine, for you as a goalkeeper. You think, right, I just need to keep my near post, you know, safe and I'll be fine. But not necessarily against Kiko Seca. And I thought, for me, when I saw her coming down and Ono Baggio was, you know sprinting hard trying it back and kind of getting away but I knew she was going to get that shot off and I just thought she's so lethal from such tight angles so super safe from her 100 % this that makes it just the second time Brighton have lost their opening fixture in the last eight WSL seasons so it does feel like there's this kind of um as a shroud around Brighton that you just want to like you said like shrug it off and get it done with early doors rather than have it like hanging over your head until like the half of the season's through I think for Arturo the new manager he'll have plenty of positive signs from that side I don't think he'll be overly worried as such given it was the first game of the season I think he made a really good impression as well on his first press conference speaks really well very giving again in his answers quite charming like very very enjoyable to listen to because he really kind of is happy to speak about tactics and all that kind of stuff so another good addition hopefully to the WSO I love hearing your take on managers and the kind of relationship and the rapport that you build to them over the season because it kind of feels like you you see some sort of you know quotes in sort of some of the you know the articles and things but you don't get a sense of like who they are as people because you're there kind of speaking and having these conversations with them you kind of get a sense of it who's actually who's speaking waffle who's giving you the old lines of you know we it was a tough game but we go again or who's actually giving you some in-depth analysis this went wrong we didn't like this we should have done this and that gives you kind of more to to get stuck into but your little face is lighting up talking about some of the conversations that you have with managers i love it it's like your stats and days ahead is like glowing.

33:39Rachel: But now it does feel like because this game is out of the way, Arsenal do have this kind of really decent chance to kind of go on this great opening run in a way, kind of. We say this and I do say this with a caveat. The next two games are against newly promoted Crystal Palace. And then you've got Manchester United. Again, is this the right time to hit them? Will they have found form by then? We don't know. And then who do they play? Go on. Chelsea and then who do they play? Man City but I think for Arsenal I think getting that good start they've you know had it in the past or they don't we've talked about that before where they've come away with a draw or maybe you know not played super well I think Brighton are their bogey team so that'll be that'll be a weight off I think and when you've got players like Stan Wake another one who made a brilliant debut got player of the match and Lisa Bohm as well getting her goal as well I think they'll be very pleased that their debuts did so well 100 % also can I just give a shout out another debutant who had a great game quite a few this weekend Kirstie Hansen delight for her getting a double and like second one was an absolute trademark Kirstie Hansen goal as well so to see her hit the ground running is great to see Tottenham have definitely got themselves a good one there speaking of Tottenham Chloe talk to me about your legacy number to our listeners yeah it was a massive surprise it was yeah it arrived in my inbox last week and Spurs are basically kind of commemorate their women's players in the same way they commemorate their men's players, the kind of historical players who have played and kind of contributed to the club in some way.

35:12Rachel: And yeah, they're given all of us and the OGs who kind of got the club to the WSL special numbers to kind of commemorate this occasion. And I've been given number 43. Yeah, it feels like a really cool moment. And now I think also the current players, I think all the newbies, and they're going to get their own number to kind of take forward. And it's just a real nice moment to kind of, yeah, think back at what we did kind of five, six years ago and where the club is now. I mean, kicking off the season is super, super strong and I have every, yeah, I think the ambition for the club is absolutely huge.

35:45Rachel: So yeah, it was real nice. Really, really nice moment. Very nice. 43 is a good number too. Very good number. It's a prime number as well. Indivisible. Only one. It's perfect. Oh, thank you, mate. But yeah, it was, yeah, a really lovely moment for Spurs to kind of get on there. Definitely for Kirsty Hansen to get on the score sheet. I feel like she's one of those people that we are inevitably going to be talking about week in, week out, because it's clear that not only did she have form last year, but I think maybe she'll be stepping it up another three gears for Spurs. So, yeah. Talking of Man City now, just a brief, brief mention.

36:17Rachel: Obviously made a confident start. 3-1 against Birmingham City. With who else but Bunnishaw scoring two goals to make the difference. But, yeah, what a start for the WSL. It feels like a really exciting year because this kind of feels like it's unsettled a lot of people and you really just don't know how it's going to go. So watch this space every single week. Coming up after this, one of the newbies did get a big, big win. Or did they? I was about to say that.

36:48Rachel: All right. I don't know where to start with this game. We can talk about the game and then we can talk about the controversy afterwards. So Crystal Palace picking up the points, 1-0 against Everton this weekend. obviously getting off to an incredible, incredible start. Crystal Palace only need one more win to match their wins for the whole of the 24-25 season. So it's almost, you know, it's always been quite a historic way to start the WSL. And I think, you know, they do have a bank of experience. They've not too long ago been in the WSL. They have some good players, players that have played at the club for a number of years.

37:22Rachel: They've developed relationships. I feel like Joe Potter is starting to get the best out of the players too. so it kind of feels like this is a really good matchup for them to kind of get their teeth stuck in they weren't placed against a big top four placed against a solid difficult challenging rugged determined Everton and managed to walk away with three points we think we will get to the maybe in a second um but Lexi Lloyd-Smith like I mean she has been I don't know I mean last season absolutely amazing it feels like this season now feels like she's actually really making a mark and starting to come into kind of mainstream conscious from this game a little bit more um only i mean obviously scored the only goal of the game um and then had the ball in the back of the net um later in the game but was obviously declared offside but do we feel like she could be a serious goal threat this season she joined from bristol city she is making her mark already in the WSL.

38:18Rachel: I feel like she's enjoying her football. There's a directness. There's a personality to her. It feels like there's an energy to her that she's bringing to Palace this year. Yeah, I think another player who had a great debut for her club and a super exciting young player to watch as well. And one of those players that plays with a smile on her face. She looks like she's really enjoying her football. She also looks like a player who is just difficult to handle as a defender to try and keep track of her. So delighted for her to get the goal. And, you know, not an easy finish like what pressure to pick the pocket of a defender and have to bear in on the goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan of all goalkeepers as well and put the ball beyond her I think she had a great game so Joe Potter was saying post-match how delighted they are to get her in she knew what she could do so and also Joe Potter shout out to her she's only the fourth player to have played in the WSL and now managed in the WSL so that's a pretty cool stat for her standing on the sidelines I'm sure she wished the game post-game went a little bit smoother for them but it's definitely going to be a memorable one that's for sure and from an Everton perspective they looked a bit rusty they started okay I thought but I thought Crystal Palace just looked a bit more organised energetic you know their front three were pressing the Everton defence causing them a bit of problems Everton did just look a little bit rusty you know some of those new connections maybe not as clean as as we would have liked them to be.

39:45So I think taking them a little while to perhaps find their feet. But I think Palace, you know, their game plan was pretty good for a good majority of the game until maybe like injury time when things got a little bit squeaky bum time for them. Everton so unlucky not to put the ball over the line because they had a couple of goal-mouthed scrambles. I think the ball was cleared off the line twice at the death. So yeah, I think for Palace to, you know, hang on to that victory and fight it out the way they did and then for everything that happened after you'd be frustrated well I think it was that it was the nature of the game that was sort

40:20Rachel: of very determined and very scrappy from Palace it wasn't the most beautiful game in parts that you know it wasn't the most sort of put together and kind of um I don't know sort of considered football but it was what they needed to do to get the job done and that they did and I think like you mentioned there the um I think it was I think it was um Vignola and uh Mace those kind of shots very last ditch kind of attempts try and get that to salvage that point and it felt like Palace through the kitchen sink the the house the chimney the garage the car yeah the fourth the fourth sub the manager uh the rule book at everton um

40:56Rachel: literally to just make sure that this thing was finished and i think that really shows kind of like a heart this is going to be this is a this is a big big challenge to overcome in your first ever uh well your first wsl game back in the wsl and against really hardy opponents but it just shows like the passion that you have to want to do better this year and get that um the disappointing thing then is that obviously after they had got these three points um so as the rules state you can only use five substitution in three substitution windows WSL have then confirmed that there was a breach um because Crystal Palace used a fourth stoppage in play um they are now conducting an investigation alongside both clubs and pro ref and are going to update us in due course as of the time of this recording no further updates have been given which again is super super annoying that there isn't just kind of a static rule that says you know in this scenario this is a breach of the rules this is your penalty but now we're waiting for crystal palace's penalty and that could be either that's going to an independent tribunal that could be a warning a fine a point deduction or other sporting sanctions including replaying the clash so we really don't know what the status of Palace's win is at this moment, which just feels super disappointing.

42:10Rachel: And I feel sorry for the players. I am annoyed at the referee. I'm annoyed at Palace for letting this happen. It just feels like a really shoddy thing to have happened that should have been a really big moment for the club to celebrate. Yeah, which I find really annoying because this isn't like a, I wouldn't have thought this was like an opinion based thing that, you know, you need to look at a club's intent or whatever like the rule is this you broke the rule this is the punishment that's how I would have assumed you know I would assume we just go to the rule book and go oh using too many sub windows oh the punishment is x I don't understand why it's taking so long I remember it actually happening when I was watching the game because there had been this like crazy goal melt scramble ball had been cleared off the line twice like pressure from Everton we're in the 97th minute or something I remember thinking to myself bloody goalkeeper is clearly time wasting why is the ref for not calling this because the ball had to be put back.

43:03I don't know if it was offside or what it was, but you put the ball down and pick the ball up and put it back somewhere else. And I was like, okay, this is the new eight-second rule or whatever, like, is this going to be called? And then camera swung around and there was a substitution happening. So part of me is like, was it worth it, Palace? Like, I know you're maybe trying to take the pressure off, but you had possession of the ball. Your goalkeeper is about to make a goal kick. You brought someone on for 30 seconds to maybe kind of take the pressure off a little bit. And it's now potentially going to cost you that win.

43:29Can you imagine being Lexi Lloyd-Smith? Having the bloody game in your life and then coming out and going, sorry, you did who now? It didn't happen. The whole game didn't happen. I'd be raging. So yeah, look, absolutely, refs at fault, like, crazy that that wasn't picked up. But equally, the club have as much responsibility because they were the ones who broke their rule and know their rules. So yes, the referee allowed it to happen, but you also have to take the responsibility that you broke the rule. So it's just a bit amateurish and it's not how you want to kind of commemorate your first game back into the WSL, is it?

44:03Rachel: Especially with a win like that. It's a really hard one because obviously I think, you know, for any club, any breach is a serious one. But for me, I think maybe because I'm a little bit more emotionally attached to Palace, I really hope it's something like a warning because there is this kind of shared responsibility between club and referee. But I also know that if this was a Chelsea or maybe, you know, another club, I wouldn't be expecting that at all. So I think you've got to hold everyone to the same standards. but I think maybe because it's Palace, I just feel so happy about this win they've achieved.

44:31Rachel: I really hope it's kind of a slap on the wrist, but you've got to be fair across the board. So we're waiting and seeing to see what happens with the outcome of this. Very lengthy investigation. Yeah, so watch this space. Let's move on then. The last game we're going to cover in this pod, because it has been absolutely, it's been a lengthy one, mate, but there's been a lot of drama to cover. Charlton-Liverpool. So another kind of quite interesting comparison with kind of how the WSL newbies are faring up in their first games of this season. Charlton losing 4-0 Liverpool. And interestingly enough now, the WSL table, Liverpool are on top.

45:12Rachel: They're on top. On goal difference. This is huge. Like season one, you know, Champions League spots secured. Jobs done. Everyone can go home. But this was a really interesting game. I thought it was a really good matchup to have this early in the season, because I think we both had concerns, especially from the opt-to-computer things and the predictions that we're making that Charlton were probably our nervy boys, I think, going into this one. And I think we were probably justified in those predictions. Go on, Rach. I think the difficulty as well is like when we were talking about Charlton pre-season, it was like, well, you know, they were really difficult to break down, to be fair, you know, so that'll be something that they can take into this season and that can stand to them.

45:53Like, at least they're a difficult team to break down, blah, blah, blah. They'll make it difficult for teams above to get goals. And then Liverpool go and bang in four goals in the opening game and could have had more. Charlton didn't have a shot on target. So that is, yeah, concerning. for it to be in that manner. I thought Liverpool looked great. They looked comfortable. They looked confident, which is nice to see them play like that. But for a team who scored 21 goals in 22 games to put four past Charlton, yeah, is concerning for them. And I do think there was an element of, you know, they started, they didn't really allow Charlton to kind of try and get a foothold in the game.

46:33But yeah, I thought a very impressive performance from them and from Grace Fisk particularly.

46:38Rachel: really I was gonna say I've got to give another shout out to Grace Fisk there's this absolute I mean obviously she she sort of turns it in from this cut back within sort of nine minutes and it kind of felt like do you know what I thought the floodgates were going to open then um because it kind of felt like that goal was way too easy a lot of Charlton players standing around she was completely unmarked and when she actually scored the goal it kind of just it felt like um there was there was very little celebration because it kind of felt like um it it wasn't a big deal because so many more were coming you could feel it in the air almost um but then I thought Charlton did sort of relatively well to kind of keep it that 1-0 until half time and I thought Christ actually there's a good chance here you make it to 1-0 half time there's a chance to kind of catch them on the counter yeah it's not it's not maybe your game it's not going to plan you've still got to work a lot of things out but you could make it a draw but that very quickly completely disappeared um with that grace fierce long rage effort outside the box uh which I mentioned at the top of the show um and then Enderman as well absolutely stellar on her debut and then you're 3-0 up by by 62 minutes and it doesn't feel like there's any coming back at all it kind of just felt like Charlton were just completely stunned in a way um and then you've got new Charlton signing Ash Neville giving away the penalty in in added time and it it it just it was a calamitous game I think for Charlton and you can kind of just chalk that off it's your first game back in the WSL it's this kind of I don't know you're up against an opposition that's clearly finding their goal scoring boots despite not having done that for the previous season which is probably not something they were going in to expect.

48:08Rachel: Probably thought it was going to be a bit more evenly matched. But it's a wake-up call, I suppose, that life in the WSL is pretty bloody tough, even when you're going against the teams that haven't been performing very well in previous seasons. Well, they have Everton next, and they'll be looking at what Palace did and thinking, OK, if we're going to get points, maybe it's going to be from Everton. So that's maybe a silver lining on the horizon, perhaps. For Liverpool, they've got Tottenham next. I think that's going to be a super interesting game, that one, especially given how Tottenham performed.

48:39So 4-0 up against 3-1. Both teams had their shooting boots on. Could make for a very interesting fixture.

48:44Rachel: Good Lord. It feels like it's just going to be a case of we're not going to be able to call this week on week. And I'm really enjoying, I really hope this continues. Thank you so much for listening to this episode on Front. It's been a real big bumper start to the WSL season. and we can't wait to continue this season and obviously take you through into the Women's World Cup next year. This is the start of many a pod to take you through. So please bear with us because it's going to be an absolute wild ride this year. Find us on Instagram and x slash Twitter. I'm at morgy underscore 89. Rach is at girls on the ball and we are at upfront underscore pod.

49:20Rachel: You can also find us on YouTube at upfront pod. See you next week.

49:41Upfront is a stack production and part of the Acast Creator Network.

49:52Hi, I'm Max Rushton, the host of The Guardian Football Weekly. Alongside me, Barry Glendening, my co-host. Hey, Barry. Hello. Oh, now, although every American found us during the World Cup, for the two that didn't, what can they expect?

50:03Rachel: Found us and fell in love with us, Max. They can expect three episodes each week of occasionally insightful analysis covering the Premier League, Champions League and beyond. Football Weekly is back. Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. You're either all in on this model or maybe you're building with another. You're either speed or is it security? Or you're AWS AI. Don't pick a side. Pick them all. AWS AI is how.

50:56the world's leading podcasts, book host reads or run your own ads, and track every conversion in real time. Same skills you already have, brand new results. Acast. Acast.com slash advertise.