The Women’s Super League is back from the international break, with Manchester United hosting Arsenal on Sunday in the standout fixture. There have only been five gameweeks but, since the league only has 12 teams, we will already be a quarter of the way through the 2024-25 WSL season when the half-time whistles blow in Sunday’s six games.
So, what have we learnt about each team in their opening matches — and what is the table not telling us?
1. Manchester City
Attempting to improve on last year’s second place (Chelsea pipped them to the title on goal difference), City are top with four wins and a draw from their five matches. The early signs for Gareth Taylor’s team are good. They have the best expected goal difference (xGD) per 90 minutes in the league (+1.22) and are creating an average of 2.04 expected goals (xG) per game, showing they are creating high-quality chances.
Last season, City relied heavily on a strong core, with eight players starting 16 or more of their 22 WSL matches. In contrast, champions Chelsea only had three players do the same. Taylor made fewer, and later, changes than anyone else in the league, with only 72 substitutions, and his starters averaged 84 minutes of game time. That trend has continued this season — Taylor’s starters are…
