How does any WSL team catch Chelsea?

Chelsea Women claimed another treble on Sunday, adding the Women’s FA Cup to their WSL and Women’s League Cup titles.

The Blues also went the entire domestic season unbeaten, and have not lost since May 1, 2024 when Emma Hayes – prematurely, as it turned out – conceded the league title to Manchester City Women after a 4-3 defeat to Liverpool Women.

The sight of another trophy lift will have been an irritant to not only Marc Skinner’s Manchester United Women – beaten 3-0 at Wembley – but also the likes of Arsenal Women and Man City.

All three have chased Chelsea in the WSL title race in recent years, and sometimes beaten them in cup competitions. But the Blues continue to prove they are the dominant force in English women’s football, even after a change of head coach.

And we find ourselves again asking the question – how does anyone catch Chelsea on the domestic front?

Invest and strengthen

The clearest and most obvious answer. With significant investment, Chelsea have built a squad that can compete on multiple fronts.

In fact, the Blues won the WSL title by a huge 12 points – their biggest winning margin in the league. Last year, they won it on goal difference, with only a few points previously separating the top two sides.

And only a few days ago, Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian purchased a 10 per cent stake in the club for a reported £20m, which also gives him a place on the club’s board. Their success makes them an attractive prospect.

That is not to say other clubs have not added quality. Mariona Caldentey has improved Arsenal, while a number of Man Utd’s summer signings have been regular starters this season. Man City also added, although have struggled with injuries.

But last summer alone, Chelsea signed Lucy Bronze and Sandy Baltimore. In January, Kiera Walsh and Naomi Girma – the first female player to be sold for over $1m – arrived. They are players simply a level above most of those joining the clubs around them, signing for big money.

So if other teams want to attract a similar level of players, they need the resources from their hierarchies to be able to do so.

The FA Cup final was attended by some of Man Utd’s senior staff, including Omar Berrada and the Glazers, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe remained noticeably absent, as he was for last year’s victorious final.

After the game, Skinner said he feels supported by the club, but the differences between themselves and Chelsea were clear.

“It’s not whether you’re visible, but as long as our club and team is being invested in, that is also a way of showing your support,” he said.

“I feel the support and we need to show it in the right way in the summer in order for us to close that gap.

“I love my team, I love their energy and we have a lot of young players, but if you watch it [the final], you see the difference.

“Just look at the substitutes, and I don’t mean that against ours, but it’s a totally different experience. We need that level of experience and quality in order to really make a difference

“If you saw me at the end, I’m staring into space because I’m thinking about how I can close that gap. I’m not going to have the finances that maybe Arsenal or Manchester City are.

“We vastly, quite openly, spend less than Chelsea… The reality is that it’s the investment in the team that needs to happen.”

It is something Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor is also keen to see in England – having better teams only pushes hers even more.

“It’s important for most of the teams to invest in the women’s game because I think if you have more competition you are able to perform better,” she said after winning the FA Cup.

“This is what we want and what we need to be an even better team. We want to be at the top of the league and bring everyone with us. This is what we want to achieve but we need the other teams to still invest and come with us.”

Identifying experience as well as quality

One of Man Utd’s downfalls in the FA Cup final were mistakes that allowed Chelsea to score two late goals. It showcased the relentlessness of the Blues, and a touch of naivety in Skinner’s young side.

And while talented players are important, that does not always translate into a different league. Experience at the highest level can be crucial though, and balancing those two aspects is vital.

Skinner explained: “Emma’s legacy was to build a robust team that can take the responsibility in those big moments, because they’re used to them. That’s what we don’t have.

“That’s something, if I want to bridge a gap, that might be a way that we do it, is buying those kind of people that have been and won that and putting them into our team as well.”

Experience is not only important for domestic fronts, as Man Utd and Arsenal also have Champions League football to contend with next season.

Before they even reach the league phase, there will be qualifying rounds to contend with, although the Gunners can bypass this if they win the Champions League themselves. But Man Utd will certainly face up to four extra games, adding to their workload.

“The Champions League is going to add more burden to the squad, because you’re going to be having higher profile games midweek, and then potentially Chelsea on the weekend,” Skinner added.

“We need to get the right depth. If we don’t, then you’ll struggle. You’ve seen Manchester City this year when they get injuries because they’re stretching to that point, they then dip off. Arsenal were the same the year before.

“Chelsea are probably the only team that have invested in the squad enough for them to have that depth and be able to cover those midweek to weekend games. That will be the challenge for us.”

Working with current players

While investment is key, it is impossible – and unwise – to change an entire squad, especially when they still have high-quality players.

There also has to be a focus on coaching and mentality, and as Skinner puts it, ‘maximising’ the talent they already have – finding those extra one or two per cents that can make all the difference.

Chelsea are used to finals every season and winning games in the tightest of moments. The more other teams around them compete on the same fronts, the easier they will be able to navigate the same situations in the future.

“I’ve got to find Manchester United’s way in the summer,” Skinner said. “We’ve got to maximise what we’ve got. Our players have to come back fitter, stronger, more aggressive. We have to concentrate more and control the controllables.

“I won’t rest over the summer. I’ve got to find a way that we can close that different type of gap. I’ve got to find little snippets here and there that can make us better.

“Chelsea were better than us physically [in the final], and it’s something that I’ve also got to look at.

“I’m going to look at specifically where I think players are up to, where some might need to move on, some might need to stay, and who would grow. I need a space now to do that.”

Chelsea still chasing Women’s Champions League

For all of their ‘invincible’ achievements, their squad depth and quality, there is one trophy that still eludes Chelsea – the Women’s Champions League.

It is the only blip on an otherwise perfect season. It is also arguably what is holding Chelsea back from being considered one of the greatest clubs in Europe.

In fact, Arsenal remain the WSL’s most successful team on the continent. They have reached their second Champions League final – facing Barcelona in Lisbon on May 25 – one more than Chelsea. The Gunners remain the only English team to have won the competition.

Chelsea’s lack of success in the Champions League is clearly on Bompastor’s mind too.

“It feels really great to be dominant in England, but we didn’t win the Champions League. Our goal and ambition is to make sure we compete against the best teams in Europe. Barcelona for sure, but also teams like Lyon,” she said.

The second half of the Blues’ season did not see their best performances, but they did produce results, especially domestically. But it did also demonstrate that, with a few tweaks, Chelsea could be taken advantage of.

Skinner added: “In games this year, you could have got Chelsea. I don’t think most teams in the league have maximised that, so let’s see.”

It is clear few teams will be able to compete with the Blues financially, at least for the foreseeable future. While investment is still key, there are still other ways to improve in a bid to match Chelsea.

While they seem like a daunting prospect, nothing is infallible. But it will be a big summer for many of these teams, who will look to improve again in a bid for silverware.